I loved this Agatha Christie meets cozy meets historical fiction. The fact that this was historical but was a solid mystery had me hooked and I could not stop!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This is a fascinating historical fiction story of a young woman during WWII who becomes a typist in Churchill’s underground bunker.
This book was unputdownable. I was fully immersed within the first couple of pages. I loved the details of living below ground during the London Blitz.

Evelyne Redferd is given a job there and asked to be on the lookout for anything unusual. There is a treasonous leak somewhere and classified information has made its way to the German enemy.
She finds the murdered body one of one of her fellow typists, and in her mind the police aren’t investigating as thoroughly as they should.

Evelyne starts working with the mysterious Mr. Poole to discover how the murder and the leaked intelligence fit together. What they discover shocks them both..

I highly recommend this book, 4.5 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

Read if you like: historical mysteries.
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During WW2, Evelyne starts a new job as a typist/secretary for the Prime Minister's war room. There she comes across a dead body and is plunged into solving their murder and figuring out who is the spy in the office.
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Overall, the book was good but didn't really hold my attention. Felt like a typical WW2 mystery book to me, which is sad because I wanted to love this one!

3.5 stars. A rather light, cozy mystery set in London's underground war rooms during WWII. The mystery was wrapped up rather quickly but I'm curious to see how the main characters develop over time. I will read the follow-up books.

Thank you Netgalley, Minotaur Books and the author Julia Kelly.
Set in wartime London, Evelyn finds herself plunged into the world of Winston Churchill's cabinet war room.
While working in the secretarial pool, one of the girls is found dead and an investigation begins.
Evelyne loves mystery novels and thinks she can find the murderer.
The novel is set during wartime, the bombings, the hardship, food shortage, and living in small quarters, all of which are sensed while reading this novel.
I have read a few novels by Julia Kelly and enjoy them. Well-researched and written
Loved the characters, especially Evelyne.
Recommend. 4 stars

I felt this story had a bit of a messy middle. I got bored but just kept chugging along. To me, there were a few too many ins and outs that weren't necessary to the main mystery and storyline. I really enjoyed getting to know Evelyne and how she came to teaming up with Mr. Poole to work on solving the crime. I actually liked the mystery being set in London in WWII. With a murder at the center of the story, it felt like a bit of a fresh look at wartime. I am still interested in dipping my toes into any other books Julia Kelly puts out in this series, but I am hoping the stories are tightened up in the future.

Courtesy of Minotaur Books and Netgalley, I received the ARC of The Traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly, from The Parisian Orphan series..In this WWII historical novel, Evelynne Redfern is recruited to work as a secretary at the Churchill War Rooms, while attempting to investigate leaked confidential information. When a coworker is murdered, her detective instincts, honed from reading mystery novels, help to uncover the killer. I loved the references to detective mystery fiction! Compelling and fast paced, I highly recommend this book! Looking for a sequel!

Immense Gratitude for #NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! This is a well crafted novel. It focuses on the investigation of the mysterious death of one of the typist pools. This novel showcases Evelyn Redfern and David Poole while they were working in Churchill's war rooms. I really enjoy spending time with the characters in this novel. It was such an enjoyable read.

I have had the pleasure of reading most of Julia Kelly’s books over the past many years. All of her previous books that I had read were historical fiction and stand-alone books. A Traitor in Whitehall (Parisian Orphan #1) was definitely written as a historical fiction detective mystery. It was set during World War II in the war rooms of Winston Churchill. In my opinion, it read more like a cozy mystery. It was definitely a good blend of the two genres. I listened to the audiobook that was well narrated by Marisa Calin. This was the first book in a series that I have had the opportunity to read by Julia Kelly.

Evelyne Redfern was the daughter of Reginold Redfern, a prominent and successful businessman who happened to also be a known adulterer. Her estranged father deceived her mother at their custody battle over her. Evelyne was sent to an all girls boarding school. When Evelyne returned to London she discovered that her mother had died and her father had vanished from her life. In all ways, Evelyne was an orphan. She did not want to be associated with her unscrupulous father so she hid her real last name and took an inconspicuous position at a munitions factory. The work was mundane but Evelyne felt that she could hide her real identity in this setting. After all, she was helping the war effort and that was her main intention. She shared a flat with a good friend and continued to enjoy her favorite pastime of reading detective mystery books.

One evening on her way home she met up with an old acquaintance of her now estranged father. She recalled that his name was Mr. Fletcher. To Evelyne’s surprise, Mr. Fletcher proposed that Evelyne be given the opportunity to work as a typist in the war rooms of Winston Churchill. Evelyne was excited about this turn of events. The munitions factory served its purpose but working in the same building as Winston Churchill was so much better and exciting. Mr. Fletcher also asked Evelyne to be extra vigilant and observant of anything that might appear suspicious or questionable as she worked in the typist pool.

Shortly after starting her new job as a typist, Evelyne discovered the dead body of one of her coworkers. For a few tense moments, Evelyne found herself locked in the same room with the dead body. Someone had intentionally locked her in the room, but who and why?

Evelyne somehow managed to get herself assigned to assist in the murder investigation. After all, it was she that found the body. She ended up assisting someone from the Ministry of the Interior. All those years reading Murder Mystery books was about to pay off. The man from the Ministry of the Interior soon realized that Evelyne was very perceptive and had good instincts. He began to trust her and her abilities to help solve this murder.

There were many suspects and twists and turns throughout this investigation. I adored Evelyne as the female protagonist in this book. She was insightful, intelligent, systematic, thoughtful and caring. The Traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly was suspenseful and engaging. The ending was not at all what I had guessed but it was believable and satisfying. Julia Kelly proved once again what a masterful storyteller she is. A Traitor in Whitehall (Parisian Orphan, #1) was a gripping murder mystery that read somewhat like a cozy mystery. I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series now. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio for allowing me to listen to the audiobook of A Traitor in Whitehall (Parisian Orphan, #1) by Julia Kelly through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Traitor in Whitehall starts out slow as all the pieces and players are introduced until a key moment and then the story picks up and the pages turn quickly. It’s wartime and Evelyne is working in a munitions factory until a random meeting with an old family acquaintance leads her to a job in the typing pool in the cabinet war rooms. Still learning the lay of the land, Evelyne finds herself observing her coworkers closely until she stumbles onto the body of one of the lesser liked women. Being an avid mystery reader, Evelyne finds herself unable to leave the detecting up to the professional and her questions lead her to unlikely partner whom she solves the case with.

I liked Evelyne and I loved the tiny glimpses into her background and I know they will play an important part in this series as it progresses. I liked David and his reluctance to have Evelyne join him but also his willingness and appreciativeness to have her help. I’m looking forward to this series and think it’s going to be great.


Thank you @minotaur_books and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

🎉Julia Kelly is one of my go-to historical fiction authors, so I jumped at the chance to read this. And let me tell you this did not disappoint.

🎉The setting is WWll London during The Blitz, and I loved that it features a strong female heroine.

🎉This is a nice beginning to a series, and the mystery has some interesting twists and turns. There are plenty of red herrings, and the ending is clever and compelling. There is a touch of romance, but it does not take over the story. I liked that Evelyne was independent and determined, even in the face of often blatant sexism from some of the men around her.

I'm excited to see what Julia comes up with next for this series. An enthusiastic 4 stars 🌟🌟🌟🌟 from me!

Thank you to @minotaur_books @stmartinspress
for the arc physical copy for review.

I liked this one so much! Intrigue. Banter. Murder. Oh my!
Evelyne meets a family friend - as a member of the British Government, she lands a job as a typist in the underground Ministry. Close quarters with several women - they all have moods and hopes for their futures.
A typist is murdered - loathed by the other women, the list of suspects is considerable.
Evelyne helps David Poole gather information. I loved their relationship.
Great book, loved the writing.

Thanks to Minotaur Books & NetGalley for a digital advance reader's copy. All comments and opinions are my own.

This was a top-notch historical mystery novel! Skillfully and accurately written, I couldn’t stop reading. I adored the charming main character, Evelyne, and was sorry when I finished the book. So glad this is the first of a coming series. Can’t wait for more!

The murder mystery is cleverly constructed, taking place during World War II just as the bombs begin to fall in London. Evelyne has been hired as a secretary in Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s cabinet war rooms (CWR), the underground bunkers where everyone has secrets and no one can be trusted. Soon after Evelyne discovers a murdered colleague, she grudgingly teams up with David Poole, who turns out to be a (handsome) undercover government agent seeking the mole who is selling government secrets.

They are an “oil and water” couple, who reluctantly admit they need each other in order to find the murderer and the mole. Although Evelyne has no formal investigative training, her passion for detective fiction sharpens her skills in solving the murder. At the beginning of the novel she tells the reader, “You see, I simply adore detective fiction. Each new story contains within it the tantalizing possibility of a puzzle so fiendishly twisted that the solution may elude me until the final pages.”

An engaging reason I liked Evelyne was how she felt about books, not just detective fiction. She makes sure to bring five novels with her for her 3-day shift in the CWR, telling the reader, “I could go without many things during a time of war, but I could not abide the thought of being without books.”

The theme of books reoccurs as David and Evelyne spar over which novels are better – American detective fiction or British mysteries such as Agatha Christie’s. These small bits give the novel extra personality and charm and kept me turning the pages.

If you’re looking for an engaging World War II murder mystery with a hint of romance and the promise of future novels, this is the book for you. I highly recommend!

I really enjoyed this historical mystery. The MC had a vital but not glamorous job, she wasn’t a super genius code breaker, just an average woman who has read a lot of detective novels.

The mystery was nice and twisty though there were a few spots where I had to go back to see how they had come to a conclusion about things.

Very enjoyable and feels like the start of a series which would be great!

A late book review

If you’re anything like me you have 250+ tabs open on your phone at any given moment - because I was looking through some of those open tabs and came across a widget invite for a book I really wanted to read but had too many other books on my NetGalley shelf (okay, I can’t comfortably have more than 6 books on my shelf, I get so stressed about having to read that I tend to not enjoy reading as much as I’m usually able to). At any rate, I found the widget in the tabs and grabbed it the day before the archive date and cheated a little- I borrowed the audiobook from my library and listened to this one.

I love a good mystery series and as a story, A Traitor in Whitehall grabbed hold of my attention from the start and held on.
* amateur sleuth
* espionage
* romance
* series starter

A little clunky in spots; it wasn’t perfect, but the first book in any series is busy laying the groundwork. Overall, I found it to be a solid series starter and I look forward to reading future titles.



Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the DRC

Intriguing. Combination of history, detective work. Takes place in the cabinet war rooms which is an intriguing place and not as well known as it should be. There were somethings that were predictable (like Patricia's secret), but some things that kept you on the edge of your seat. Strong female character and engaging read.

The setting is 1940 London and the Blitz of World War II.
I found the story intriguing with its blend of unique mystery.
I liked getting to know Evelyne and hope to get to know her even better as the series goes on. She is a strong outspoken female character.
You will get mystery, friendships, family and spies with reading A Traitor in Whitehall.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Evelyne is doing her part for the war effort by working in a munitions factory. And then an old family friend approaches her to interview. He places her as a secretary working in the Churchill War Rooms just as the Blitz starts as London. She's there not only to work, but to serve as a spy and learn who might be leaking state secrets.

It's so fitting that there's a blurb from Susan Elia MacNeal on the cover, as this reminds me of her Maggie Hope series which I also loved. It similarly starts with a plucky and smart heroine working indirectly for Churchill. It has a similar set-up, but not quite the same sense of danger.

Instead, this leans more into a cozy mystery version of a spy thriller. Evelyne loves reading detective fiction (and shouts out love to Agatha Christie!). And as she tries to solve a mystery, she works through the investigation in a way that feels reminiscent of the observational skills that would be featured by Agatha Christie.

This was such a great blend for me. I look forward to continuing the series and following Evelyne as she goes further into spying. And maybe even has a hint of future romance?! I'll read on to find out.

Thank you to Minotaur Books for the advanced reader copy. These opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up

Julia Kent has a way with words for sure. She can spin a mystery and also give us a history lesson all in one. Throw in a possible love in the making and you have a wonderful story.

This is about a woman who has no experience but get a job as a secretary in Whitewall. In Winston Churchill’s War Cabinet Room to be precise. She discovers a murder and starts to investigate. She has always had a fascination with mysteries and when she teams up with David Poole things start to come together. Both with the murder and possibly with a new love.

You follow Evelyne Redfern through her times before she took the job up and through a lot of ups and downs. She is known as The Parisian Orphan thus the series. I look forward to finding out what comes next for Evelyne and David. What awaits these two in the next installment.

Well written and keeps you interested. This author rarely disappoints if ever.

Thank you #NetGalley, #JuliaKelly, #Macmillan for this ARC. This is my true thoughts about this book.

4/5 stars.

A Traitor in Whitehall, by Julia Kelly
My thanks to Net Galley , the author and publisher for the ARC provided in return for an honest review.

MS Kelly has written an entertaining period mystery set London during the early stages of the “Battle of Britain”. Much of its attraction is from the setting, the WCR, the War Cabinet Room, an underground bunker carved out beneath Whitehall, where the business of running the war is done. Here, Churchill and his aides, military and civilian, plan Britain’s defense against Nazi Germany. In the top secret , if claustrophobic ,underground lair Our hero Evelyne Redfern, works in the typing pool alongside with a dozen or so others churning out page after page of classified papers. Her early life before she got this job is sketched out in the book’s first pages: the daughter of a playboy lord and his mistress , a French actress, Evelyne got a” Good British Education” in a minor women’s public, I.e., private, school. When the war came, she decides to “ do her bit” and goes to work in a factory making AA shells. One night, Moira , her actress roommate in the boarding house where both live , convinces Evelyne to accompany her to a party for a fun night out. There will be decent food, she says, pre-war wine and plenty of handsome young officers.
Later, as she is leaving that soirée, Redfern is approached by a dignified gentleman who asks if she is Lord Redfern’s daughter. He identifies himself as an old friend of her father. Following some pleasantries, , the gentleman hands her his card and and directs her to visit his office the next day to be interviewed for a position in the Civil Service. There, , after an hour of probing questioning, she is offered a clerk/ typist job, with the provision that she also keep her eyes open for anything odd. She wonders, “ Am I to be a typist, or a spy?”
It does not take long after her first day for the “ odd” thing to happen. When Evelyne goes to take the mandated “ sun- bath” under ultraviolet lamps, she finds a dead woman, another typist, slumped on a couch. Dead, as in a knife through her throat dead. This sets in play the rest of the story, as Elayne puts her love of reading mystery novels to good use.
Elayne finds a lot to wonder about. The bunker is staffed with multiple rotating shifts . All the work done in the WCR is highly classified, as are the staff - but someone is a murderer and maybe a spy because, Elayne learns, someone is sneaking secrets to the Germans. Is it the same person? As she noses around as,ing questions like the plucky heroine in a quaint British mystery novel, she finds herself being questioned in return by a Mr. David Poole. He is more than another bureaucrat. At first, annoyed by Elayne’s persistent detecting, Poole realizes her intelligence and ability to read people. He warms to her and they become close.

It is a good mystery, seasoned with just a bit of danger, a growing love affair, and a large cast of possible suspects. Add to that, the backdrop of London during the Blitz, mended stockings, and liver paste sandwiches with weak tea for luncheon( reused teabags, of course) “A Traitor in Whitehall” is easy to recommend. I can visualize it made into a Brit TV mini-series.

“ A Traitor in Whitehall” can be categorize as a cozy mystery, meaning that there no gratuitous content, sexual or violent, therefore can be enjoyed by any reader.