Murder at the Mayfair Hotel
Publisher Description
It was the most fashionable place to stay in London, until murder made a reservation. Solve the puzzle in this new cozy historical murder mystery from USA Today bestselling author of the Glass and Steele series.
December 1899. After the death of her beloved grandmother, Cleopatra Fox moves into the luxury hotel owned by her estranged uncle in the hopes of putting hardship and loneliness behind her. But the poisoning of a guest on Christmas eve throws her new life, and the hotel, into chaos.
Cleo quickly realizes no one can be trusted, not Scotland Yard and especially not the hotel’s charming assistant manager. With the New Year’s Eve ball approaching fast and the hotel’s reputation hanging by a thread, Cleo must find the killer before the ball, and the hotel itself, are ruined. But catching a murderer proves just as difficult as navigating the hotel’s hierarchy and the peculiarities of her family.
Can Cleo find the killer before the new century begins? Or will someone get away with murder?
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
The cosy mystery genre has an enjoyable new sleuth in Cleopatra Fox. When the 23-year-old orphan shows up at London’s Mayfair Hotel on Christmas Eve in the final days of the 19th century, her spontaneous tendencies aren’t in keeping with either the prim and proper staff or her estranged relations who own the establishment. And after an unlikable guest is fatally poisoned, Cleo makes even bigger waves by taking it upon herself to find the killer. Australian author C.J. Archer weaves gentle elements of comedy and romance into this historical whodunit, setting up a promising new series with an ensemble cast of well-drawn characters. Between the period details and Cleo’s plucky approach, there’s a lot of fun to be had here.
Customer Reviews
A cosy mystery, by-the-numbers
A cosy mystery, set in a posh hotel in 1899. Our protagonist returns to her estranged family under sad circumstances, and is thrown into a murder mystery. She bridges the gap between the aristocracy and the serving classes, and everything pans out pretty much exactly how you would predict.
It’s light, it’s cosy, it is absolutely not going to be a challenge to any reader. Would I read more? Sure. It’s light comfort reading for a rainy afternoon.
Very cosy murder mystery read
This story was a lot better than I thought it would be. The characters are really dynamic and unique and Cleo is a likeable protagonist. Very cute insight to the Victorian era. Definitely one of those books where you want to sit and read with a cup of tea when it’s raining, Look forward to reading the other books in this series.
Good read
A bit mamby pamby but a good read all the same.