A TRAITOR IN WHITEHALL - Julia Kelly
Parisian Orphan #1
Minotaur Books
ISBN: 9781250865489
ISBN10: 1250865484
October 2023

Fiction

London - 1940

Evelyne Redfern is working in a munitions factory at the beginning of the war when Mr. Fletcher, a friend of her father's, recognizes her while she is out to dinner one night. His proposal to her is that he wants her to take a position in the war rooms beneath London where Prime Minister Winston Churchill has set up his base. Confused, but curious, Evelyne agrees.

Once she is settled in the underground set-up where Churchill and his cabinet are working to save Britain, Evelyne begins to befriend some of the women in the typing pool. Due to her background as "the Parisian Orphan" and her father's famous, or infamous antics, the staff is as curious about her as she is about them. But her assignment from Mr. Fletcher is to keep her eyes and ears open, so it's not just her fellow typists she must be aware of, but everyone in the secret areas. However, shortly after her arrival, one of the women is found murdered, and Evelyne's interest in mysteries surfaces.

While Evelyne secretly does her own sleuthing, a minister's aide, David Poole, appears on the scene, asking questions, and eventually joins Evelyne in the investigation. David reveals that he is really there to root out a person who is passing secret information from the war rooms, some of which have reached the Germans. Are the two mysteries linked? If not, just how many members are involved?

Evelyne's intelligence and observation skills prove to be vital in many ways, and she and David's teamwork are fascinating to see. A totally absorbing story with humor, witty discussions, and historical significance, A TRAITOR IN WHITEHALL is excellent. 

Jani Brooks