An enjoyable mystery set in England it kept me on my toes and I look forward to more books by this author.

Julia Kelly has written a number of historical fiction titles that I have enjoyed. With A Traitor in Whitehall, she adds a murder mystery into the mix. The result was an absorbing read.
Readers learn early on that protagonist, Evelyne, has a backstory through her parents' relationship . She moves forward from this into managing her own life. When she is tapped by a friend of her father's to work in Whitehall, both in a position there, and also with an eye to reporting to an outside source, little does she anticipate all that will happen.
One of the women who works in the typing pool has been found murdered. Why? Who did it? Readers will try to figure this out even as Evelyne works with David, supposedly a Minister's aide, on the case. There are many suspects.
In addition to the well conceived plot, I also enjoyed the setting in Churchill's War Rooms. Readers are given a genuine feel for what it would have been like to work in this deep underground setting during the war years.
One thing that I struggled with a bit, however, was keeping all of the women who worked with Evelyne straight. I went back a number of times to remember something about each of them.
This minor quibble aside, this was a book that I very much liked. I hope that Ms. Kelly will add another and make this a series.
Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur for this title. All opinions are my own.

You know a book is good when you wish that it was the start of a series. After following Evelyn Redfern and David Poole through a fascinating investigation, I want more!

A Traitor in Whitehall follows Evelyn Redfern as she joins the typist pool in an underground bunker that serves government officials during World War 2. The man who hired her wants her to keep her eyes open for a suspected leak, but when she discovers a colleague dead, she decides to investigate murder and look for a mole. Along the way, she discovers that another person working in the warren of tunnels, the aforementioned David Poole, is doing the same and they team up.

The first quarter of the book gives insight into Evelyn's childhood, during which she was at the center of a custody battle that was widely reported and resulted in her nickname, The Parisian Orphan. She's estranged from her eccentric, globe-hopping aristocrat father and her mother died in a Paris hotel room when Evelyn was a child. An Aunt and a friend made in school are her most stable relationships outside of the bunker. By the mid-point of the book, the scores of people inside the bunker are laid out and the suspect list is quite long. The pace speeds up in the second half of the book as Evelyn and David explore leads and narrow down the suspects. This all coincides with The Blitz.

There is a lot going on in this book, but the writing is clear and unencumbered. It's not difficult to keep track of the large cast, though some members of the typing pool blend together at first. Evelyn is smart, but believably so. You don't have to suspend disbelief, as she encounters some of the typical obstacles that you'd expect a working woman to face in the time.

There are some seeds planted for this to be a series. Evelyn's Aunt seems to have a back story to explore and Evelyn's father lurks as a mysterious figure. David's background is mostly unknown. Evelyn definitely has a future in sleuthing and I hope we get to go along for the ride!

I love a historical mystery with a strong female lead and this book, a Traitor in Whitehall, did not disappoint. I really hope that it becomes a long-running series because the ending certainly implies there will be more adventures for Evelyne Redfern and I will definitely be reading them.

Quick synopsis: Evelyne Redfern is a 22-year-old living in London, UK during WWII. She's recruited to work in Prime Minister Winston Churchill's Cabinet War Rooms by an old friend of her father to report back on anything unusual that takes place in the bunker below the London streets. Soon after she starts working in the typing pool, Evelyne finds one of her colleagues murdered. Given how strict access to the War Rooms are, Evelyne knows the suspect pool is limited and begins to investigate, joining forces with David Poole, who works for one of the ministers and is trying to identify who is passing along top secret information to the enemies. Over the following days, Evelyne and David interview colleagues and piece together evidence, all while she tries to do her job as well as spend time with her roommate and friends when she's not in the bunker.

I love how detailed the book is; this is not a casual read and definitely requires attention to keep track of evidence the clues, and the suspects. Even amidst all these details that lead us to the killer (and the red herrings that try to lead us astray), we get to know Evelyne and what her life is like amidst war. We meet her friends, we learn about her background and why many people recognize her name, about the stress she experiences of not knowing if her friends are alive or dead after London is bombed by the Nazis.

Evelyne is a sympathetic character. She's been through some difficult times in her life, and is determined to make her own way in the world, despite having a father who is presumed to be wealthy. She is strong and independent, smart and curious. She is also a bit impulsive and doesn't always think through plans, relying on her gut and instincts to get her out of a bind.

The mystery itself is well done. As the story progresses, I was able to slowly start to pick out the clues that were important and those that we could disregard. As I got closer to the end, the tension definitely started to pick up and it was a delightful tension, with the knowledge that of course the mystery will be solved and Evelyne will be safe, but how we would get there remained to be seen.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes a historical mystery. Fans of Susan Elia Macneal would likely enjoy this book.

Thank you to Net Galley for providing an early copy of A Traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly

Author Julia Kelly has done it again in a fast-paced and intriguing "whodunnit" featuring novice Evelyne Redfern and innocuous David Poole, both employed in the underground War Rooms of Winston Churchill's London.
On her very first day on the job, Evelyne is locked into one of the underground rooms where she discovers the dead body of a female. Her natural inquisitiveness and clarity will soon involve her in attempting to solve the murder and uncover a plot of blackmail and treason. Paired with fellow employee David Poole, this twosome will outsmart the police as they follow leads that will turn up the traitor among the many and varied employees of the War Rooms. Redfern and Poole will come to trust each other's judgments that could lead to further undercover work in order to win the war.
Kelly has an impressive body of work within the backdrop of World War II. Each is carefully researched, and this latest endeavor is no exception. At the conclusion of A Traitor in Whitehall, readers will be hoping for more from Redfern and Poole.
Strong character development and a satisfying plot will remind readers of the works of Dorothy Sayers (her favorite) and Dashell Hammett (his favorite).

I throughly enjoyed this book that is both mystery and historical WW2 novel. The combination is perfect, the plot intriguing, the two main characters perfect. I’m hoping this may be the start of a new and exciting series.

A Traitor in Whitehall
Julia Kelly
Minotaur
Pub Date: October 3, 2023
Historical Fiction/Mystery
I adored this book and I want more! I wish it was the beginning of a series!
The writing is clear even though there are a lot of characters in the book to keep track of. This was a great combination of my two favorite genres. I loved that the two main characters worked together without any romantic undertones. I would read a sequel if there is one.
5 stars

So good! This takes place in England in 1940 and the story surrounds World War II. I love this time period, and especially England. Evelyne is a great character and her backstory is interesting and I love how she goes about solving mysteries. I cannot imagine living during that time in a war zone and how people go through it, but the author describes events and daily life very well. I cannot wait to read the next book in this series!

I really enjoy WW2 novels especially those with female characters. This novel is a mix of mystery and historical fiction centering on Churchill's war rooms and the secretaries that played a vital role during the war. Our heroine, Evelyne uses amateur sleuthing experience influenced by her veracious reading of spy novels to investigate the murder. Evelyne's investigation helps uncover a potential mole that is selling Britain's secrets hampering the Allies.
This novel was a great read about the period involving real-life people and names familiar to WW2 which Julia Kelly crafts masterfully.

A Traitor in Whitehall was an engaging and enjoyable read from start to finish. The setting of wartime London and the almost preposterousness of being in the underground bunker solving a murder was *delightful* and I didn't want to put this book down. The protagonist is stupid and reckless in ways that I think make her stronger and I can't wait to see what comes next in this series. I especially enjoyed the feeling of imminent danger that suffused the book with urgency. Great read!

Calling all fans of Maggie Hope and Maisie Dobbs! I loved, loved, loved A Traitor in Whitehall! Julia Kelly’s latest introduces a plucky and smart amateur sleuth/crime fiction enthusiast named Evelyne Redfern in a brilliantly plotted and paced, obviously well researched, and otherwise well crafted mystery in which the “locked room” setting is the Churchill War Rooms. Kelly utterly transports the reader to World War II London. And while the initial murder mystery is of course solved by the final page, she has so well developed the characters of Evelyne and several others in the cast that I am already eagerly awaiting the next in the series to become better acquainted with them. I’ve not been so excited about a new mystery series since I discovered Susan Elia MacNeal’s Maggie Hope tales a decade or so ago.

Highly recommended to fans of Susan Elia MacNeal’s Maggie Hope series, Jacqueline Winspear’s Maisie Dobbs stories, and other intelligent and independent woman sleuths, including Tasha Alexander’s Lady Emily novels, Anna Lee Huber’s Lady Darby books and Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness and Molly Murphy series.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for a complimentary ARC. Opinions are my own.

A Traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly is an excellent WWII-era historical mystery that was just beyond amazing from beginning to end.

I have read my fair share of serialized historical mysteries, especially those set in England during WWII, but this is special.

I was initially drawn to it due to the fact that I have read three previous HF novels from Ms. Kelly and have loved every one of them (The Light Over London, The Last Garden in England, and The Whispers of War).

Evelyn Redfern is a fabulous MC, and her partnership with David Poole on this investigation is spot on. The dialogue, the banter, the quips, the seriousness, the pacing, plot, and historical detail were all perfect.

The murder-mystery was engaging, interesting, complex (yet not too much so), and it left me with a satisfying conclusion. I loved the full character cast, and I truly hope that this becomes a continuing series.

I cannot recommend this book enough and I think Ms. Kelly has hit a home run.

5/5 stars enthusiastically

Thank you NG and Minotaur Books/ St Martin’s Press for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 10/3/23.

A Traitor in Whitehall has all the elements of a classic, locked-room murder mystery. (Security is tight in Winston Churchill’s underground bunkers after all! Or is it…?) Well researched, this novel is an engaging and entertaining read for fans of books like Mr. Churchill’s Secretary or the Maisie Dobbs series.

Evelyne Redfern is an exciting new addition to the world of amateur sleuths. Tenacious and brave, she has great intuition and is also a skilled interrogator – getting almost anyone to open up to her. The motivation for her to investigate (and continue investigating) the murder was also really strong given her backstory, the reason she was hired as a typist, and her love for detective fiction. All this made for a really fun read with a plausible, intricately crafted storyline.

During her investigation, Evelyne begrudgingly teams up with David Poole (who has been tasked with uncovering a mole leaking vital secrets to Germany.) This was a really entertaining pairing with an energetic dynamic and witty, lighthearted banter. It's the sort of start to a series that leaves you excited for book two, because you can't wait to see what's going to develop between this duo in the future.

While the final reveal felt a little complicated and took me a bit to figure out who was doing what and why, the pieces of the mystery all fit together nicely. There were some excellent red herrings, along with a whole host of suspects. As the first book in a brand new series, Julia Kelly is off to a tremendous start with her first mystery novel. I cannot wait to follow along with all of Evelyne Redfern’s future adventures!

This was so close to a perfect mashup of historical fiction and mystery in my opinion. This story takes place during WWII in England, so it has the historical element that I thoroughly enjoy, and sees its main characters work together to solve two mysteries. As someone who does not lean toward mystery works so much, I feel that this was a great way for me to dip my toes into the genre.

I loved that the lead characters worked together so well without having a strong “romantic undertone”, if you will. You could make assumptions that maybe there were some feelings of intrigue but the story solely focused on their working relationship which to me was more interesting.

I also think this story is a good way for readers to try out the historical fiction genre, especially stories about WWII, as it is not so much about the fighting or the Holocaust. Yes, the story describes in a little bit of detail some air raids, but not any actual fighting or the Holocaust.

Overall, I really enjoyed all of the characters in this story and would absolutely read a sequel should there be one!

I definitely would recommend this work to other historical fiction fans out there!

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this book, which I requested based solely upon the summary provided. I’m so glad I did; I thoroughly enjoyed this gripping story set mainly in the Cabinet War Rooms in London in the early days of the Blitz. The main character is smart and confident, and the situation seamlessly blends character development with historical detail. The mystery is well-plotted and engaging. I very much hope there are more books in this series. Highly recommended, especially if you like a mystery set in WWII.

I went into this book having no idea what to expect, and perhaps feeling even a little skeptical whether I'd like it or not. Kelly blew me away. Evelyne was a wonderful character and her teaming up with Poole made for one heck of a good ride! I absolutely loved the story of secrets and treason and the twists and turns kept me guessing. I loved how Kelly set readers up to make their own guesses as to the conclusion, then delivered the final answers in a tension-heightening way. I already can't wait to see what will be next for Evelyne and Poole and absolutely will be snagging book two as soon as it's available!
If you like Anna Lee Huber, you'll love this new series!

Review in progress and to come.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

A fantastic, thrilling WWII novel that is unputdownable. Authentic details and superb writing raise this book above the rest. I really enjoyed it and will read anything this author decides to write!

The start of a new mystery series (and her first stab at the mystery genre, no pun intended) by one of my favorite historical fiction writers — Julia Kelly. WWII - London - 1940. There is a body, there is a mole in Whitehall, and there is a smart, sharp heroine who insists on equal billing with the agent assigned to ferret out the answers. Best of all — the action takes place in the Churchill War Rooms with a detailed and accurate (as far as my two fascinating visits to the place informs) depiction of the environment and activities within. As always, she really brings it all to life! A nice complicated plot, characters with good backstories, and of course, a time period and place that is rife with opportunities for mystery.

Right at the beginning of WWII, Winston Churchill moved his command center into a secret bunker constructed under government buildings in Whitehall, which he dubbed his Cabinet War Rooms. From here Churchill, his cabinet, and some 500 civil servants worked around the clock in the war effort.

It’s in the CWR that Evelyne Redfern lands, placed as a secretary in the typing pool by the mysterious Mr. Fletcher, an old friend of her father’s. While not quite sure what she’s meant to be keeping an eye on and reporting back to Mr. Fletcher about, Evelyne is quickly caught up in the murder of another typist, a woman named Vera who was both feared and hated by the other secretaries for her tendency to root out everyones’ secrets and ruthlessly use them to her advantage. An avid reader of mysteries herself, Evelyne sets out to do a bit of sleuthing on her own. This brings her to the attention of David Poole, supposedly just a minister’s aide but in actuality investigating a mole who’s sharing secrets with the enemy. Evelyne and David team up, albeit reluctantly on his part, to discover the truth about Vera’s murder and the traitor amongst the CWR staff.

This was a liked, but didn’t love, book for me. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.