4.25 stars
Audiobook and Book Thoughts

The audiobook was fascinating to me as narrator Marisa Calin was able to infuse a formality into her voice that seemed appropriate to going on 85 years ago as the story was set in the English Countryside, 1940. I loved it and it made me think of radio theatre. Though a single narrator, Calin was able to make voices and inflections noticeably different which in turn made it easy to follow along.

The plot centers around what is now a partnership of sorts between Evelyne Redfern, a newly trained agent of espionage and her recently annointed handler, David Poole. Make no mistake, these books are about Evelyn Redfern, her past as the Parisian Orphan, her skills at detecting, and WWII just beginning. David Poole becomes more of a partner than Handler and respect grows between them faster than the flirting. The case at hand features a dead body by suicide(?) in a beautiful place known as Blackthorn Park. Conscripted for the war efforts the property and buildings are put to use developing and creating weapons such as the Barnacle Bomb. When the body is found, it is Evelyne's job to determine what happened and quickly because Prime Minister Churchill will be visiting Blackthorn in just a few days.

There are characters and motives a plenty in the event this was not a suicide. Well written and engaging, one could read Betrayal as a stand alone but I suggest for those that love a Historical Mystery to get on board with the first book, A Traitor in Whitehall, where the reader gets to see Evelyn go from being naive to a earning a hard-won deeper understanding of what is happening in the world.

Thank you to MacAudio and Minotaur books for both an ALC and uncorrected electronic copy via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I had read the previous book with the same characters but the book would still be enjoyable without reading the first one. It is a historical mystery set during World War II. The characters are well developed and the story is well told and enjoyable to read. I would recommend this book.

I truly enjoyed this WWII-period mystery. It is entertaining and reminds me of an Agatha Christie Hercules Poirot Mystery. I was pleasantly surprised and do recommend it.
Thank you #StMartinsPress #Netgalley
carolintallahassee

Julia Kelly is back with the second in her Parisian Orphan series, and Betrayal At Blackthorn Park was every bit as good as A Traitor In Whitehall!

I am forever astounded by historical female figures (fictional or actual) and Evelyne Redfern is one such character! She's a fierce underdog, with an intelligent, conscientious and analytical head on her shoulder; these attributes making her the perfect detective as she transitions after graduating the Special Operations Executive spy finishing school!

The on-page interaction and chemistry between Evelyne and her sidekick David Poole (because he is the Watson to her Holmes, after all) is so good! Their relationship is both intimate, yet remains platonic for the moment (...will this change as the series continues?). I love the built in trust that comes from them both sharing this secret spy life; a true camaraderie stemming from this instant understanding between them!

I love that Kelly has deep roots in writing historical fiction, as it translates so well to mysteries from this WWII time period! The first book in the series was female-centric and I'm hoping the third book swings back towards this type of cast, as I love Kelly's representation of women from this time period! Her writing within these two books has me wanting to branch out to read her historical fiction backlist!

I started this series with Marisa Calin's narration in my ears, and I'm so happy for the continuity that comes with her narrating this second book as well! She does a fantastic job portraying the wit and pointedness that Evelyne has as a character! There's really something special when a narrator can represent a character the way Calin does, interjecting just the right amount of liveliness!

I'm so excited to see where Kelly takes Evelyne Redfern next! (Highly recommend reading this series in publication order!)

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

Title: Betrayal at Blackthorn Park
By: Julia Kelly
Pub Date: Oct 01 2024


Genre:
Fiction, Women’s Historical

Red Flags:
Death, Grief

Summary:
Evelyn Redfern has been recruited as a secret agent and has just finished her training when she is called on her first assignment to manor which is an undercover weapons lab.
This assignment is supposed to be a quick trip to ensure security protocols are being followed. David Poole, who was her partner in the first novel, will reluctantly be her handler. While veering away from her own protocols, Evelyn finds herself in a very tricky situation and makes the infamous call to David…what happens next is a warm and cozy mystery, told in unique Julia Kelly style!

Review:
I am falling in love with Evelyn Redfern and David Poole!

Julia Kelly’s first book in this series was one of my favorites last year, and I was thrilled to receive an Advanced Reader’s copy of the second book, Betrayal at Blackthorn Park. Kelly’s unique writing engages the reader with amusing, captivating, and pleasantly deep characters, all while creating a warm and cozy mystery. The reader falls in love with the impulsivity of the Protagonist, Evelyn Redfern who is perfectly partnered with David Poole’s by the book nature. I thoroughly enjoyed every part of this novel, and can’t wait for the next highly anticipated book in the series!

Thank you Juila Kelly, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy for free. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#Betrayalatblackthornpark
#stmartinspress
#Juliakelly
#reluctantreaderreads
#advancedreadercopies
#netgalley

This is a fun police procedural set in wartime England. Evelyne and her partner, David, are interesting characters, and the manor setting is interesting.

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park is the second in Julia Kelly's Parisian Orphan/Evelyne Redfern historical mystery series featuring a young British woman recruited to the Special Operations Executive in World War II. While it could easily be read as a standalone, I would recommend reading A Traitor in Whitehall first for the background on Evelyne Redfern and how she came to be working for the spy network after solving a murder case while working as a typist in Churchill's underground war rooms.

It's fall 1940 and Evelyne, a recent graduate of the SOE's rigorous training program, has returned to London ready to start working as a field agent for Britain and learns that she will be working closely with David Poole again as he has been assigned as her handler. Evelyne, eager to make a difference in the war effort, is initially disappointed when her first assignment is conducting a review of safety protocols at a manor in the Sussex countryside which has been requisitioned for use as a secret weapons research and development facility. Shortly after arriving at Blackthorn Park, however, Evelyne finds the Chief Engineer dead in his office and the straightforward security check becomes a murder investigation. Evelyne is joined in the village by David as it's imperative that the two uncover what has happened at Blackthorn Park before Prime Minister Winston Churchill visits the facility in a few days time.

I enjoyed the first book in this historical mystery series and Betrayal at Blackthorn Park even more - I'm now completely invested in the series! Evelyne is a great character - a smart, determined and likeable female protagonist. There's less character development and more plot in this second addition to the series as the first did much of the heavy lifting of setting up the characters and their backgrounds. The plot has just the right amount of suspense and I enjoyed learning a bit more about British war history and the country's secret espionage network in the context of a murder mystery. After getting off to a rough start in Whitehall, Evelyne's relationship with David is slowly developing as friends and colleagues but, as a reader, you can't help but speculate (and hope) that it will become romantic at some point. A well-written, entertaining read - and I can't wait for installment #3!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for sending a digital ARC of this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

“Betrayal at Blackthorn Park” is the second book in the Evie Redfern series by Julia Kelly.

I have been a fan of Julia Kelly’s work for several years. She is quite skilled at dropping the reader into noteworthy historical moments, yet narrating those events through the eyes of her characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series where Evie Redfern works as a typist in Churchill’s underground war rooms (which I visited in person back in 2020). Here, Evie has gone through training and is working with Daniel Poole, who was also in the first book. Her first post-training assignment involves breaking into a secret weapons research and development facility. But the assignment leads to Evie’s discovery of the death of the chief engineer and Evie and David become involved in another mystery. slow—I was more interested in learning more about Evie’s background. And thankfully, while Evie and David are brimming with chemistry, the novel plays with that dynamic without turning into a full romance.

You can read this book without reading the first one, but I do think the previous novel helps to give you more context. Do except more mystery versus character development but overall, an enjoyable read.

Four out of five stars.

Thanks to Julia Kelly, the publisher and Net Galley for a chance to read this book.

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park brings back the delightful duo of Evelyne Redfern and David Poole in their second assignment.

The assignment should be straightforward but as luck would have it as Evelyne unobtrusively enters Blackthorn Park a shot rings out.

What looks like a suicide soon becomes a suspicious death and along with David, Evelyne will question the residents of the Manor.

Blackthorn Manor is top secret, Churchill is about to pay a visit and the Home Office wants this resolved urgently.

Who can the detective duo trust,

None of the residents are forthcoming nor entirely honest.

Julia Kelly always does a wonderful job of engaging the reader and Betrayal at Blackthorn Park is no exception.

I eagerly await the next case that Evelyne and David will be given.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for another engaging book in the Evelyne Redfern series.

This is a well-written, entertaining, fast paced, historical fiction, mystery novel. It is set during WWII, and has a likable, intelligent female protagonist, an engaging and supportive male protagonist, wit, a touch of humor, murder, intrigue, suspense, twists and turns, and a satisfying conclusion. The author's acknowledgements contain interesting and enlightening information, and a beautiful message to her husband. This is the second entry in Ms. Kelly's outstanding Evelyne Redfern series, and it can be read as a stand alone. I am looking forward to reading the next installment with great anticipation. Many thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, NetGalley, and Ms. Kelly, from whom I received an advanced reader copy of this delightful novel. This is my honest opinion.

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park is the second novel in a series following Evelyne Redfern and her prim-and-proper partner David Poole. Set in World War II Britain, Evelyne has finished her spy training and is on her first mission in the English countryside. What started as a security test turns into much more than she bargained for.

Our main character Evelyne is a headstrong and clever woman with a strong sense of morality. She picks up on things quickly and uses her strengths to solve the investigations. It's empowering to read a story about a woman who can admit her mistakes and grow with each obstacle in her path (and not in a cheesy, over-done way).

This novel had good pace and everything was clearly resolved by the end; an impressive feat given the number of characters and plotlines that were ongoing in the middle of the story. Julia Kelly is starting to master the art of crime-solving mysteries as she continues to improve with each book. I'm excited to see what she comes up with next for Evelyne (that ending was the perfect little cliff-hanger!).

If you enjoy historical fiction and/or crime solving novels, I recommend this book. It's a fresh take on World War II fiction and keeps the reader engaged throughout. Maybe keep a notepad near you if you're a reader who needs the details at hand- there's a lot to muddle through but it's worth it for that ending!

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for an advance readers copy of this book.

The second in a new series by this prolific writer, Betrayal at Blackthorn Park is a clever mystery that takes an historical fact from WWII and turns it into entertaining fiction.

The main character, Evelyne Redfern, narrates with a clear, direct voice, as she describes her first official case as an agent of the SIU (Special Investigation Unit), whose remit is to figure out what happens when things go wrong in any branch of Britain’s war-related services. She and agent David Poole resume their partnership as they solve mysterious murders at a high-level weapon-making site in the countryside.
Surrounded by a large but believable cast of other characters, this well-paced book can be read as a “stand-alone,” but tantalizing references to Evelyne’s past encourage going back to the first book to even better understand this strong, committed woman.

I plan on reading the first, and look forward to the third in this series.

Another “must read” from Julia Kelly for fans of WWll historical women’s fiction and mystery!

Evie Redfern is back, now an SIU agent ready for assignment after completing Special Investigations Training. Questions about suspicious activity involving the barnacle bomb production send Evie off to Blackthorn Park for a short reconnaissance mission. Of course, it is not short, simple or straight forward!

Set in 1940 England, there are a lot of different characters and storylines to keep straight and it does get confusing. A few dangling questions, where does Evie sleep at night? Why does she never eat? Overall it is an enjoyable read that leaves you looking forward to Evie's next adventure.

This is the second story featuring Evie, and her handler/partner David Poole, but it can easily be read as a standalone.

Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press for an eArc of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Evelyne Redfern, fresh from her training to be a spy, is assigned to investigate thefts at Blackthorn Park where unique new weapons are being developed to help England win the war. Since her first case involved solving a murder, she is a bit disappointed. She's even more disappointed to discover that David Poole is to be her handler.

Things go wrong almost from the first. She arrives for her first scoping of the scene to discover the very recently shot Sir Nigel Belram, the chief engineer, in his office. The death was staged to look like a suicide, but Evelyne doesn't believe it. She immediately calls David who rushes to the scene. He isn't pleased to leave fieldwork to become a handler.

As the two try to unravel the strange happenings at Blackthorn Park, the clock is ticking. Sir Winston Churchill is expecting to attend a weapons demonstration in just a few days. Since many of the weapons are failing to perform adequately, the pair need to find out why and unravel which of the scientists might have wanted Sir Nigel dead.

There are a lot of suspicious characters at Blackthorn Park. The place seethes with professional jealousies and some romantic jealousies too as Sir Nigel was a rather noted cad.

This was an entertaining mystery. I like that Evelyne is a mystery lover herself and well-read in the genre. She does manage to get some hints to help her solve her current crime from some of the books she has read. David is also a mystery fan, but he prefers the hard-boiled American variety.

Fans of mysteries set during World War II will enjoy meeting Evelyne and David.

Blackthorn Park, an English estate, has had glory days; during WWII, however, the estate is converted to a factory for secret weapon development. Unfortunately, a thief has been reported and two agents of the SIU are assigned to investigate. Both David Poole and Evelyne Redfern who have worked together in a previous case expect a quick solution, but when Evelyne discovers the dead body of the head of the project, an esteemed scientist, the two find themselves in the midst of a deadly serious problem involving faulty weapons that appear to have been the work of a saboteur. As in her previous novel involving this couple, Julia Kelly provides many complex suspects along with twists and turns to thwart the investigation. Once again people are rarely who they appear to be. Unlike the previous work, however, this storyline dragged a bit for me.

Second in a series but I think new readers could easily jump in. The pacing is better in this story than the last but there’s less character development. New spy Evelyne is a Mary Sue, but she’s such a likable one. She did so much her handler David didn’t even have much to do. Still, I’m eager for the next installment where we might get more of Evie’s backstory.

The chemistry between Evelyne and the dashing David Poole adds a delightful spark to the suspenseful plot. With its captivating historical setting and intricate twists, this book keeps you hooked from start to finish. A perfect read for fans of clever espionage and layered storytelling!

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin's Press for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are my own.
This is the second installment in the Evelyne Redfern Mystery Series. I had read the first one, so I was happy to continue reading this intriguing series. In this book, Evelyne has just completed her training as a field agent for Britain. She is sent on her first assignment-a simple security test at Blackthorn Park. This is a manor home that has been requisitioned for creating and testing weapons for the war. Things are going fine until she discovers the body of the chief engineer. Why has he been killed and who killed him? I like this series because it is well written, and it is based on real historical events. I learn about history, and also get to read a great mystery. The characters are believable and seem real for this time period. I highly recommend this fascinating series if you like historical mysteries!

This second entry in the series doesn't disappoint. There is some background given, but do yourself a favor and read Traitor in Whitehall first to get the full back story.

Evelyne Redfern has just finished covert operations training in the British countryside. In the last book, she was recruited to work in the secret underground war rooms during WWII and solved a murder. She is smart, feisty, with a big chip on her shoulder and a lot of impatience when people try to dismiss her because she is female.

But she has persevered and successfully completed training in everything from codes to hand to hand combat. Because she is new, she has been paired with a handler, David Poole, whom we met in the first book. Neither is terribly happy about the situation although they have a lot of respect and (sometimes) affection for each other. There are concerns coming from a wartime top-secret manufacturing facility regarding possible theft of materials. The scientists assembled there are an odd and temperamental bunch.

Evie's assignment is supposed to be a quick recon, but after she makes it inside the compound, she is first on the scene of a dead body. And it's pretty obvious to her it's murder, although the killer has tried to make it look like suicide. The recon assignment becomes a murder investigation with she and David as partners.

These characters are fun to watch as their relationship develops. Lots of action and an entertaining read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

****Publishing October 1, 2024*****

Julia Kelly continues Evelyne Redfern’s story. Evelyne has just finished training as a highly trained Special Investigation Unit agent with extensive knowledge of surveillance, weapons training, hand-to-hand combat, and many more. Evelyne has been assigned to investigate at an estate called Blackthorn Park. There is a thief who is trying to steal restricted materials used for war to sell on the black market. Therefore, her job is not to catch the thief, but to figure out how they are doing it. What will she discover? Will it lead her to the next job? When she is assigned a new handler, David, and she is asked to trust him, can she do it for the success of her job?

A Historical Fiction Mystery that captures your attention from the start! I loved reading more about Evelyne and friends about their integral role that they played in the war. It shines light on the important impact women played during WWII. I love how Julia Kelly depicts the women in this book as smart, strong, resourceful, and supportive, which contributed to their success. It made for an intriguing and entertaining read. A perfect book for those who love Historical Fiction!

Thanks to St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books) I was provided an ARC of Betrayal at Blackthorn Park by Julia Kelly via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.