A Traitor in Whitehall
By Julia Kelly

Genre:
Fiction, Cozy, Historical, Murder Mystery

Red Flags:
Affairs, Blackmail, Murder

Summary:
A relationship filled with lies and betrayal, Evelyne Redfern’s parents were less than perfect and their marriage was broadcast all over the media and news outlets. Evelyne knew her reputation was tarnished by her parents, and her future hopes and dreams were shattered. Unexpectedly, Evelyne is offered a position by an old friend of her father’s. She begins working underground in the war rooms of the Prime Minister Winston Churchill. A few days later a murder takes place and Evelyne assists in the investigation with Mr. David Poole. Together, they investigate an insider or rather a mole, in the CWR.

Review:
Featuring a strong female character, A Traitor in Whitehall is a feel good cozy mystery with the perfect amount of suspense to keep the reader engrossed in the rich plotline. I love the banter Julia Kelly has created between Evelyne and David. This is a cozy historical murder mystery with twists of unexpected suspense. I enjoyed my first novel written by Julia Kelly and look forward to reading many more from her.

Thank you to Julia Kelly, Macmillan Audio, and Netgalley for the Advanced Readers Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

@Juliakelly
#Juliakelly
#reluctantreaderreads
#atraitorinwhitehall
#macmillanaudio
#netgalleyarc
#advancedreadereditions

When I started listening to this book, it had been long enough since I'd read the synopsis that I couldn't remember many of the details that had attracted me to it. As a lover of Foyle's War and other British wartime mysteries (in books as well as on TV), I was happy to get into it and remember that it's a murder mystery. The war effort is, of course, at the center of things in terms of the plot. There's a good bit of history as well, including the early days of the Blitz and how it affected life in London, and a glimpse into what life was like on the homefront for the women who'd become so important to the workforce while so many men were away fighting the war. I enjoyed this one - there are quite a few characters, which can be confusing in an audiobook but the narrator did a good job of giving them different voices. The mystery was interesting, as was the backstory of the main character, Evelyne.
I also didn't realize that it was actually the first in a planned series, but by the end of the book I was very happy about that aspect, because I found the characters appealing and the writing engaging, and will absolutely be on the lookout for book two.
Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

A great insight into WW2 espionage with a likeable female lead who is just clever and bright. I ended up researching this era more in depth as I read. I listened to the audio version which sometimes had a strange mumble whisper happening throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Cozy mystery about a young woman who loves cozy mysteries in World War II London.
Evelyne Redfern is the heroine who jumps head first into a murder investigation while she is working for Churchill’s war room. This book successfully combines mystery with history in an engaging and intriguing manner. The narrator is a perfect representation of Evelyne portraying her curiosity, youth, and strong willed personality perfectly as if she is the actual Evelyne.

1940: There’s a mole in Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s War Rooms and Evelyne Redfern is determined to figure out who it is. Secrets have been leaked to the Germans that should have never made it above ground much less across the Channel.

Hired as a typist, Evelyne a fan of detective novels, knows things are not adding up when she notices discrepancies in the typing pool. Some women are given more favorable assignments, there is animosity between more than a few, and rules are being shirked. When one of her coworkers is murdered, Evelyne’s suspicions are confirmed, and she is determined to expose the killer. Evelyne is on the right path to discovering the murderer, if minister’s aide David Poole would stay out of her way. It isn’t until she realizes they have the same end game in mind that she suggests teaming up.

With David’s government connections and Evelyne’s creative approach, the two find they function wellw together. The unlikely pair work to figure out who the mole who is that selling Britain’s secrets and who is willing to kill to keep their cover.

A Traitor in Whitehall is a fun whodunnit read that ends all too quickly. Julia Kelly, a notable historical fiction author takes obvious care with the details while still keeping the plot moving. If you are a fan of Agatha Christie’s books, then you will like this mystery. This looks to be the first in a series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author Julia Kelly for the advanced copy of the audiobook. A Traitor at Whitehall is out now. All opinions are my own.

This historical mystery features Evelyne Redfern, aka the Parisian Orphan. Set in wartime London, Evelyne is recruited to work in the Typing/Secretarial Pool for Churchill’s War Rooms (CWR). Within the first few days, she stumbles upon the dead body of a coworker and uses her amateur sleuthing and observation skills to try to find the killer. Her search overlaps with the efforts of David Poole, a minister’s aide who is hunting a mole sharing government secrets with the enemy. Their initially reluctant partnership may end up being the thing that saves additional lives and solves the case. The setting is brilliant! How wonderful to explore the CWR (I looked up the existing museum for photos.) I felt this really added to the atmosphere of the novel. I absolutely loved the characters and how getting to know them garners clues and insight to what has happened. Evelyne was an intelligent and brave character and she is surrounded by capable women. David Poole exhibited gentlemanly qualities while allowing Evelyne to really assist with the investigation. The pacing and plot were solid as I was always happy to pick the book back up to find out what happened next. I was most pleased that this was not depressing! So often I shy away from historical fiction because of this. This was interesting and I was thrilled to find out it is the start of a series. Evelyne Redfern is definitely a character I would like to read more about. The narration by Marisa Calin was excellent and added to the story. Have already recommended this book to others!

A Traitor in Whitehall follows Evelyn as she gets a new job typing for the ministry during WW2. Unbeknowest to her other coworkers Evelyn is put into place to find the mole in the operation. Secerts are being traded to the ememy and Evelyn must do everything in her power to stop it.The girls that she works with warn her to stay away from Jean, another employee that no one can stand. Evelyn is found locked in a room with the dead body of Jean and now has to discover not only the mole, but the murderer. Evelyn is teamed up with Mr. David Poole to help both of the crimes. Twists and turns in this fast-paced historical mystery.

This is a good whodunit book. Set in England in WWII, a group of people worked underground on government business when someone is found dead. It has to be someone approved to be underground and the newest typist is determined to find out who the killer is. It is a good closed door, amenture detective story. I loved the narrator with her British accent. It really added to the story.

A Traitor in Whitehall is an historical mystery by Julia Kelly set in England in 1940. The main protagonist, Evelyne Redfern, is working in a munitions factory when an old friend of her father’s offers her a new job as a secretary in Winston Churchill’s underground war room. She isn’t there long when she stumbles upon a murder. Although a police investigation is ongoing, Evelyne, an avid mystery reader, embarks on her own investigation. She runs up against David Poole, a Minister’s aide investigating recent leaks to the Germans. But she quickly convinces him she can go places he can’t and she becomes his assistant/partner.

To be honest, I have to say I have mixed feelings about the book. On the pro side, I always enjoy a bit of actual history mixed into historical fiction and Kelly provides some very interesting details of life in wartime as well as the underground war room including the ever-present mice and rats. For the most part, the story moves at a fast pace and the mystery was interesting. I also listened to the audiobook version and the narrator did a fine job.

On the con side, although, as I said, the story moved at a decent pace, there were some draggy parts but that didn’t bother me too much. My biggest problem was the premise itself. For me, it is a huge stretch of my willing suspension of disbelief that a protagonist, armed with nothing more than a voracious consumptive of mystery novels can solve mysteries that confound all the experts. I can accept it in a typical British cozy because there is usually a sly tongue-in-cheek humour to them. Not so here. I just couldn't buy into the premise that someone with no expertise would be allowed to pretty much take over an investigation at the highest level of national security especially during war time.

But that’s just me. I’ve read many other reviews and most people seem to have really enjoyed it. Not to say I hated it. There were parts of the book I Iiked and I was able to finish it so three stars it is.

I received an audiobook version of this book from Netgalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for an honest review.

I love WWII historical fiction, and Julia Kelly is fast becoming a favorite. Her new release, “A Traitor at Whitehall,” is the first novel I’ve read set in the Cabinet War Rooms (CWR), an underground bunker in London, from which Churchill and top officials ran the government. Of course, the nation’s wartime leaders do not do their own typing, and that is how Evelyne Redfern came to join the ranks of the CWR secretarial pool: a group of single women who lived 3 days on and 2 days off in a tiny room within the bunker. They worked on modified typewriters, designed to be soundless.

Trouble ensues when leaks of classified information appear on the Nazi radio program by Lord Haw-Haw. Evelyne is asked by a close family friend, also in government, to be alert to suspicious activity in the War Rooms and report back to him. A week or so into her job, Evelyne discovers the dead body of another secretary. She teams up with an aide, David Poole, to find the murderer and the source of the leaks. Meanwhile, above ground, the Blitz has begun.

I thoroughly enjoyed this new setting for a WWII mystery -- a clever twist on the “locked room” theme. Evelyne and David’s ongoing banter over British versus American mystery writers added to my bookish delight. Narrator Marisa Calin brought a pleasant British accent, with an added emotional tone, to the story.

The novel appears to be the first of a series; I am here for more. Thanks to Netgalley for access to the audio version of this novel.

I have read a fair few Julia Kelly novels of late, and for the most part they've been fantastic! This one fell flat. The plot was generic and predictable, the characters pretty two-dimensional - it felt more like a cozy mystery than anything. The narrator was excellent though, very good at distinguishing different people with their use of accents and such!

I don't think I'll read any of the other books in this series, and the fact that the marketing around this book was more about Evelyn being the "Parisian Orphan" but it was explained very early on and was definitely not impactful to the overall story.

I still adore Julia Kelly, and will still be excited next time she announces a new project but this one fell very flat to me. Thank you ever so much for this ARC!

🖤Thank you so much to @minotaur_books and @macmillan.audio for the gifted book and audiobook

📖A Traitor in Whitehall by Julie Kelly is the first in a new historical fiction/mystery series(Parisian Orphan Series)!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿The story takes place in 1940 during Wartime in England. The main character, Evelyn is thrown into a job working in Winston Churchill's cabinet war rooms. As if that's not crazy enough, now one of her coworkers is found dead and she takes it upon herself (as one does in murder mysteries) to find out what really happened!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿I am SO picky about my historical fiction and bored easily so it really does take a lot to hold my attention. I did struggle a little bit at times, but then it would always pick up again and pull me back in!

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿I'm excited to see where this series goes and see what other situations Evelyn finds herself in!

🎧I definitely enjoyed the audio version, so if you decide to pick it up, I'd recommend that route!

3.5 rounded up

1940, England: Evelyne Redfern, known as “The Parisian Orphan” as a child, is working on the line at a munitions factory in wartime London. When Mr. Fletcher, one of her father’s old friends, spots Evelyne on a night out, Evelyne finds herself plunged into the world of Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s cabinet war rooms.

However, shortly after she settles into her new role as a secretary, one of the girls at work is murdered, and Evelyne must use all of her amateur sleuthing expertise to find the killer. But doing so puts her right in the path of David Poole, a cagey minister’s aide who seems determined to thwart her investigations. That is, until Evelyne finds out David’s real mission is to root out a mole selling government secrets to Britain’s enemies, and the pair begrudgingly team up.

With her quick wit, sharp eyes, and determination, will Evelyne be able to find out who’s been selling England’s secrets and catch a killer, all while battling her growing attraction to David?

Thank you netgalley for my arc

This was a good mystery! I love all the behind-the-scenes books that deal with WWII and throwing a mystery on top of that is like icing on the cake! I especially love that Evelyn is such a strong and kick-ass young woman and wasn't about to be relegated to just doing her work and letting the men figure out the mystery! She is going to make a great spy in upcoming novels! I can't wait to see how her relationship develops with David and learning more about her aunt's role as a spy in the past!

Evelyne has been asked by a family friend to apply for a job in one of Churchill’s war rooms. Not long after she gets settled into her new role, she discovers a dead body. This opens up a whole different set of sleuthing skills for Evelyne. Because not only does she have to find a murderer, she must discover a traitor to England as well.

Evelyne is a great character. She is tough and she sure doesn’t take kindly to certain policemen. They rub her the wrong way when they assume, because she is a woman, she will just faint at the sight of a dead body…and does she prove them wrong! Evelyne runs rings around these cops!

Now, this is not my favorite Julia Kelly novel. I seemed to have lost interest in the middle. But it sure ended strong! Julia Kelly is one of my go to historical fiction writers. Plus…she is a KNITTER! Y’all definitely need to add her to your list.

The narrator, Marisa Calin, is new to me. I don’t think I have ever listened to her before (shocker!). But, she did a great job with all the suspense and she was perfect as Evelyne…and even Churchill!

Need an Agatha Christie-like mystery…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

This was an exciting, engrossing mystery. It had me hooked from the start, and I couldn’t read it (well, listen to it) fast enough! I appreciated the unique premise and setting in the underground Cabinet War Rooms. There was also a cast of interesting characters, both in Evelyne's personal life and work life. Evelyne has an interesting background (which I hope will be explored more in future books in this series), and I loved her friendship with Moira. I’ve never read anything by Julia Kelly, but this book has convinced me to check out her other work. On an audio-specific note: Marisa Calin did a fantastic job, and I was able to easily follow what was happening and who was talking with her varied voices and accents.

However, this was not a five star read for me - for two reasons that might not bother others:
- The premise was so unique and the plot was so exciting, but I felt the plot was slowed and the book made less unique by some of the author’s choices. For example, did the two investigators have to be quite so sexist and bumbling? It seems unlikely for men to be SO doubtful of women’s abilities in WWII when young men were overseas and ladies had to take on many jobs. It also seems unlikely that reading detective fiction alone would make Evelyne so vastly superior in her investigative abilities vs. experienced police detectives. I felt like the book spent too much time rehashing what we already knew in conversations between Evelyne and the officers just so she could dunk on them. There were a few other “I’m not like the other girls” self-congratulatory moments that irritated me a little (e.g, while others scream in terror during the bombings, Evelyne says “even I gasped”). This wasn't a huge deal, though.
- I figured out whodunit pretty easily and some plot points were predictable, though there were good red herrings.

On the whole, though, this was an engaging and well-written read. I definitely want to read more of Miss Redfern’s adventures in future! I hope Moira, Mr. Fletcher, and Mr. Poole will make reappearances too.

Thank you to the publisher for the free eARC via NetGalley. I was not required to provide a positive review in exchange.

Evelyne is new to the world of being a typist but she isn't new to the world of detective dramas. However, this is her first case to be a part of and not read between the pages of a book. I love a great detective fiction, and cozy dramas, and this truly reminded me of Ngaio Marsh and some of the great adventures found within. Though a fiction, I loved exploring the War Rooms of Churchill and helping our characters solve the murder of a not so liked typist. I thought it was a great and easy listen. The story was well paced and left me wanting more mysteries to solve with Evelyne and possibly Mr. David Poole. I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I look forward to reading more from Ms. Kelly and can't wait to hear or read about what more is in store for us.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Julia Kelly, and Macmillan for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

Wanting to try some historical fiction, I turned to this new series by Julia Kelly. Its focus is England in the middle of the Second World War, where Evelyne Redfern is pulled from working on the munitions line and into the middle of Churchill’s Cabinet War Rooms. When Evelyne discovers that one of the women in the typing pool has been murdered, she becomes an amateur sleuth and tries to find the killer, sure that it must be someone with whom she works. While she might be a woman in the 1940s, Evelyne is ready to face the arduous task of piecing it all together to stop a killer. A great piece by Julia Kelly, set against the wartime backdrop.

Evelyne Redfern has earned the moniker, ‘The Parisian Orphan’, after her mother’s death and father leaving. Now living in London, Evelyne is working in a wartime munitions factory in 1940, when she is approached by one of her father’s friends. Mr. Fletcher has a task for her, one that puts country before everything else. She is being seconded as a secretary for Winston Churchill’s War Cabinet Rooms.

During one of Evelyne’s first days on the job, another of the women working there is murdered, a knife through the neck. Evelyne loves a good murder mystery novel and takes on the role of amateur sleuth to locate a killer without disrupting too much of what is going on around her. As she begins, David Poole crosses her path, intent not only to distract her romantically, but stymie her work. This minister’s aide is surely working on an agenda of his own, which Evelyne cannot dismiss. David’s true mission is soon revealed, as there is not only a killer, but a mole within the government trying to sell secrets to the Axis powers.

Working together, David and Evelyne must uncover the truth before Britain is placed in a precarious position, with the war at its must tumultuous stage for the country. Loyalty fuels them both and a killer’s desire for more victims proves to be their impetus to solve things quickly. Julia Kelly paints quite the picture with this series debut, which had me intrigued to see where things are headed.

While Second World War novels have lost their lustre for me, this one had some of the key elements I enjoyed. Embedded within the strong narrative is a theme of espionage and mystery, rather than guns and bloodshed. Kelly weaves a story around her well-established foundation and keeps the reader guessing until the final pages in this book.

The characters are well presented and develop effectively, keeping the reader eager to learn more about Evelyne, David, and the rest of those who cast a shadow on the pages of this book. Kelly has a way of breathing some great energy into her characters without being too blunt. Both David and Evelyne interact well and Kelly paves the way for more in the upcoming novels of the series, leaving the reader hungry for additional breadcrumbs.

The plot proves strong, working first with a murder investigation, but soon morphing into treasonous activities, making both seem plausible and realistic in their description. That things are not entirely linear helps the story and keeps the reader focussed on twists, rather than predictable storytelling. I am eager to see where things re headed, as the war is just getting interesting and Churchill’s glory days are coming to fruition.

Kudos, Madam Kelly, for piquing my interest with this one.

3.5 rounding up

I wanted to give this book a try since I knew it was going to turn into a series and while it was a very good effort, this book wasn’t for me. I still think I’m suffering from WW2/HF fatigue and the story took a little too long to get going for me. The opening chapter was great but the setup and middle felt like they dragged.

There is no question the author is talented and did her research. I found the information surrounding Churchill’s Underground Bunker fascinating and thought it was very clever to place a mystery in that setting.

The main character kind of annoyed me a bit. Things just kind of fell into place a little too easily. I don’t think I will continue on with this series, but that’s more because it’s a me problem. Plenty of people loved this book and I wish the author every success.

I found the best format for me was print versus audio. I had trouble finding a speed that worked for me to help keep my interest. The narrator was very good though so again - I think this was just the wrong book for me at the moment.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the gifted egalley and audiobook.

Review Date: 10/03/23
Publication Date: 10/03/23

The audiobook was great! The story itself seemed a bit unreal being a cozy mystery set in Whitehall.