Where to begin? I started this late last night and spent the entire next night finishing this book. Wow. In a way this was a cozy mystery read and I LOVED all of it!! Gave me Agatha Christie vibes.

It's 1940 and Evelyne also known as the "Parisian Orphan" due to her upbringing, even though her father is still alive. Evelyne works at her new secret job for Prime Minister Winston Churchill and his cabinet war room. During her first week there, she comes across a murder. I LOVED Evelyne's character, she is independent, strong-willed, and didn't let anyone get in her way. The way she took charge throughout the book and put an end to men trying to tell her "where women should be" and "their place during the war" made me pump my fist in the air. You go Evelyne!!

This is historical fiction, but even if you're not a big fan of historical fiction novels this might just change your mind! I forgot how much I enjoyed reading them until I picked up this book, thanks to netgalley of course. During the book, there are air raids taking place and bombings happening leaving family members to wonder if their friends are okay while in shelters. I couldn't imagine the stress and fear during this time. You have no idea when the alarm goes off to seek shelter...

At first, I was overwhelmed with the amount of characters introduced so I had to keep notes in my kindle app, but then realized once you started getting further into the book it becomes easier to follow. It was a guessing game during the entire book and I HIGHLY recommend if you're into whodunit type of books!! There was even a hint of romance going on, but only time will tell in the future books from the series. I will be reading the other books in this series once it comes out! again highly recommend for a cozy mystery. I only gave it a 4 because I felt I knew who was behind it, but that doesn't take away from the beauty of this book.

The thing I liked the best about this book is the war time setting in England. It also has the crispness of British humor and tenacity.
The mystery was good. I liked how Evelyne figured stuff out and was quick to act.
I liked the brief appearance and references to Churchill.
Betraying one’s county by divulging sensitive information is one of the worst crimes, in my opinion.
I also like it when authors branch out into a different genre.

** “This war will be won on the battlefield, but it will also be won with information and disinformation. We need to be on the right side of that fight.” **

Julia Kelly delivers a fun World War II mystery with “A Traitor in Whitehall.”

While working in an ordnance factory during WWII, Evelyne Redfern is recruited to work as a typist in a top secret job at Winston Churchill’s secret underground bunker at Whitehall. She is tasked with finding a mole, but while newly on the job shockingly stumbles across a dead body.

She decides to join forces with the mysterious David Poole, who works for the Ministry of Information, to solve the murder and find the mole. Will they be able to trust and respect each other enough to work together?

What follows is a delightfully fun yet suspenseful mystery filled with twists and turns and misdirections, keeping the reader guessing until the very end. Kelly creates intriguing characters, as well as a great plot.

Fans of books like the “Marion Lane” series, Rachel McMillan’s “The Mozart Code” and Katherine Reay’s “Cold War” series will love “A Traitor in Whitehall.”

Five stars out of five.

Minotaur Books provided this complimentary copy through NetGalley for my honest, unbiased review.

A good beginning for a new series
In the past I have read various books by Julia Kelly and always enjoyed them. This one was no exception, and I am looking forward to a new one with the two major characters. I consider this light reading but it nice to see how bits of history are woven into the story. We have a murderer, spy, traitor and plenty of danger for our girl. It gives us the feel what it would have felt like to be working in a secretarial pool during war time with classified information. Expect a lot of twist and turns and see if you can guess who the guilty party is.

A wonderful start to Julia Kelly’s née historical series.I was completely involved from beginning to end.London during ww2 Evelyn a young woman on a search for a spy.So much atmosphere working during the day heading out to party at night.I am so glad there will be more books in this series.#netgalley #st.martins

A TRAITOR IN WHITEHALL is the first book in the Parisian Orphan series, a new historical mystery series by Julia Kelly. I have enjoyed all of this author’s historical novels and this new series is definitely off to a great start. Set in World War II London in 1940 during the Blitz, we meet Evelyne Redfern, known as “The Parisian Orphan” after the high-profile divorce of her parents. Evelyne is recruited by an old friend of her father, to work in Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s cabinet war rooms. Shortly after she arrives, one of her co-workers is murdered at work. Being an amateur sleuth, Evelyne is determined to learn the truth about the murder. But David Poole, a minister’s aide, is trying to discover the identity of a mole selling Britain’s secrets to the Germans. They reluctantly join forces to accomplish both their missions. The list of suspects is long and no one can be trusted. Can Evelyne and David find the killer and the mole before it is too late? Evelyne is a wonderful character that is easy to relate to. She’s smart, witty and very likeable. The growing attraction between Evelyne and David adds an interesting touch, as well. This book had everything I enjoy in a historical mystery and I look forward to the next book in this series. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.

Another phenomenal read by Julia Kelly, one of my favorite historical fiction writers. Set in Churchill’s Whitehall in the 40’s during the war, Evelyn is chosen to spy on workers in the typing pool when a mole’s presence is suspected. She is thrust into the action when she finds a fellow peer typist who has just been murdered. Evelyn is a force to be reckoned with in her role and plays a pivotal role in the solution of both the murder and finding the mole, as well as bringing former friends back together hopefully.
Seeing the war from deep underground in the midst of Whitehall was a new glimpse into the terrors citizens living there felt. It brought back the noises of typewriters and the triple copies they produced. Also brought to light the stereotypes of female secretaries and typists. I enjoyed the growing attraction between Evelyn and David and hope to read a continuation of their story in the future. I enjoyed the few snippets of Churchill’s quotes included. All in all Julia Kelly made this time frame in this particular setting come alive for me and I could not put it down.
Many many thanks to Julia Kelly for once again capturing my heart, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this historical fiction gem, published today.

I have been a little obsessed with historical mysteries and usually I listen on audible... But was intrigued when I read the overview of this book.

Needless to say, I really enjoyed the premise and timeframe with the author combining real events in history and fiction at the same time!!

So glad this will be a series and looking forward to more!!

4.5 ⭐️
I have to say this book was such a pleasant surprise - part cozy mystery , part historical fiction , I had a great time following Evelyn on her adventure to solve a murder at her place of work . The story takes place in London during WWII and the London Blitz makes a cameo appearance

Without really realizing, I’ve found myself staring another series but I’m definitely looking forward to the next book in the series

Enjoyed this exciting mystery set in the underground tunnels of Churchill's offices during WWII and the nightly bombings of London. Reading the book, I felt like I was swept up into the time period with nightly dances, and unfortunately, a world where there was little respect paid to the intelligence of women. With a strong female lead who found herself in the midst of a murder/espionage mystery at work, this page turning book was a compelling who-done-it.

Evelyn Reddfern was living in London during World War II and although she had to watch her pennies she grew up in the lap of luxury with her mom in France. This was the cause of the public custody battle she went through at the age of 10 her father wanted her to have a British education and did everything to scandalous her French independent mother. Unfortunately her mother was now deceased and she no longer spoke to her father she was doing her part for the war effort but on this night she was out with her best friend Maura and her beaux Robert Who decided to take his friend along to keep her company unfortunately it wasn’t the kind of company Evelyn wanted so she excused herself and ran into an old family friend this is how she became a member of the typing pool in the CWR which stands for the cabinet war room under Churchill. She was told just to pay attention and to report anything strange she sees or hears never once thinking she would find herself solving the murder of a fellow typist. I usually do not like books set in World War II but I must say I absolutely loved A Traitor In Whitehall Book one of The Parisian orphan Series by Julia Kelly it is a type of cozy mystery but a very smart and interesting read. I loved this book and cannot wait to see what Evelyn gets into next I loved her character and found her so likable very smart and a girl despite her insecurities puts forth a confident well put together demeanor and I love that about her not to mention they were parts of the book that made me laugh out loud. This is a book I highly recommend and totally loved a definite five star read. I want to think Boldwood Books and Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I really liked this book and am so happy it looks like the beginning of a series! It's 1940 when Evelyne Redfern bumps into Mr. Fletcher, an old friend of her father's. When Mr. Fletcher offers Evelyne a chance to leave her tedious job at the munitions factory to join the typist pool in Churchill's cabinet war rooms (CWR), she jumps at the chance. When Evelyne finds one of her coworkers murdered and decides the duo investigating are incompetent, she starts looking into things on her own, ultimately pairing with David Poole, a minister's aide who may be more than appears. If you like smart, confident, independent female characters, mysteries with lots of suspects, and good writing, give this book a read!

Evelyn Redfern became known as the "Parisian Orphan" as a child due to her high society parent's scandalous divorce. She has been living in London and doing her part for the war effort when she is recruited by one of her father's old friends to enter Winston Churchill's underground war rooms as a typist/spy to help ferret out a traitor. But, she quickly stumbles upon a dead body and ends up the unlikely sleuthing partner of David Poole, and the two end up looking for a murderer and a mole.

I enjoy a good historical mystery, and this one grabbed me from the prologue and kept me engaged until the end. It had great energy, fascinating historical detail, and a red-herring-filled mystery that delivered a dash of espionage among its twists. As it's the first in a new series, there is some world-building, and the book is very atmospheric and well-researched but still well-paced and engaging.

Evelyn is multi-dimensional, an intelligent, witty, and book-loving FMC, carrying a book wherever she goes! But even the minor characters are vividly depicted. Evelyn's banter with David over their respective taste in crime fiction (British vs. American detective novels) was fun, and lots of great literary references are sprinkled throughout.

This is an intriguing start to the series and an entertaining read.
Mystery fans and historical fiction lovers who enjoy a whodunnit will definitely want to check this out!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books for the opportunity to review this ARC. I loved it!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Overall, this book was an enjoyable read, blending historical and detective fiction in WW2 England. It introduced us to a set of various characters, while also laying the foundation for future books in the series, which I'm looking forward to. However, there were times when the pacing of the book felt off, as some scenes were expanded on unnecessarily, and other, more important, scenes were cut off too quickly. Three stars out of five.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @minotaur_books and @stmartinspress for the ARC of A Traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly–the first in a new series (Parisian Orphan) and I am 100% here for it! Fans of historical mysteries like the Maggie Hope series and Maisie Dobbs must get your hands on this, you will not be disappointed. I gobbled this up in a day and a half and felt annoyed whenever I had to set it down and deal with life.

Set in 1940, England, main character Evelyne Redfern, known as “The Parisian Orphan” in the press as a child, is now working on the line at a munitions factory in London. When Mr. Fletcher, one of her father’s old friends, spots Evelyne on a night out, Evelyne finds herself working in Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s cabinet war rooms as a typist. However, shortly after starting her new job, one of the girls at work is murdered, and it seems there is a leak in the office–could the murder and leak be related? Evelyne, partnered with David Poole, a minister’s aide, must use all of their sleuthing expertise to find the killer.

Such likable characters–Evelyne is strong and smart and also has a lovely sense of humor. The plot is tightly woven and wonderfully researched. I felt like I was in the underground war rooms with Evelyne. I enjoyed the journey of the mystery and felt on the edge of my seat until the very end. I am so excited that there will be more to come in this series.

This book is a s l o w burn BUT I can tell you that if you can stick it out it is 100% worth it!

I absolutely loved the historical setting of this novel. I’d truly love to know how true some of it is. I really enjoyed having a female character as our lead and being in her head. I was questioning everybody for the longest time. Though I was right about some of the mole and killer, I was okay with that because the final plot twist I did not see coming.

The things I didn’t enjoy was how flat Evelyn’s character felt. There are many times they are in air raids and she doesn’t seem scared, at all. Is this because they’d become so common? Maybe, but even during the first, when the bombs fell, I didn’t get any emotion from her. I so wish I could have been along for that emotional journey as much as I was along for the mystery. I also felt that this one was so SLOW. It was worth it and I did read it in 3 days, but I wish there would have been more suspense as it was genred as a suspense novel.

I will definitely read novel number two

A Traitor in Whitehall is the first in a new historical mystery series by Julia Kelly. Having visited the Cabinet War Rooms (CRW) hidden underneath the Whitehall building in London, it was fun to read a story set there during World War II. The author, known for her historical fiction novels, does an excellent job of portraying the work environment in this top-secret government building.

Our heroine is Evelyne Redferne, a young woman recruited by a friend of her absent father, to work as a typist in the CRW. She is asked to observe if anything unusual occurs and report back to the man. Within a day, Evelyne finds one of her co-workers stabbed to death. She joins forces with another man, David Poole, who is investigating the leaks of government secrets. Together they search for the killer and the mole. There seems to be a growing attraction between the two of them. I look forward to the second in the series to see if anything happens on the romance front.

A different kind of war mystery. As this young woman takes on a job where she will be tasked to keep her eyes and ears open and root out an in house spy, she will now find herself in the middle of a murder investigation, too. When her number one suspect turns out to be one of the good guys, they will join forces, and maybe hearts, to stop the information links and catch a killer.

This was such a fun and captivating book. It started out with a bang and did not let go, I could not read/listen fast enough. I really love Evelyn's character; she is smart and savvy, and does not back down to bullies no matter who or where she encounters them. I loved the setting of the CWR and all the secrecies involved, which made it feel more like a locked door mystery where everyone had a secret to hide and Evelyn had to figure out whose secret was worth killing for. I am a sucker for historical novels and this WWII-era story had all the pieces and characters to be a quick read.  I also love her partnership with David and how she stands up for herself and demands respect despite how people want to treat her as a woman.  I am so glad this is a series so we can see more of Evelyn and what else she can uncover!

This historical mystery felt more like a cozy mystery, which wasn't what I expected, based on the summary. I did enjoy the characters, overall, but the reader does have to suspend disbelief on occasion. The pace was much slower than expected, there were less twists than is common for the genre, and the action was lacking until the latter part of the book. I did enjoy the setting and ending.