This is the 2nd entry in the series about Evelyne Redfern, following her time as a typist in the War Rooms. At the opening of the novel, Evelyne is returning to London after her 6 weeks of training to join the SEO and is quickly sent back out to the field to investigate an anonymous report of theft in a top-secret weapons development/manufacturing facility in the countryside of England, Blackthorn Park. Her partner from the previous book, David Poole, is now her field supervisor, but things quickly go awry, and he has to join her in the field to assist with an investigation into the suspicious death of the Chief Engineer, that must be wrapped up before a very important site visit by Winston Churchill.
As with the previous book, Evelyne proves to be resourceful, and clever, and fast on her feet as she looks into the murder of the Chief Engineer. The writing is easy to follow, and I enjoyed Evelyne's continued character development, as well as learning more about David. The book plotting was well done, with the solution wrapping things up neatly, but not too easily surmised by this reader. The ending also leaves potential for a 3rd book in the series, which I will certainly snatch up if it comes to fruition.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

I love this series! The murder mystery set within secret facilities during World War 2 gives high-stakes vibes to these books. I loved this mystery and it kept me on my toes the entire time. I also loved Evelyne and David's relationship throughout the book! Now that she is a full investigator, and not forcing David to allow her on the case like last book, it is fun to see them work as equal partners! It is also the slowest of slow burns if you, like me, want them to date. I really enjoyed this book and can't wait for the next book in the series!

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Following her success at ferreting out a "Traitor in Whitehall", Evelyne Redfern, now an official intelligence officer, must use all her wits and skills learned during SOE training to expose who killed Sir Nigel Balram and tried to make it appear to be suicide.

Accompanied by the dishy David Poole, Evelyne travels to Sussex to Blackthorn Park, an R&D facility for novel explosives used by covert operatives in the war against Germany. Not only do Evelyne and David have discover Sir Nigel's killer, but also if someone is stealing materials from Blackthorn Park, and if so, why.

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park is the second installment in the Evelyne Redfern mysteries by Julia Kelly. It's a cracking good tale that will keep you guessing as the body count rises and dirty little secrets are exposed. Hits book stores October 1 2024.

Love the second book in this spy/mystery series by Julia Kelly! I love the English countryside setting during WWII and the unique mystery at the center of the story. The main character has developed quite a bit since the first book and the sparks between her and David, her partner, are flying. Can't wait to see where the next mystery leads us. Great book!!

Review: Betrayal at Blackthorn Park by Julia Kelly (book 2 of the series)

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park is an Agatha Christie style historical fiction that will keep you on your toes.

Evelyne Redfern has just finished her training with the SOE and is sent on her first mission. It is supposed to be a straightforward in and out type of mission until she happens upon a murder. Evelyne and her handsome colleague, David Poole, are teamed up yet again to solve the mystery, but it’s not going to be so easy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this mystery. The WWII setting sets the stakes and allowed me to get away into a different era for a while. Kelly also used her short chapters and intrigue to draw me in and keep me reading well past my bedtime.

Thank you to St Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Much too slow moving…….I found myself reading and then I had to put the book down and do something else……slogging along as it were. The plot took much too long to reach a crescendo. This book was not thrilling, it was not captivating and it was just a very blah murder mystery to me. Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for granting me this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #BetrayalatBlackthornPark, # StMartin’sPress.

This is the second historical mystery in the series featuring Evelyne and Poole, who work for the SOE in Britain during World War II. Evelyne has finished her spy training and is assigned to work with Poole again solving crimes. I like the fact that the relationship between the two is getting less combative and they are now able to work as a team more easily, although it is annoying that Evelyne must be right all the time. And because she reads mystery novels, she thinks she knows much more than police constables and investigators in how to run a case. The twisty story will keep your attention. I look forward to the next book. And I love the note that Julia Kelly watched Masterpiece Mysteries on Thursday nights too.

This is the second book Julia Kelly’s Paris Orphan historical mystery series that follows Evelyne Redfern, a young woman with a somewhat scandalous past (thanks entirely to her parents’ very public divorce and mother’s sudden death when she was a child) who finds herself called upon to help investigate matters of British national security during WWII. After proving her natural talent for investigation and discretion in book 1, Evie has undergone intensive training and is embarking on her first mission as an agent, with former partner David Poole as her new handler. She’s barely begun what was supposed to be a surveillance operation at a secret R&D facility when she discovers a murder and she and David are once again in the thick of things. Can they discover the murderer before the PM is scheduled to visit?

This was another great addition to what is becoming a new favorite historical mystery series. It was fun to see Evie’s skills develop as the result of her formal training and I was glad that David’s time as the more hands off handler was short. These two are great together and I am hoping we get to see more of their relationship evolve as the series continues. One of the highlights for me were the scenes with Evie’s mysterious aunt—I loved her and hope that we see more of her in the future. It’s also clear that there is more to Evie’s father than meets the eye and I am intrigued. I can’t wait until the next book in this series!

Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur for the e-ARC; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this second volume in the series. Evelyne and David, who worked together undercover in the first novel, have both been "promoted" and end up working on a case at a research facility developing and manufacturing weapons for the British troops in 1940. What begins as an assignment to look in to theft at the facility becomes much more of a mystery, with dead bodies. Readers have plenty of possible suspects, but the solution is hidden amongst the red herrings.

I'll follow up on this quick read and am now waiting for the (possible) next volume in the series. I received this volume as an ARC, courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

The delightful Evelyne Redfern and David Poole return in the sequel to A Traitor in Whitehall. Evelyne has now successfully completed her training as an agent of the SIU and David has been trained as a handler. Their first assignment is intended to be an easy introductory mission to assess the security of Blackthorn Park, a requisitioned country manor converted to a weapons testing facility. However their mission changes rapidly when Evelyne enters the premises only to hear a gunshot and find the chief engineer dead in his office.

As with the first book, I thoroughly enjoyed Evelyne and David’s adventures and chemistry. While they are tasked with serious missions, there is a spark of fun and a lightness to their joint adventures which makes the books a joy to read. Couched in historical events and settings, it is evident that Julia Kelly has extensively researched her subject. I enjoyed the first book a little more because it was set in London during the blitz, but this installment is a worthy sequel. Highly recommended for those who love historical fiction set in wartime with lots of adventure. Many thanks to Minotaur for providing me with a copy to enjoy!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book! I was delighted to see that the story of secretary turned spy Evelyne Redfern, begun in a Traitor in Whitehall, had become a detective series. In this second novel, Evelyne sets off to investigate a series of security breaches in a manor house turned weapons facility. When the lead engineer is found murdered, Evelyne and David Poole once again join forces to find the killer who threatens England's security. The pacing is a bit formulaic, but the characters and setting will win readers over. I am looking forward to what happens next.

This, the second installment in the Parisian Orphan series, shows Evelyne Redfern's first field mission as a secret agent for Enhland during WWII, and her partner, David's first time as a handler -- of Evelyne. The two quickly learn that the easy-peasy mission they were given isn't anything but.

Julia Kelly leans in on Evelyne's fight to be taken seriously by the patriarchy that was so entrenched at the time. Great book, and I can't wait to see what the next installment brings. Here's hoping she will grow to kick Hitler up and down Germany!

I really liked this one! Set at a secret weapons facility in England in WWII, Evelyne and David are partnered to solve a crime, and then a murder. Everybody is a suspect, and I was surprised by the outcome. The ending was a cliffhanger as well, so I can’t wait to read the next one!

This novel is 2nd in the Parisian Orphan Series. I was happy to see Evelyne Redforn’s character return.

Evelyne has graduated from her training program and is prepared to be a agent. Unfortunately her first assignment has her doing a simple test at Blackthorn Park in the quiet countryside of Sussex. She is working with her handler David Poole who is very by-the book, but very charming.

What she will discover as this assignment heats up when Winston Churchill is slated to checkout Blackthorn Park, which is more than meets the yet. There is important things happening and security is of the utmost importance. Adding to the mystery the chief engineer is found dead.

I was completely immersed in this story. Kelly has a unique gift to draw in her readers and make you feel absorbed in the time period, mystery and her characters.

I would be delighted for another novel about Evelyn Redforn.

Thank you Minotaur Books for the gifted eARC.

Blackthorn Park is another estate taken over during WW2 for secret engineering work. A young woman is trained to work as an investigator along with a handler assigned to find out who is messing with the work done at the Park.

On her second mission for the super secret spy agency, Evelyne Redfern finds herself tangling with David Poole, her new handler. At Blackthorn Park, what appears to be a sleepy manor house is actually a place where secret weapons are developed. When one of the chief engineers dies, Evie and David must determine if there is a traitor in the midst. Clever mystery with excellent dialogue.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series and now this latest addition. I really love me some Evie Redfern. She is spunky, smart, resourceful, and has boatloads of confidence. She really is kind of kick ass and I wanna be her when I grow up!! I am also sooooo hoping that something comes of the relationship with her co-worker/handler, David Poole. I will patiently wait for more to come in this series. I think it has a lot of potential for where it could go!!!

Thanks to Julia Kelly and St. Martin’s for the ARC. This as a great read in that it takes Evelyn’e to another level as a full fledged agent on a case with David Poole. The seemingly suicides cast a shadow of intrigue on a desperately needed weapon and a visit by the Prime Minister. The ending was off the charts leading one to anxiously await the next book.

We first meet Evelyne Redfern in A Traitor in Whitehall where she becomes a typist in the Cabinet War Rooms. It's 1940 and by the end of that book, she has solved a mystery and been invited to further training (still under the Government Secrets Act). Evelyne has been trained to do many things, perhaps being landed in war-torn Europe or investigate spying that is happening in the U.K. As she finishes her training, she is given a trial to check out security at a Weapons Development Lab that is housed in one of the many manor houses taken over by the government during WWII. She easily is able to check out the security (and finds it lacking) but then she finds the body of the chief engineer and her original assignment morphs into a murder investigation.
David Poole who we met in the previous book accompanies Evelyne as her handler on this assignment and he, too, gets caught up in the investigation. The two of them get to know the people at this manor including a group of women who are manufacturing some kind of weapon that is the reason this lab exists. They are under a time crunch because the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, is due to visit in a few days and those at the lab feel the pressure to perform well. The first book in this series was interesting but this story caught my interest faster and it stayed there throughout the whole book.

I really enjoyed the first book in the Evelyne Redfern mystery series, A Traitor in Whitehall so I was excited to jump back into the story in this second installment. It was great to see Evelyne and David thrown together again for a special mission of importance to the war effort. The mystery was interesting and I liked the dynamic between Evelyne and David, but the content of this book did not leave me with a feeling of excitement to read on in the series. See content considerations below.

Content considerations:
Occasional profanity, multiple instances of adultery, references to unsavory activities at a gentleman’s club, and abortion.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for an e-ARC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.