A Dark and Deadly Journey by Julia Kelly ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

After being sidelined for a pesky gunshot wound, typist-turned-field agent Evelyne Redfern is ready for her next assignment with Britain’s secretive Special Investigations Unit. When a British Intelligence informant in Portugal mysteriously disappears just after hinting that he has vital information about German plans that could tip the balance of World War Two, Evelyne and her dashingly irksome partner, David Poole, are sent to Lisbon to find him.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

September 2025; Minotaur Books; 978-1250865540
audio, ebook, print (304 pages); mystery

I love this series. A Dark and Deadly Journey is book 3 in the Evelyne Redfern series. I've been fortunate to read the previous books, but I don't think it is strictly necessary to have read the previous books to enjoy this book. 

I picked this series up because I loved Julia Kelly's standalone historical fiction books, and now that Ashley Weaver's Electra McDonnell series is finished, I'm glad that I have this one to look forward to. They are similar in many ways, such as both set during WWII and both having to do with special investigations. But they are also different in that Evelyne has been trained by SOE and is an official agent. I also don't think of Kelly's novel as a cozy mystery, though it is a light mystery. 

I love WWII novels, but I know that there are people who don't. So far, WWII is just the backdrop for the novel. They've mostly been in Great Britain solving crimes that have a national security aspect to them. For A Dark and Deadly Journey, they travel to neutral Portugal. There are some descriptions of refugees who are trying to get off the continent (either to England or the U.S.). Most of the story is about espionage-related efforts (spying isn't really allowed, but everyone is there gathering whatever intel they can).

However, there are hints that the war may become more of a thing. It definitely seems like things might get more dangerous for David and Evelyne. It is certainly going to get more complicated for them.

Like I said, I don't think of this light mystery series as a cozy mystery, but this book in particular leans towards romantic suspense because of a particular scene. The scene felt as if it had been written for a romance novel. I'm sure a lot of fans will be cheering through it. I'm not opposed to a bit of romance, I just didn't like how it was written.

The mystery is complex (as they tend to be when spies are involved), but I did get close to figuring it out before Evelyne and David did. It is always fun when you have your suspicions and then are proven right in the end.

If you are looking for an entertaining read with great characters, then you should check out this book. It doesn't come out for a few weeks, so you have time to catch up on this series if you haven't read it (or want to re-read it). You'll want to pre-order this one so you don't miss it when it comes out.

Buy A Dark and Deadly Journey at Amazon

Donna Huber is an avid reader and natural encourager. She is the founder of Girl Who Reads and the author of how-to marketing book Secrets to a Successful Blog Tour.

Enjoyed this post? Never miss out on future posts by following us. Get even more book news in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter today! Or Follow Girl Who Reads with Bloglovin. Girl Who Reads is an Amazon advertising affiliate; a small commission is earned when purchases are made at Amazon using any Amazon links on this site. Thank you for supporting Girl Who Reads.