For those who love historical fiction, especially WWII and a women's point of view this is a good read.
The heroine is Evelyn Redfern and in the course of the book we learn her backstory which was very interesting.
She is a appealing heroine , spunky and intelligent.
We meet her working in a munitions factory, living in a boarding house with several other women involved in various wartime pursuits.
She is given the chance to work in the typing pool at Prime Minister Winston Churchill's cabinet war rooms. Before she can even settle in there is a murder to solve.
There are many , many characters in this book and it was a little challenging to keep them straight from the outset. Evelyn's involvement in the investigation seems a bit of a stretch.
The book includes romance, espionage and a murder mystery - a great combination but it falls a bit short of some other WWII historical fiction.
I do hope this may be a start of a new series as I would love to know more about Evelyn and how her career progresses.
Thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press for the ARC to enjoy.
3.5 starts rounded up for Goodreads purposes

London, the Blitz, a murder, a mole, female friendship, love affairs- this book has it all!

Evelyne Redfern had a difficult childhood with her parents divorcing, a nasty custody battle, and ultimately her mother's early death when Evelyne was 13. She was shipped off to boarding school by her father and spent most of her school holidays with her Aunt Amelia.

It's now 1940 and Evelyne is living in London with her school friend Moira as WWII and the Blitz of London make their daily life difficult. She has no contact with her father, but she runs into one of his old friends at a party. Mr. Fletcher has an intriguing job offer for Evelyne and she finds herself working in the Cabinet War Rooms (CWR) as a typist with a secret mission to find whoever is passing information from CWR to the Germans. Shortly after starting work, another girl in the typing pool is murdered and suddenly Evelyne finds herself with more to investigate than just a mole. Using her knowledge gleaned from the many mystery books she's read, Evelyne partners up with another CWR worker, David Poole, and together the pair try to solve the mystery.

I've read several other Julia Kelly books and really enjoyed them, which is why I picked this one up. This one is quite a bit different than her others. And that's not a bad thing at all. This really is a classic mystery with some historical fiction thrown in. I loved reading this. I wasn't able to figure out the mystery by the end, which to me is the sign of a great story. Evelyne and David were both great characters. I liked that we got so much insight into Evelyne and what makes her tick and that she was such a strong, independent woman. I also enjoyed some of the minor characters like Moira, Irene and Joscelyn.

It seems like this might turn into a series and I'm so excited for that. I can't wait to see what further adventures Evelyne and David have. I'd also love to see a spin off book about Aunt Amelia! Thank you @netgalley and the publisher for the ARC!

A Traitor in Whitehall is an enjoyable whodunit during the early days of WWII which will appeal to all Historical Fiction and Mystery fans.
Intrepid Evelyne Redfern, an infamous child of divorce aka the Parisian Orphan, now grown up and is ensconced in a munitions factory for the war effort. Soon though, her talents land her in the Secret Underground of Whitehall where she quickly is moved from typist to inside informant. Her job - collect information and observations as a mole is on the loose and selling wartime secrets to the Germans.
I enjoyed the many characters/suspects both male and female that are all underground for a variety of reasons. There is an Agatha Christie Vibe to it all. A little romance is actually a bit of fun during the stress of bombing and insecurity that is certainly felt by all. I also can see how our main character Miss Redfern and her cohort David Poole could be thrown together again for more wartime mysteries. This has the makings of a wonderful historical fiction/mystery series.

As an #smpinfluencer I want to thank Minotaur Books for access to an early copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this story of the secret underground bunker where the war effort was being fought. When I was finished, I sure wouldn't have wanted to work there, but it gave a great idea of what these people were going through to defeat the evil that was overrunning Europe.
We put faces to these people and I could just picture fresh on the job Evelyne, and she is putting her sharp mind to work, in more ways than one.
There is a slight romance beginning, but it is so beginning you really don't realize. David Poole and Evelyne are in some was thrust together and end up feeling each other out in the quest for answers to a murder, and the leaking of secrets.
You soon find yourself ducking the bombs that are rocking their underground conclave, and then we see the destruction!
The answers come, was I surprised, yes, but some were questionable in the beginning, but this does become complex, but there is an enemy to be fought.
Now I can't wait for the next book in this series!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher St. Martin's Press, and was not required to give a positive review.

Intriguing story of a woman who is hired as a typist to really do undercover work for Britain. She is assigned to help another undercover investigator to find out who is leaking info to the Germans.

A Traitor in Whitehall is a historical mystery set during WWII in England. There’s a traitor passing secrets out of Churchhill’s war rooms. Working in a munitions factory, Evelyne Redfern is recruited my a friend of her general father’s to infiltrate the typing pool of Whitehall and report back to him. Just a few days in as a secretary, Evelyne finds the murdered body of a coworker. Patronized by the police, Evelyne begins investigating on her own before inserting herself into David Poole’s investigation for the Prime Minister. Whitehall is full of secrets and blackmail where the fate of the war rests on finding a killer. Evelyne is a strong willed, brilliant amateur sleuth that is ahead of her time. David is mysterious and interesting enough to keep the chemistry flowing. Hopefully this is just the first mystery in a long series. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from NetGalley.

This is the perfect cozy, historical fiction book! Set during the blitz in London high society gone wrong girl that has gone underground to help the allied efforts. Evelyn is a true heroine and wickedly smart, I hope to see more of her.

The first in a new series by the author of The Last Dance of the Debutante, featuring MCs Evelyne Redfern and David Poole from Churchill's cabinet war rooms, who hunt a killer and a mole selling British secrets to the enemy. Histfic mystery fans will rejoice!

Do you love mystery? Do you love historical fiction? This is the perfect book for you.

I had no idea what to expect when St. Martin’s Press gave me the opportunity to read A Traitor in Whitehall, and what I got was a bingeable mystery set in WWII London during the blitz. From the very first pages, I was drawn into the story and couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. There were a few moments when I thought I’d solved the mystery, but was pleasantly surprised that it was much more complicated than I imagined.

Read if you love:
▪️murder mysteries
▪️historical fiction set in WWII
▪️quick-paced sleuthing
▪️short chapters
▪️great characters

This was truly a fun read. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the opportunity. All opinions in this review are my own.

I enjoyed this one but had a hard time getting into it. I appreciate WWII fiction that takes a different angle on things and once I got over my initial slump, I enjoyed this mystery! I know that Julia Kelly is talented in her own right but it definitely gave me Ariel Lawhon/Kate Quinn vibes.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advance digital copy of A Traitor in Whitehall. Evelyn Redfern loves a good mystery novel and all her reading proves useful when she finds herself in the middle of a real murder mystery. She allows no one to underestimate her intelligence as she investigates a murder and possible treasonous activities in London during WWII. Julia Kelly’s novel is an engaging read. I hope to see more novels featuring these characters.

A traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly is an enjoyable almost cozy historical murder mystery. While pacing was a bit skewed in the first third the engaging over all plot and interesting characters more than Carrie’s me through . Fans of of back ground intrigue in their murder mysteries have come to the right place .

This was super good. Enjoyed the story. Especially after a visit to the Churchill war rooms, because I could picture it so well.

Evelyne Redfern is a young woman, living and working in WWII London. She takes up a job in Churchill's underground Cabinet War Rooms (CWR), tasked with working the typist pool, but also being on the lookout for a mole within the CWR. However early on in her first week on the job, she discovers the murder of one of her fellow typists, Jean Plinkton, and quickly finds herself involved in the investigation into both the mole and Jean's murder.

Evelyne is a lover of mystery novels but Britain's great authors, and this book is cleverly styled as a mystery in the same vein. Evelyne methodically works her way through her list of suspects and uses the evidence discovered on Jean's body and in her bunk at the CWR to discover the murderer, with the assistance of David Poole, who is also on the case of the mole.

This is the first book I've read by Julia Kelly, and also the first WWII novel I've read set in the CWR. That said, the setting of the CWR is only used as a locked room aspect, and not fully fleshed out. I enjoyed Kelly's writing, and the development of Evelyne as a character. I was also very satisfied with the ending and how Evelyne and David tied everything together, with the promise of future investigations for them together.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the electronic ARC of this novel for review.

I have enjoyed Julia Kelly's other books, but not this one. I read to the 50% mark, and I just wasn't interested enough to keep going. I don't like giving a bad review, but I also want to be an honest reviewer.

A cozy and unpredictable mystery filled with a cast of characters who each have their own secrets, set in the Cabinet War Rooms during WW2. Evelyne is a strong and brave character, who does not do exactly as society expects her to and it was great to follow along her story. I've enjoyed the authors historical fiction and loved the addition of mystery in this book, hopefully this will not be the last mystery that Julia Kelly writes!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author, Julia Kelly for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

What a great start to a new series! I love historical fiction and this story was very intriguing. I share Evelyne’s need to have a book at all times.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed the main character & the story was okay overall but for a “who-dunnit” involving a murder and classified government/military secrets during WW2, the stakes never felt all that high.

I did really like the 1940s references, I did some light googling while reading sometimes and learned about people I had never even heard of before this book.

"A Traitor in Whitehall" is well worth reading. The story revolves around the murder of a typist (Jean Plinkton) working in the cabinet war rooms (an underground bunker under Whitehall where government ministers and staff met in secret and safety during WWII) and the search for a mole leaking sensitive information to the Germans. The author does a good job of portraying the sense of purpose and the chaos that would have existed, especially during the Blitz. The mysteries were good, with plenty of plausible suspects and motives for the murder of Jean, especially as more information about Jean's behavior was revealed. The mystery involves a coded message, and I thought it was creative how the author devised the code to work and how she devised the key to the code being discovered.

The main character, Evelyne Redfern, is an interesting and enjoyable character. I liked that she was assertive and knew her own worth, standing up for herself with David Poole, who would become her partner in the investigations, and with the Military Police investigating the murder, who did not appreciate her "interference" but also failed to make some of the connections and uncover some of the information that Evelyne did. I was very pleased that the book ended with the possibility of our lover of detective fiction turned amateur detective being involved in more investigations in the future.

A murder, a mole and high suspense in Churchill's War Rooms - what is there not to like about Julia Kelly's foray into mystery. This is not a fast paced thriller but a more comfortable who-done-it that was a very enjoyable read combining historical fiction with a cozy mystery. There are back stories that could still be explored and a future left wide open for the investigations of Evelyne Redfern and David Poole. Well done. Very enjoyable.
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