Dead and Gondola: A Cozy with Touches of Christie

Dead and Gondola by Ann Claire was published in 2022.

Our Sleuth: Ellie Christie, 33, runs the family bookstore with her older sister, Meg, 38, and the shop cat, Agatha C. (for cat) Christie.

The Setting: Last Word, a small mountain town in Colorado where “many of the vacation-mansion set” jet into for weekend getaways. Present time.

The Premise: A stranger intrudes book club at the Christies’ shop and then dies inside a gondola on the way down the mountain — he steps in by himself and is dead by the time he reaches the bottom. The Christie sisters are the hapless key witnesses riding in the gondola behind him who vow, naturally, to find his killer. Meanwhile, their loyal shop assistant has suddenly gone missing.

Themes: Family ties and how clearly you can ever know anyone, including those you consider close friends, emerge as themes in this lighthearted caper.

My Take: An excellent example of a smart cozy with all the prerequisites – an appealing protagonist starting a new life chapter in a beautiful setting surrounded by offbeat neighbors. It’s great fun to catch all the references to Agatha Christie’s works but also those of Dorothy L. Sayers, Rex Stout and Wilkie Collins.

Opening Lines:

I swung open the heavy oak door and blinked at the figure taking shape in the blizzard.

“What a perfect day for a murder!” The woman strode into the Book Chalet, glowing like a summer sunbeam and a vision from the past. Feathers trembled atop her flapper-style beret. Pretty pin curls framed her face. Snowflakes swarmed at her sides.

Of Note: This is Claire’s debut in her Christie Bookshop Mystery. I’ve already added her second recently published installment, Last Word to the Wise, to my TBR (to be read) list.

Etc.: Cozies tend to be set in places we all think we’d like to live, from small seaside towns to quaint English villages. In this case, it’s a beautiful mountain town. But as a Colorado resident myself, I know living in such a place can be incredibly expensive and throngs of tourists can disrupt living for locals. I appreciate Claire’s touching on this issue.

Heads Up: No need for trigger warnings in this traditional cozy.