“A Dark and Deadly Journey,” may be the third installment of Julia Kelly’s Evelyne Redfern Mysteries, but it’s the first time Evelyne travels internationally in her job with British Intelligence. She must investigate the disappearance of a trusted informant from Portugal. Because the novel is set in the middle of WWII, and Evelyne and her partner David are sent to Lisbon to find this important informant, Evelyne’s first person narration gives us an on-the-ground look at what life was like in Portugal because of its neutral status during the war.

One of Evelyne and David’s contacts, an intelligence officer stationed in Lisbon, explains that Portugal is a “hotbed of espionage” because it’s one of the last routes out of Europe for the refugees fleeing Germany. Allied and Axis players vie for information, and the casinos and bars are filled with desperate people trying to get documents to leave Europe and flee to safety.

Evelyne has another secret mission, one that is personal. It has to deal with her estranged father, whom she hasn’t seen in many years, and with whom she has never had any relationship whatsoever. It’s also one that she’s been told, much to her chagrin, not to disclose to her partner, David.

When Evelyne and David land in Lisbon, she returns to the plane because she’s forgotten her book. That’s when she discovers one of her fellow passengers dead in his seat. The police are called and Evelyne is interrogated, but eventually she convinces them that she had nothing to do with the death, and that she is merely a secretary, accompanying her boss on a buying trip for his wine company.

In addition to investigating the mysterious and elusive informant Winn and his whereabouts, Evelyne must carefully find a balance while working with David. Their relationship has developed over the past two novels, but they still are not at the “friend and confidant” stage, nor have they allowed the electric vibes between them to develop further. Evelyne is keeping secrets from David, and she hates it.

As Evelyne and David enter the social scene in Lisbon, visiting the casinos and attending a party hosted by the Princess Petrova, (a princess by marriage), Evelyne sees firsthand the desperation of those who try to appear joyful and carefree while really searching frantically for any way to escape to safety. There are many suspicious characters, and Evelyne receives attention, and warnings, from both the Portuguese police captain and a Germany spy.

Of course it’s Evelyne who is finally able to piece together all the random bits and iotas of information to figure out what is really happening. Her brilliant deductions not only solve the mystery of the nebulous Mr. Winn, but also save lives. In Evelyne, Kelly has created a character who exhibits fierce intelligence, who acts fearlessly, and whose quick wit and impressive problem solving make her a superb agent. Her ability to move comfortably in all social strata, to deflect interrogations, to be kind, and to hold her own in a time when women were denigrated make her an admirable character.

This novel, more than the two preceding ones, leaves us with a huge cliffhanger. We will be on tenterhooks waiting for the next episode in Evelyne’s life.

This review was first posted on Bookreporter.com.