Murder at Hambledon Hall

Cleopatra Fox #10

by C.J. Archer

The genteel tranquility of a country house party is shattered when the gamekeeper is shot. Was his death the result of his recent indiscretions, or long-buried secrets?

The weekend was supposed to be an enjoyable time with her family at the neo-Gothic manor of Lord and Lady Kershaw, but when the gamekeeper is murdered, Cleo can’t rest until the killer is caught. As a witness herself, she’s frustrated with the incompetence of the local police who lay the blame on a man who conveniently disappeared. When she realizes their ineptitude is a result of Lord Kershaw’s influence, she focuses her investigation on the earl and his family, against the wishes of her uncle.

The arrival of her suspects at the Mayfair Hotel allows Cleo to continue the investigation after the country house party ends, but what she discovers unnerves her. The gamekeeper’s reputation for seducing young women has left a trail of broken hearts, from the lowest maid to the highest lady. But could there be another reason for his murder?

Meanwhile, the hotel staff have secrets of their own to hide. As loyalties are tested on several fronts, Cleo needs her friends more than ever if she is to unravel the mysteries, both old and new.

Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Audiobook, Cozy Mystery, Historical, Fiction, Romance

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 3, 2025

About the author

C.J. Archer is the USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of historical mystery and historical fantasy novels including the GLASS AND STEELE series, the CLEOPATRA FOX MYSTERIES, the MINISTRY OF CURIOSITIES and THE GLASS LIBRARY series.

She has loved history and books for as long as she can remember and feels fortunate that she found a way to combine the two. She has at various times worked as a librarian, IT support person and technical writer but in her heart has always been a fiction writer. She lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her husband, 2 children and Coco the black and white cat.

Subscribe to C.J.'s newsletter to be notified when she releases a new book. Join via her website: www.cjarcher.com

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Reviews

[Anna 🌻 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally! x

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really really enjoyed this one! Probably my favorite in the series since number 7, Murder at the Polo Club. I just love these characters! The family relationships are getting more complex in some really interesting ways. I hope we get to see Floyd and Flossy find true love.

[Isabel Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous mystery, fabulous characters and finally (iykyk)

[Steffi · Rating 5 out of 5]

"FINALLY!!" is all I have to say lol besides that once again a wonderful mystery, cant wait for the next one ♡

[Girl Meets Dragon · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.6 stars
I love this series! Book ten had a bit of an awkward start maybe but pulled together! It’s remarkable to me that CJ manages to keep the mysteries different from one another and keep me guessing and thoroughly immersed!
It’s going to be a long six months till the next one!

[Gale Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable-can’t wait until book 11.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

Freaking finally! I would not have been okay waiting another whole book!!

[Lyndsey Bowers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am SO proud of Cleo & CJ Archer! CJ practically took all of our grievances and fixed them in one book😭 granted, I wasn’t here so much for the plot of the book, moreso the ROMANCE we’ve been waiting on for 5 books. There were lots of things that went right in #10. Cleo standing up to uncle Ronald, aunt Lillian accepting her addiction and asking for help, victor & harmony moving forward with their feelings, Floyd choosing to refrain from gambling, and Cleo actually recognizing and accepting her feelings for Harry. Girl, I’m so proud of you 🥹😭💖

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

oh my goodness! Cleo and Harry are my favorite duo!

[Johanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only have one thing to say about this book:
FINALLY!

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

While visiting family friends Lord and Lady Kershaw at their neo-Gothic home, Hambleton Hall, Cleo witnesses an argument between the gamekeeper and another man. Just moments later, she comes across the local vicar standing over the dead body of Esmond Samuels, the gamekeeper. Lord Kershaw persuades the local constable to declare that the murderer was a poacher passing through the village and all is well. Cleo isn't convinced by trying to get answers from the nobility and gentry isn't easy. Cleo has lots of questions! She has also noticed small items missing from the Hall. Could there be a connection to the murder? Back in London, the hotel workers are on the verge of striking after the housekeeper passes a new rule forbidding fraternization between male and female employees at their residence hall. Relationships have always been forbidden in the hotel but after hours is their personal business and good maids and footmen are on the verge of being dismissed. Cleo tries to intervene and convince Uncle Ronald the rule is ridiculous but he doesn't agree and she makes things worse. How to convince the housekeeper to reverse the rule before the hotel loses the entire staff? Then Uncle Ronald asks Cleo to discreetly look into the case of the murdered gamekeeper. Having the local police cover it up just makes his friend's family look guilty. OF COURSE they can't be guilty-they're nobility and gentry. Cleo is eager to get investigating in earnest and invites her "associate" Harry Armitage to investigate with her. Things have changed between them and Cleo isn't sure what or why but when Aunt Lillian, in the withdrawal from her tonic, lashes out at Cleo, Cleo knows who she wants to comfort her. She'll just deal with the consequences later. [Yes dear readers, most of you say "It's about time!"]


This story got off to a slow start for me. It was a very paint-by-the-numbers, Downton Abbey inspired story I have read a million times before. The subplot at the hotel was a little more interesting and while the romance heats up a LOT, I don't find that any more realistic than most people find the slow burn. The mystery picks up more after Cleo is given permission to investigate. There is a lack of solid suspects. First Cleo has to determine the motive and she seems to be going about it backward, trying to find the suspect and then the motive. Once Harry and Harmony get involved with sleuthing the plot gets a little better. We have clues and suspects galore. Whodunit turned out to be no one I ever expected and Cleo handled the situation very sensitively. I could do without the drug addicted aunt subplot.

Cleo is crazy! She goes around questioning people and then expects to be fine while investigating. She goes off on her own more than once when she should have taken a lookout at least! She never actually figures out whodunit until the last minute. She thinks she has it all figured out but then she has to revise her theory and revise it again. There are certainly plenty of red herrings to confuse her. She is a strong woman to have to deal with the jealous and hurtful comments of her aunt while Aunt Lillian is withdrawing from her cocaine-laced tonic. I do believe her aunt DOES mean the things she says and if they were modern people, I'd say she needs therapy to unpack her issues and then they need family therapy. It isn't fair of her to blame Cleo and Cleo is right, her grandparents were mourning the loss of their only child and his wife and feared their only grandchild would be taken from them. Cleo knows Uncle Ronald would have found a way to keep her from her old life and family. This is probably true. He's such a horrid snob. Cleo does know how to handle her uncle, most of the time.

Harry Armitage clearly has it bad for Cleo and he's informed his parents of his intentions. I assume his mother told her sister-in-law and his aunt shows up to finally meet the famous Cleo. She's cute and seems excited to be on the periphery of Cleo and Harry's relationship AND investigation. Harry's mother is polite even if she can't be warm and loving. Harry makes no pretenses about his feelings for Cleo but she doesn't see it! He's so thoughtful and caring, willing to drop everything to be with her but respects her wishes when she doesn't want help. Harry doesn't use his detective skills to spy on Cleo in an attempt to keep her safe. He trusts her and allows her the freedom to figure things out on her own. Likewise, he doesn't pressure her about their relationship and just accepts whatever she is offering for now and leaves it to Cleo to progress when she feels comfortable. She is getting there! I liked the slow burn. It feels natural for Cleo and for the time period. Plus who wants to get married and pop out babies every year or two until you drop dead? That leaves her no time for investigating or doing whatever it is she wants to do.

Floyd finally mans up and admits his behavior has been bad in the past but he's growing up and trying to be better. He still buys not so cheap whores and gets drunk but he's not a sleazy womanizer or a really terrible person. He loves Cleo and tries to protect her. He also seems to respect Harry and it's Harry he's worried about when Cleo claims she eschews marriage. Flossie is still rather naive and ditzy. She's not as bad as her friend Janet though.

I like Lord and Lady Kershaw. By all accounts he's a good man even by today's standards, even if he is an Earl. He is protective of his family and their name though and makes the local constable cover up a murder. As Uncle Ronald notes, this just makes them look guilty and Cleo knows the fatal shot HAD to have come from the house as she was in the woods. That means someone in the family is a killer. It's not Lady Kershaw unless her timidness is an act. She's lovely, gentle and kind but not the sharpest or most exciting person. She defers to her sister-in-law, Mrs. Browning, for guidance on how things are now. On one hand, it's nice of Lady Kershaw not to run around changing everything, but on the other, she's the lady of the manor and should act like it. There has to be a way to respect tradition and still run the house the way you want it run. Her husband's sister married a mere mister and gave up her home and her position in the family. Lady Kershaw can't keep a nanny. The last one left only a few weeks ago and hadn't been there long. Cleo has a very good guess as to why the female servants keep leaving and leaving in tears. Lord Kershaw isn't like that, they don't have a son, so it must be one of the male servants or guests mistreating the servants.

The culprit was none other than the murdered gamekeeper Esmond Shepherd. He was one nasty man even by 19th-century standards. He seduced any female with a pulse, apparently. He thought he was charming and women thought he was good looking and they meant something to him. He was the type that enjoyed the chase, a predator, who got tired once his conquest was over. This man ordered the footpath outside his door to be closed and Lord Kershaw complied. There was probably some blackmail at work but what did he know and how did he know it? Is that why he wasn't sacked long ago or is it just out of loyalty because his family served Lord Kershaw's family forever. Not even Uncle Ronald liked Mr. Shepherd and that says a lot!

The vicar, Reverend Pritchard, claims he came from Cornwall but he doesn't have an accent and won't say where or why he was sent away from his old post to the new one so suddenly. He's supposedly extremely devout and Cleo and Harry find him prostrate on the cold stone floor of the church. Are you serious? He's clearly a lying liar who lies and hiding something. What's under the floor of the church? Are there loose stones? What is he hiding? The butler also seems suspicious to me. He doesn't have an alibi for the time of murder. He claims to have been in his room napping. Harmony notes the butler likes a tipple of the master's good brandy and then sleeps it off after lunch so I guess his alibi might be true. Does he know anything about missing objects from the house though? He seems like your typical snooty, loyal butler other than sneaking the brandy. Would he kill someone who was threating the family or maybe there was a falling out among thieves?

Lord Kershaw's elderly aunt lives in the family home her father built. She's frail in body but her mind is sharp. Lady Elizabeth is a wonderful character! She was very lively and intelligent in her youth. She's still shrewd and wise. Lady Elizabeth takes a liking to Cleo. I imagine she sees herself in Cleo and gives Cleo some advice on marriage vs. staying single forever. Cleo can stay single if she wants to! A new century approaches, there are more opportunities for women, she has her little side job and if she can manage to convince Uncle Ronald to let her live at the hotel forever, she has no need of a husband. Lady Elizabeth's father sounds even worse than Uncle Ronald. Uncle Ronald doesn't have a title and ancient family name to defend. I think Lady Elizabeth would choose to defend her family name and cover up the murder too, though. There she differs from Cleo.

The most awful living characters are Lord Kershaw's sister and her husband. Mrs. Browning is an awful snob. She's proud to the point of being rude to everyone and is especially rude to Cleo. Cleo tries to be polite but when the gloves come off, she's very rude. She feels superior to her sister-in-law and oh so much smarter and better than everyone else. Mr. Browning is just AWFUL! He's a sleazy womanizer, a gambler and possibly a thief. Sadly I don't think he's the type to avenge his wife or daughter but I think Mrs. Browning would totally shoot a man in cold blood if it meant protecting her family's reputation. Even if they were friendly in their youth, I still think she would have shot the guy.

Janet Browning is very young and engaged to a man she doesn't know. She seems excited about the wedding but doesn't really understand the concept of marriage. Janet and Flossie keep giggling and I really wonder what they're giggling about. Who is Janet's fiancé and why do we never see him? Where was HE at the time of the murder? His reputation is tied to Janet's and any whiff of scandal attached to her or the family will affect him once he's married. Would he murder to protect his reputation or would he simply withdraw his proposal? Can he do that without her parents suing for breach of promise?

The villagers are angry with Lord Kershaw and Mr. Shepherd for closing off the path they've used forever. No one is more upset than Martin Faine. He's lived in the village his whole life and works as a laborer. He sometimes serves as a beater during shooting parties but wasn't working when the murder happened. Mr. Faine is utterly furious over the footpath being closed. He's stirring up trouble. Is he angry enough to have killed Mr. Shepherd? Or maybe there was another reason he would want Mr. Shepherd dead? Another good suspect is Mr. Crippen, brother of the former nanny. It doesn't take a private detective to figure out what Miss Crippen's story is. PROBABLY her brother confronted Mr. Shepherd to badger Mr. Shepherd into marrying Miss Crippen and Mr. Shepherd PROBABLY laughed in his face. BUT Mr. Crippen is a city gentleman, a clerk, middle class. Does he KNOW how to shoot a rifle? Does he own one? Does he have an alibi? Cleo and Harry have to tag team him to find out.

Poor Harmony doesn't have a lot to do right now. She's bored and wants another event to plan. Her dark skin makes her the target of snooty guests and she knows if she breaks the rules and gets caught with Victor, she'll be reduced to begging for a new job where she'll be put to work scrubbing floors. She's smart though and Victor is as well. They've worked together at the Mayfair long enough they know how to be discreet and not get caught. Victor is cute. He takes it upon himself to act like an older brother to Cleo but is less intrusive than Floyd. Alas, Victor is also underutilized in this novel.

This isn't my favorite entry in the series but I'll stick with it and see where it's going for now.

TW:
sexual harassment/seduction of young women
homophobia
mild racism
social snobbery, sexism and murder are a given

[M.K. Tufft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another thrilling adventure, that ups the heat factor

CJ Archer is one of my favorite authors, and I absolutely love her Cleopatra Fox series. This is another fantastic installment… yet another murder with many satisfying twists, turns, and conflicts.

The relationships in the storyline also take an interesting twist.

But of course, if you’re reading book 10, you’re already hooked.
Can’t wait for the next installment! Well done and thank you CJ!!!

[Jess Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite cozy murder mystery series. The audio narrator for the series is fantastic, and they are cute and easy to listen to while doing other things. There is a slight sub plot of "will they won't they" romance spanning over the entire series, but the mystery is always the focus.The author has always kept me guessing right up until the very end about who did it, until this book. This is the first out of ten that I was able to solve before the big reveal. I found this to be my least favorite of the series thus far, the mystery was very Clue- like (you know, Colonel Mustard in the study with the candlestick type Clue).

[Astrid · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I almost want to say that this book is too little too late. Yes we FINALLY get some progress on the romance but only after an entire book with the same old excuses and bullshit. I miss when in the first five books Cleo actually stood up for what she wanted and didn’t let her family dictate her life. Why can’t we get that Cleo back? Because at this point there’s been less what I’d call character growth and more of something like character regression.

But despite me starting to hate Cleo, the mystery was actually very enjoyable and I loved how it was resolved. I won’t spoil it but it was surprisingly different than CJA’s other books in a very good way :)

[LNZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rather enjoyed this diversion from the typical predictable plot where Cleo investigates, gets in a life threatening situation that Harry saves her from it all the while repressing her feelings for Harry. Finally a cleopatra book where things make better sense.

[Bobbi · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. The mystery in this book I’m sure deserved better than the 3-3.5 stars I gave it, but I found myself getting distracted while listening to it and not being able to follow it. The ending was good though!

[Jessica Gehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

FINALLY

[Kara Simmons · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love these books. Fun characters, good development, and good mysteries. They are definitely formulaic, but what detective series isn’t?

[Jenna Gehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

NEED the next one asap.

[Liz Watt · Rating 5 out of 5]

FINALLY!!

[Stephanie Sanchez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Freaking finally!!

Good Lord 9 books and we finally get there!! I should've known it would take that long, it did in the Glass and Steele series too. Talk about slow burning!! Great mystery though and I should always suspect the least expected with anything Ms. Archer puts forward. I didn't though and I felt stupid when the truth finally did come to light. Can't wait for the next!

[Emily D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best one yet

[Bego Lavale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solo diré que POR FIN

[Basia · Rating 4 out of 5]

GOD, FINALLY (and about more than one thing, I might add)

[j a c e v a n s · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally!

[Chris Boyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least fave of all her books, just wasn’t into it. Love the background story of Cleo and Harry. These are good murder mystery books like Nancy Drew but older.

[ME · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning was abrupt but then we were off to the races. Another satisfying installment... more satisfying than most! ;)

[Cherney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book. good like the rest.

[Tirzah H. · Rating 2 out of 5]

The stories and plots are starting to repeat. If you've read one, you've probably read at least two others in the series.

[Christena · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't get enough of this series!! It makes me so happy! 💕