A Traitor in Whithall and Murder in an Italian Village

A TRAITOR IN WHITEHALL by Julia Kelly is set in London during WWII and because much of the action takes place in the below ground Cabinet War Rooms, it is a locked room mystery of sorts. Young Evie Redfern is assigned to the typing pool where she comes across many important papers and wartime facts in her efforts to discover who might be leaking secrets. That all becomes even more real and dangerous when a generally disliked co-worker, Jean Plinkton, is murdered. Finding the local police to be rather inept and believing that the murder and treasonous leaks may be connected, Evie joins another colleague, David Poole, in the hunt. Together, they gradually eliminate suspects while discovering plenty of personal motives (gambling debts, high nursing home charges, clandestine affairs, lesbian tendencies) that could provide a basis for blackmail or bribery. A TRAITOR IN WHITEHALL is reminiscent of the WWII Maggie Hope series by Susan Elia MacNeal who has provided a “blurb” for the front cover of this latest historical fiction mystery. Clearly Kelly’s characters have respect and affection for each other – it will be a fun adventure (Booklist describes A TRAITOR IN WHITEHALL as “a cross between a Nancy Drew mystery and an Agatha Christie tale”) to see what other crimes these two investigators uncover.  

MURDER IN AN ITALIAN VILLAGE by Michael Falco begins beautifully with a young mother, Bria Bartolucci, walking her son to school in the picturesque Italian village of Positano. That scene will make readers anxious to spend time along the Italian coast. Of course, this idyllic setting is shattered with a murder and Bria, who hopes to open a bed and breakfast for tourists, seeks to solve the mystery. Unfortunately, the story tends to crawl although there are plenty of suspects including an over-bearing mother-in-law. There are hints of romance, too, as the widowed Bria seems attracted to the local captain of police, Luca, and her handyman, Giovanni. And, Falco throws in a possibly defunct counterfeit ring with historical ties to the area and some of the current residents. Bria is struggling to become self-reliant, and to know her village and its inhabitants: “People have pasts, she reminded herself, and reputations cling to a person long after they no longer fit.” Twisty and confusing at times, MURDER IN AN ITALIAN VILLAGE has a few too many coincidences, but overall it is a cute, cozy mystery to be enjoyed for its languid setting.