The pursuit of pearls : a novel / Jane Thynne.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780553393866
- Physical Description: xvii, 485 pages ; 21 cm.
- Publisher: New York : Ballantine Books, [2016]
Content descriptions
General Note: | Random House Reader's Circle. Sequel to: The scent of secrets. Ballantine Books Trade Paperback original. |
Summary, etc.: | Perfect for fans of Jacqueline Winspear, Charles Todd, Robert Harris, and Susan Elia MacNeal, here is the next thrilling historical novel featuring Clara Vine, the British actress and special agent who glides through the upper echelons of Nazi society, covertly gathering key intelligence--and placing herself in mortal peril. In the spring of 1939, the drums of war beat throughout Europe, but nowhere more ferociously than in Berlin. The film studio where Clara Vine works is churning out movies, but eachday that she stays in Germany is more dangerous than the last. Spying on the private life of the Third Reich, passing secrets to contacts in British intelligence, falling into a passionate affair--any of these risky moves could get Clara shot. So she is wholly shaken when someone close to her is murdered instead. The victim is Lottie Franke, an aspiring costume designer and student at the prestigious Faith and Beauty finishing school that trains young women to become the wives of the Nazi elite. While the press considers Lottie's death in the Grunewald forest the act of a lone madman, Clara uncovers deeper threads, tangled lines that seem to reach into the darkest depths of the Reich--and to a precious discovery that Hitler and his ruthless cohorts wouldkill for. Previously published in the U.K. as Faith and Beauty Praise for Jane Thynne's first Clara Vine novel, The Scent of Secrets A brilliant tale of spies and secrets, of intense psychological drama, of edgy climax and one extraordinary heroine.--Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of A Hundred Summers A compelling story of love and betrayal in Hitler's Berlin. Peppered with real-life characters, this series offers a fascinating glimpse of the extraordinary world of the Nazi wives.--Daisy Goodwin, author of The American Heiress An alluring blend of thrills, suspense, historic detail, and seduction.--Susan Elia MacNeal, author of the Maggie Hope series An extraordinary, absorbing read with an array of characters so real you're there with them as war looms, and a pace that sweeps you from page to page. This is indeed a winner!--Charles Todd, author of Inspector Ian Rutledge Mysteries-- Provided by publisher. In the sequel to The Scent of Secrets, British actress/spy Clara Vine returns, moving gracefully through the upper echelons of Nazi society. On the eve of World War II in Berlin, Clara Vine goes inside the Faith and Beauty school -- a finishing school that serves as a training ground for the wives of the Nazi elite -- to investigate the truth behind a startling murder. What Clara uncovers is of infinite value to the Nazi regime--and will put Clara herself in mortal peril-- Provided by publisher. |
Search for related items by subject
Subject: | Actresses > Fiction. Intelligence officers > Great Britain > Fiction. Espionage > Great Britain > History > 20th century > Fiction. Murder > Investigation > Fiction. Germany > History > 1933-1945 > Fiction. |
Holds
0 current holds with 0 total copies.

BookList Review
The Pursuit of Pearls : A Novel
Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Thynne steps up the pace in this second in a trilogy, following The Scent of Secrets (2015). Actress and British intelligence agent Clara Vine again mixes with Nazi leaders just prior to WWII, risking both career and life to find out who killed a seemingly innocent young woman from the Faith and Beauty School in Berlin. Clara pines for her British lover, who may be missing or even dead, and is forced daily to claim a fully German identity, while knowing that, at any moment, she may be unmasked as half-English, Jewish, and a spy. The narrative often reads like a walking-tour guide, filled with the lengthy names of streets, neighborhoods, and city sights rendered auf Deutsch and that serves more as a distraction than a scene-setter. Still, readers will appreciate the author's impeccable research. Combining love story and murder mystery, and featuring cameos by the Nazi nefarious, the novel holds our interest with steadily building suspense leading to a surprising denouement, with satisfying hints of more to come. Clara's story compares well with those of Susan Elia MacNeal's Maggie Hope and Rebecca Cantrell's Hannah Vogel.--Baker, Jen Copyright 2016 Booklist