Thank you so much to Netgalley and Minotaur Books and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of A Traitor in Whitehall by Julia Kelly–the first in a new series (Parisian Orphan), and I am 100% here for it! Fans of historical mysteries like the Maggie Hope and Maisie Dobbs series must get your hands on this, you will not be disappointed. I gobbled this up in a day and a half and felt annoyed whenever I had to set it down and deal with life. 

Set in 1940, England, main character Evelyne Redfern, known as “The Parisian Orphan” in the press as a child, is now working on the line at a munitions factory in London. When Mr. Fletcher, one of her father’s old friends, spots Evelyne on a night out, Evelyne finds herself working in Prime Minister Winston Churchill’s cabinet war rooms as a typist. However, shortly after starting her new job, one of the girls at work is murdered, and it seems there is a leak in the office–could the murder and leak be related? Evelyne, partnered with David Poole, a minister’s aide,  must use all of their sleuthing expertise to find the killer. 

Such likable characters–Evelyne is strong and smart and also has a lovely sense of humor. The plot is tightly woven and wonderfully researched. I felt like I was in the underground war rooms with Evelyne. I enjoyed the journey of the mystery and felt on the edge of my seat until the very end. I am so excited that there will be more to come in this series.