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.

1940, murder, espionage, historical-places-events, historical-figures, historical-setting, historical-mystery, secrets, suspense, family, family-dynamics, relatives, working-partners, due-diligence, stubborn, mines, explosive-devices, unputdownable, unpleasant-victims, investigations, sabotage, England, friends*****

Evelyne Redfern and David Poole are somewhat unwilling partners training in the SIU (Special Investigation Unit) during WWII in England. They are tasked with discovery and resolution of thefts at Blackthorn Park, a munitions research, development, and manufacturing site at a requisitioned Blackthorn Manor in Sussex. Once there, they each use their strengths to find answers, but instead they have a new set of problems when one of the scientists is dead of a staged suicide and Evelyne is the first on scene. Well plotted and with well developed characters, I thought it was so good I kept reading far into the night following a very rainy day!
I requested and received a free temporary EARC from St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books via NetGalley. Thank you!
#EvelynRedfern #ParisianOrphanBk2 Pub Date Oct 01, 2024

Many thanks to the Publisher and NetGalley for letting me read Betrayal At Blackthorn Park. Let me just say that I loved this book! I am a huge fan of Julia Kelly and was thrilled to read more of Evelyne's adventures! I love the dynamic between the feisty Evelyne & the very proper Mr. Poole. They are a great team and I am loving their burgeoning friendship. This book grabbed me right from the start and kept hold til the last page. I cannot wait for the next installment!!!

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park by Julia Kelly is the second book in the Evelyne Redfern mystery series. Evelyne has just graduated from a rigorous training program and begins her first assignment as a field agent. What starts off as what appears to be a fairly basic security test quickly turns into a murder investigation, having been disguised as a suicide. When Evelyne discovers Blackthorn Park’s chief engineer dead in his office. Evelyne and David once again work together to solve the mystery. The dynamic between the two main characters is fun to read, with banter between the two throughout. The investigation takes place over just a few days, with a second apparent suicide turning up at Blackthorn Park. Unexpected twists appear throughout and while the book is dialogue heavy with many interviews taking place through the course of the investigation, it was well paced. Overall, an enjoyable read, with the mystery keeping me guessing until the very end.

While it is helpful to have read the first book in the series to gain some additional character backstory, the book does provide a lot of helpful context that would allow the reader to enjoy the book as a standalone.

Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, NetGalley and the author for inviting me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park by Julia Kelly is book number two about Evelyn Redfern and her adventures as an SIU agent during WWII. this time, she is sent to a private weapons factory to discover info about a theft. Instead she encounters murder. Her and David team up together to find answers. Very good! I enjoyed it, as I always do!

Evelyn Redfern and David Poole are back and once again off on a secret mission. I have enjoyed many of Mrs. Kelly’s standalone novels. And, this is the second in her Evelyn Redfern series and have enjoyed them both. If you enjoy an old fashioned who-done-it, this series is for you. I look forward to the “next” book; after all, as a young girl who found her love for reading with Nancy Drew, I need more of Evelyn Redfern.

Thank you #NetGalley, #MinotaurBooks, #St.Martin’sPublishingGroup, #JuliaKelly an#BetrayalatBlackthronPark for the advance readers copy for my honest review.

This was an enjoyable book to read - the main characters were interesting. It was immediately obvious this was a second book in a series but even though I’d not read the first it didn’t deter from reading it. However, I will be going back to read the first (a few parts of the plot were more than likely spoiled by reading it). The plot was a little confusing and felt unrealistic that a murder would go through that for the reasons (not spoiling it for you). The rapor of the main characters and thier process of investigating was interesting. A nice, quick, and easy read. I’d recommend this book. 3.5 stars, rounding up for NetGalley.

Another absolutely gripping novel in this WWII spy series.

Characters are well drawn and the mystery of theft or sabotage at a secretive British estate had me guessing and engaged for the entire read. I also like the main character, Evelyn’s backstory and possible budding romance with her handler/ co-agent.

This was a well-written and researched WWII mystery. You do not have to read the first book in the series to enjoy this one, but the first in the series was also a very good read.

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park was a disappointing second act to the series. I found the characters rather thin and uninteresting. As for the plot - I had trouble remembering what it was and it seemed the characters did too.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an early copy to read and review.

I love a historical fiction novel, especially one in with a new or unique locale so I can feel like I’m learning a little bit too while enjoying a good story.

While the “action” contained a lot of dialogue of interviews, the pace seemed fast and the story moved along quite well. A compelling mystery and I hope there is more to come in this series!