Betrayal at Blackthorn Park, the second in a series, features avid reader of detective mysteries, Evelyn Redfern. Plucked from the typing pool, Evelyn is a newly trained spy for the Special Investigations Unit in London 1940. Her first mission is a security check at a country manor in Sussex, known as Blackthorn Park. Now a weapons research facility with a staff of engineers, administrators, and workers, it is the perfect setting for a mystery.
The focus of Evelyn’s mission changes from a security check for missing supplies to a murder investigation. Author Julia Kelly’s lifelong love for mysteries and detective stories lends credence to interviews of suspects, tricks of the detective trade, and summaries of clues before heading the search off in another direction.
Julia Kelly’s characters move with ease from Whitehall to Blackthorn Park. To Evelyn’s dismay her partner at Whitehall, David Poole, has been promoted to ‘handler’ in the SIU and follows her to Blackthorn. Kelly’s development of Evelyn’s view of David Poole evolves from mostly annoying to sometimes endearing, giving readers hope for a closer connection in the future. She uses clever pairings such as Mr. and Mrs. Sherman, stationmaster at Benstead and housekeeper at the manor, to make connections and confirm clues. To relax the frantic pace and drama of the mission Kelly isolates the interviews of suspects into chapters and switches to Evelyn’s London life with occasional telephone calls to best friend Moira.
Betrayal at Blackthorn takes place in one hectic week, with a day-by-day countdown to Winston Churchill’s visit for a weapons demonstration. Interviews, journal checks, letters and a secret hiding place keep readers piecing clues together until the last explosion at Blackthorn Park.

This book is a continuation of the first book in the series so I recommend reading them in order. The audiobook brought the story alive with good narration. I loved how strong the female protagonist is in this book.

I am a pushover for theses very Brit ish spy novels. I love the repartee and the formal dealings with the police and the background ops. It’s like being a fan of the Beatles or Perry Mason…. I am addicted. The novel was terrific. Witty, clever, old fashioned..on purpose… and I recommend it to any who are watchers of the BBC mysteries on TV. Here’s another character to love!

In Julia Kelly’s first book in this series, heroine Evelyne Redferne got a job as a clerk in Churchill’s war rooms only to discover a body on her very first day. As she’d been asked by a high up family friend to “keep her eyes open,” she ends up investigating. and solves the crime. In book two, she’s already been sent north for training as a member of the ultra secret Special Operations Executive, where she’ll be working as an investigator. Her maiden outing is to Blackthorn Park, which has been requisitioned by the government as a center for creating bombs for use in the field. The home office suspects some kind of theft is going on and requests that Evelyne travel there and assess how easily the property can be breached.

Her handler will be the man she worked with in book one, David Poole, and despite their slightly prickly relationship they function efficiently and intelligently together. All goes well as Evelyne checks into the cottage she’s to stay in and reconnoiters Blackthorn Park, but when she clandestinely returns there at night (easily breaking in) there’s a shot and she discovers a dead body, an apparent suicide. Readers, when is a suicide in a mystery novel a suicide? Close to never, and true to form, in this case it is a murder, and not only that, the victim is the man in charge of Blackthorn.

Much to the consternation of the higher-ups there, Evelyne and David quickly assume control of the investigation. They are under a tight deadline though, as Churchill is coming for an inspection in 3 or 4 days, and some of the bombs seem to be inconveniently exploding in the field when they shouldn’t, killing agents. This is a fairly standard story of a wartime investigation in some ways, but Kelly makes it sing with her characters and narrative verve, which really commands the reader’s attention. I didn’t think this installment was quite as good or unusual as the first, but it still has some fascinating threads to it.

The tangle of characters at Blackthorn and the way they relate – or don’t relate – to one another is a marvelous depiction of class interaction in a wartime setting, a time when people of different social classes are forced to work closely together. It’s also an interesting look at how the war was being waged behind the scenes in parts of rural England. The boys may have been at the front, but back home plenty was happening and the scientists and engineers at Blackthorn are hoping to be able to shorten the duration of the war through their work.

I very much enjoy Evelyne as a character. She’s more or less a poor little rich girl – when she lost her mother at a young age, her gad about father deposited her in the care of her aunt. A background in a British boarding school has stiffened her upper lip and her family history makes her want to simply get on with things. In this, she’s an incredibly British character, just carrying on with her war work and dealing with her complex relationship with handler David.

Although her central character is a brash American, these books very much remind me of Susan Elia MacNeal’s wonderful Maggie Hope series. Both women began their careers working in one way or another for Churchill, and from there moved to the Special Operations Executive. As MacNeal has recently wrapped the Maggie series, I’m thinking Evelyne may just satisfy my WWII reading cravings. While I didn’t love this book as much as the first, I still found it entirely enjoyable and look forward to the resolution of the tantalizing cliffhanger Kelly leaves dangling in front of the reader at the end of this book.

Evelyne Redferne returns to solve another mystery, but this time with the SOE supporting her efforts. After graduating from her training program where she learns how to be a spy, Evelyne is ready for her first field assignment.

When Evelyne is sent to Sussex to Blackthorne Park to perform a security check, she is disappointed assuming she would have been given a riskier assignment since she is a native French speaker. Not only is her assignment lackluster, but David Poole, whom she worked with to discover a mole in Churchill’s War Rooms is her handler and incredibly distracting. Regardless, she heads to the countryside shocked to discover the manor has been requisitioned as a weapons research and development facility. When the lead engineer turns up dead, Evelyne is determined to find out what is really going on at this facility before Churchill himself turns up for inspection in only a few days.

Betrayal at Blackthorne Park is a fun and quick whodunnit read, that keeps the reader guessing. The story is the second in what looks like to be an ongoing series, and A Traitor at Whitehall should be read first to understand Evelyne’s background.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and author Julia Kelly for the advanced copy of the book. Betrayal at Blackthorne Park is out on October 1st! All opinions are my own.

My thanks to St Martin s/Minotaur for allowing me to review this arc .

Eve Redfern and David Poole are back again and requested to solve a theft at Blackthorn Park. Instead, they wind up investigating the death of Sir Nigel, owner of the home. His death appears a suicide...but is it? When a second "death" occurs in a similar way Eve and David have a lot more on their hands then they realize.

This is my 2nd book featuring these characters I read and I look forward to more. Witty, charming, cozy, and a great period piece. Gave me a Masterpiece Theater mystery vibe. Highly recommend.

This is the second book in the Evelyne Redfern series. I did not read the first book, but this read easily as a standalone. Evelyne Redfern is newly graduated from training as a British secret agent in the early days of WWII. David Poole is her handler but wants to return to the field. There is chemistry between them that I am sure will develop as the series continues.

Sent to a secure ammunitions facility to secretly investigate some thefts, Evelyne becomes involved in investigating a suicide, or is it a murder? This is a light historical mystery with a strong story and vivid descriptions. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

Thank you, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books and Net Galley for the advanced copy of this novel. The comments expressed are my own.

Evelyne Redfern, freshly graduated from a spy training program, is initially disappointed when her first assignment is a simple security test at Blackthorn Park, a secret weapons facility in Sussex. However, things quickly become more complicated when she discovers the chief engineer dead, forcing her and her handler, David Poole, to investigate. As they uncover layers of deception, Evelyne realizes that their work could be crucial to the war effort, especially with an upcoming visit from Winston Churchill.

I have been waiting for this book! The first book was a delight, and I was eager to see what happened next for the indomitable Miss Evelyne Redfern. Although it would have been fun to see her training, we instead get to see her first assignment. She is eager to prove herself, and when a murder once again falls into her path, she jumps to work.

Seeing her interact with David Poole, who chafes at being a handler, was immensely fun. They work together so well, and of course there is the hint of romance between. And an appearance by Evelyne’s aunt was equally entertaining (she hints at her own past, which I am longing to know more about!)

Overall, this was a cozy and fun mystery. The narrator was a delight to listen to, and I enjoyed it so much, I read the ebook copy as well. I am very much looking forward to book three.

The follow-up to A Traitor in Whitehall finds Evelyne Redfern, fresh from her training as a secret agent, off to investigate suspected thefts of material at a clandestine facility for weapons research and manufacturing during the early days of WW2, with David Poole returning as her handler. They quickly find themselves in a murder investigation when the brilliant scientist who heads the lab is found dead - is it murder or suicide? A quick read with insight into Britain's attempts to stay ahead of Germany in the weapons race, the role of women in the war effort, and attempts by some to profit from the fighting. Evelyne and David complement each other well with each taking leading roles in the investigation. Hopefully Julia Kelly continues the series, as she has created appealing lead and supporting characters and built strong storylines around them. Thanks to NetGalley and St Martins Press/Minotaur Books for the ARC.

This is the second book in the Parisian Orphan series.

I really enjoyed the first book, and had assumed it was a stand-alone novel. I was delighted to find out that we would meet the characters again as a second book had been written.

Evelyne has been trained now as an agent for the SUI, and David has been trained as her handler. Her first assignment is to verify the security at Blackthorn Park, an estate in the countryside, while David remains behind in London. Shortly after Evelyne arrives, she finds the chief engineer dead in his office, and so a murder investigation begins. David arrives from London and the pair work together to solve the mystery.

Despite the serious subject, this war-time novel is a light and easy read, with excellent characters and great descriptions. This is not a romance, but Evelyne and David certainly have some chemistry as they complement each other with their skills. The author clearly did plenty of research and it shows, as this really makes you feel that you in the British countryside during the war.

We also get some more insight into Evelyne and her family, and her relationships with her friends. All of this gives us a well-rounded book with a great plot.

An enjoyable book, and I'm looking forward to more in this series.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for a complimentary copy of this novel!
This is the second novel in the Parisian Orphan series. I had a chance to review the first book in this series, A Traitor in Whitehall, last year! So of course I was excited when I saw the second book in this series up for review.
Betrayal at Blackthorn Park picks up not too long after the first book and WW2 is still ongoing. We see Evelyn Redfern coming back from an intense training program on how to be a proper spy and David Poole has just completed training on how to be a handler. As David and Evelyne’s first mission together, Evelyn is sent on a simple mission in the Sussex countryside where there is an anonymous report that parts are being stolen from a secret weapons research and development facility at Blackthorn Park. But not long after Evelyn begins to scope out the property, a death takes place. To make matters worse, Churchill is scheduled to tour the facility in a few days’ time. So, what was supposed to be a simple mission to gather information has now become a possible murder investigation. David Poole has now been called to come to the facility and along with Evelyn they must work together to solve the case before Churchill arrives. With the outcome of the war also at stake, Evelyn and David must race to untangle the lies and deception happening at Blackthorn Park. But when a second death occurs, it is clear someone is willing to do anything to keep their secrets hidden! Can they figure out everything in time?
I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy historical fiction mystery! I do hope there is a book 3 coming out! AVAILABLE October 1, 2024

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park is an Evelyne Redfern mystery set in England during World War II. Evelyne has just completed training as a field agent and hopes to do her part to win the War. She is sent to a secured facility to see what she can find out about some thefts. Evelyne infiltrates the facility and hears a shot - Sir Nigel is dead. It looks like a suicide but Evelyne doesn’t believe it.
This is my first time reading this series and I found it charming. I like historical mysteries and Evelyne and David are a refreshing duo.
Plan to read more.

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park is the second book in Julia Kelly’s new Parisian Orphan series, and if anything, it is even more enjoyable than the first one. The first installation, A Traitor in Whitehall, introduces us to Evelyne Redfern, a young detective novel aficionado who stumbles on a murder while working as a typist in Churchill’s underground war rooms. In this book, she is no longer an amateur, but instead has completed (and it is implied that she excelled in), the Special Investigation Unit’s grueling training course and is a fully fledged, albeit quite green, agent of the SIU.

Her first official case sends her to Blackthorn Park, a top secret weapons facility, where she is to investigate some irregularities - including possible thefts - in the lead up to a visit by Winston Churchill himself. At first grumbling at what she sees as too easy a task, soon Evie stumbles on a murder, and the case proves anything other than easy.

Perhaps a little more relaxing than the first one - Evie’s training means that she is equipped for anything and is never really in over her head - this book is nevertheless great fun, with intelligent, driven characters who work well together and are clearly passionate about the war effort. Her male partner, David Poole, a returning character from the first book, is briefly set up to be her handler at the beginning of the novel - a complication that is quickly jettisoned as it is clear to everyone that they work best as partners. Poole’s respect for Evie’s abilities is perhaps a bit anachronistic, but it makes for a much more enjoyable read, as the book has little to none of the usual arguments about women’s capabilities that can clog up a narrative. Poole is clearly being set up as a possible love interest, but any hints of romance remain merely hints, as the two agents prioritize the task at hand.

The mystery itself is a bit thin - the “who” is clear from the beginning - but the characters and story are enough to get you past this, and the pleasure of reading about likeable, smart, competent people ensures that I am looking forward to the next book in this series.

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.

After appreciating the first title so much, I was so happy to receive an early invitation for this and began it with interest.

The research is obvious in the writing and it’s one of the reasons I’ve enjoyed this series as much as I have since the first book.

The plotting and storyline, as well as the back and forth of Evelyne and David made Betrayal at Blackthorn Park a very easy to read and fun cozy mystery.

A solid second title and I will definitely read the next 🙂



Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the DRC

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.