I recently discovered Julia Kelly and Evelyne Redfern. Her next SIU investigation has her heading to Portugal with David, and the potential to run into her father casts high tension over this novel!

*A Dark and Deadly Journey* by Julia Kelly is a gripping, atmospheric tale that blends historical mystery with rich character development and just the right touch of romance. Set against a beautifully described backdrop, the story pulls you in with its eerie twists and layered secrets. The pacing is tight, the suspense builds steadily, and the heroine is smart and determined—everything I love in a historical thriller. If you're in the mood for something moody, elegant, and satisfyingly twisty, this one delivers.

I received a copy of this title from the publisher; however, all thoughts expressed are my own. A Dark and Deadly Journey is the third title to feature Evelyn Redfern. She's being sent to Lisbon on a mission with David but has also tasked with trying to track down her estranged father who some in the government fear may have Nazi sympathies. I love WWII books set in Portugal as it offers a different view of the war than what was experienced in London during the Blitz with both sides sending spies creating a hot bed of activity. Unfortunately, Evelyn finds herself the main suspect in a murder before she even leaves the airport they land at near Lisbon. I just loved the mystery around both Evelyn's father's whereabouts and the murder; both are well done and equally important to the story. Evelyn and David's chemistry continues to leap off the pages and I really felt Evelyn's guilt at being unable to tell him what is going on with her father. Ms. Kelly really nails the atmosphere of Lisbon during this period and readers will feel like they are there. The ending is a huge twist that I can't wait to see where it leads. I sincerely hope that there are many more titles in this series as I'm super curious about the hinted mystery around the death of Evelyn's mother years ago as well as the current day mysteries that Evelyn keeps finding herself involved in.

A Dark and Deadly Journey was an exciting third installment in the Evelyne Redfern series. Evelyne and David set out for their next assignment in Lisbon and immediately stumble upon a murder amidst their investigation.

Kelly's writing was gripping through to the (surprising) end, and the story was very well-told. Evelyne and David's chemistry continues to grow, and their dialogue is very engaging. I wholly recommend this book and series.

I received a complimentary arc of this book from NetGalley. All opinions listed are purely my own.

Evelyn returns in book 3 after recovering from a gunshot wound. She's being sent to Portugal to find an agent that has gone missing. At the same time, she's also supposed to look into finding her father, but he handler doesn't know this and the their boss won't admit to it if this information becomes known.

At the same time, she receives a note from her estranged father to go to safe deposit box and bring the contents to a certain address. However, she is not to open the box. Being Evelyn, she opens the box and discovers her late mother's jewelry. Her father lied about selling it off years ago. She puts the jewels back but does go to the address. When she arrives, she finds the jewelry shop's door unlocked and no one inside. The owner did not show up that morning.

A great addition to the series!

A Dark and Deadly Journey is an Evelyne Redfern Mystery set in England during World War II and The Blitz. Evelyn is a member of the Special Investigation Unit.
This time she and her partner, David, are sent to Lisbon to find a missing informant. While there, Evelyne is also searching for her father. Lisbon is neutral so many desperate people are there trying to get away from the Nazis.
You can read it as a stand alone but you know there is a backstory. I think the series is charming - it has an old fashioned vibe - maybe because it is set in the 1940s.
This was an intriguing mystery with intertwining layers - and quite an unexpected ending.

I have enjoyed these books so much and *A Dark and Deadly Journey* is a solid story for the third story of the Evelyne Redfern series.

Well written and paced, this was engaging and held my attention.

Recommended series.


*This one did end on a cliffhanger.

*Title can be read as a standalone but you’ll be missing out on a great series.




Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for the DRC

Evelyne Redfern, sidelined with a gunshot wound, is being kept busy with deskwork which she abhors. The official assignment comes through to find an informant in Lisbon, Portugal, and she is thrilled to be back in the game again. This time, she has another mission which she is to keep secret from David Poole - that of finding her father, Sir Reginald.

Upon arriving in Lisbon, Evelyne realizes she has left her book on the plane. She not only finds her book but also a dead body of a passenger who was also on the plane. And, interestingly enough, she finds his diary, which she chooses to not turn over to the local police. Under suspicion of murder, she and David require the help of the local British SIU officials to get them out of detention. Neither the local police nor the Lisbon office of SIU seem eager to investigate the murder. Evelyne, not one to give up, searches for the man's killer and tries to locate her father. There are several plots and subplots which make for an interesting story.

3.5 stars rounded up. I still love and enjoy this series, but this one was not my favorite. Between this book and the recently published A Final Combination by Ashley Weaver, it's been interesting getting to learn more about Portugal in WWII and how, despite its neturality, it was a hotbed for espionage from many different countries. Evelyne and David are called on to investigate a government informant who has gone missing, with Evelyne assigned a secret side mission of searching for her father who was last seen in Portugal, as well. Nothing seems to be adding up as they follow the bread crumbs left concerning the mysterious informant, and Evelyne soon lands herself in trouble while asking questions of the wrong people and following up hunches.

We get to learn more about Evelyne's father and some partial answers (but still more new questions) about his real activities for the past few years. David, though, still remains somewhat of a mystery. Unfortunately like in book 2, David plays little to no role in the actual investigation despite having significantly more experience than Evelyne. I really preferred it in book 1 where the two of them worked together, rather than Evelyne stumbling on all the answers through her very unsubtle questioning. Her constant recitation of the facts in their investigation also became a bit tedious. Although we get one step forward and two steps back on their relationship here--and quite a cliffhanger--I hope they share more scenes together in the next book to build back the chemistry they used to have.

Notwithstanding my issues with certain parts of this, I do still highly recommend the series for historical mystery fans.

Thank you to Minotaur and Netgalley for providing an ARC for review!

The third installment of an interesting series, that I’m throughly enjoying. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this ARC. Book 3 of the Evelyne Redfern Mystery series. Evelyne and her partner David are sent to Portugal to find a missing agent. When they arrive, they find the story is much bigger than that, including the whereabouts of Evelyne's estranged father. Another great read in this series! #ADarkandDeadlyJourney #JuliaKelly #StMartinsPress #Sept2025

I received this book fee of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Evelyne Redfern is back again in the third installment. She has now recovered from being injured and is looking forward to her next assignment. She receives a cryptic message from her father, whom she hasn't seen in many years, while still in London. Her assignment send her and her partner, David, to Lisbon, Portugal. She is trying to figure out what happened to a missing informant as well as finding out what her father is up to. Lisbon in WWII was not involved in the war and was still a glamourous place to visit.

The story was quick paced and kept my attention. It works well as a stand alone book and offers enough backstory without being repetitive.

A solid 4/5 stars. I look forward to reading more of Evelyne and David

I have always enjoyed this series and its WWII espionage adventures. This entry is just as good as its predecessors, even if it dared to end on something of a cliffhanger. Evelyn and David are sent to Lisbon for their next case, tracking down a missing British informant. Things get complicated before they even land, with murder and the surprise involvement of Evelyn’s estranged father. Things develop quickly and just keep going as what initially seemed separate threads keep mixing together. It’s a great plot with some fascinating developments. I generally dislike a cliffhanger ending, although in this case it certainly served the purpose of making me very anxious to read the next installment. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy. All views are entirely my own and offered voluntarily.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced reader copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

Thrilled to have received the advanced reader copy of the latest adventure of Evelyn Redfern and David Poole as they are dispatched to Lisbon to help locate a missing and valuable informant. As usual, Julia Kelly has written a masterful WWII suspense thriller which kept me on the edge of my seat. She has written three adventures for Evelyn and David now, and each one has been historically authentic and creative..love that this one ended with such a terrific cliffhanger too. My only regret is that I read it too fast and now will have some time to wait for the next installment!

Highly recommend this series.

3.5 stars out of 5.

I thought this book started off really intriguing and the author did a great job setting up the scene. But, towards the middle of the book I found myself bored and not wanting to continue on but I did push through. The ending tied everything up with the mystery which was nice but we were left with a cliffhanger. I did not read the first two books in the series and I think it would have definitely helped with character development. I felt a little lost on the connection between David and Evelyne and it would have been nice to know how the characters got to where they are at in this book.

In A Dark and Deadly Journey, David and Evelyne are British agents who are sent to Lisbon to track down an informant that has gone missing. After arriving the body count seems to be going up while they are looking for the informant. Once they finally figure everything out, it's a race to capture their suspect before he flees the country.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Been following this series and so happy to receive an ARC from NetGalley and Minotaur Books. Definitely my favorite so far!
Evelyne Redfern has become a favorite fully fleshed out heroine in the series. I enjoy her personality and her relationships - personal and professional.
This book is set primarily in Portugal ❤️. The role of Portugal in World War 2 with its spycraft has really captured my interest.
An important source to the British spy network has disappeared and Evelyne and David are sent to see if they can discover where he is. Almost immediately Evelyne finds a murdered man on the airplane they traveled in on. Evelyne’s personal family story also is important to this plot.
I found the book most exciting without a lot of overt violence which is perfect for me. I really enjoy the way this author tells a story.
The ending contained a twist that definitely surprised me - I feel like I fell off a cliff waiting for the next story!

This series is a gem!

A Dark and Deadly Journey is the latest in Julia Kelly's WWII-era Evelyne Redfern saga, and this series keeps getting better and better! (This is book three; if you have not read the first two, please start there.)

In this installment, Evelyne and her partner, David are sent to Portugal to tackle their latest assignment from SIU. Portugal, neutral during WWII, is a hotbed of intrigue. Lisbon is the political and dramatic HQ, and Evelyne and David, undercover, are quickly swept into the maelstrom.

It's a spy book, so I won't spoil anything by elaborating further, but Julia Kelly continues to grow as both a writer and storyteller. This installment is the best yet in the series, and I cannot wait for the next installment. If you have not yet read her standalone novels, I encourage you to check them out for yourself. They are great.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur for the ARC!

A Dark and Deadly Journey by Julia Kelly is the third book of the Evelyn Redfern spy series. It definitely can be read as a stand alone. It is a ww2 spy story with wonderful characters that are very believable. It takes place in Portugal and gives the reader a good glimpse into the chaos and duplicity in Lisbon during ww2. I enjoyed the book and if you like ww2 and espionage you will as well.

If you've read the previous Evelyne Redfern mysteries, then you are in for a thrilling continuation of the series. I don't want to spoil anything, but Evelyne stumbles upon a murder yet again which begins to unravel a greater mystery before her in this instalment. Along with surprising personal connections and further riveting encounters between Evelyne and David, the novel is full of intrigue and suspense.

If you haven't started the series and you love historical fiction and mystery, start it now so you'll be prepared for the release of A Dark and Deadly Secret in September. It's definitely the perfect read if you're an adult who loved the Nancy Drew series as a child.

I am absolutely loving this series. Originally I was skeptical (I think this is the 3rd or 4th WW2 mystery I've read where they end up in Portugal) but Julia Kelly included enough twists and turns to keep me hooked. And what a cliffhanger! Can't wait for the next one!