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Title: The Pursuit of Pearls

Author: Jane Thynne

Narrator: Julie Teal

Format: Unabridged

Length: 14 hrs and 22 mins

Language: English

Release date: 05-03-16

Publisher: Recorded Books

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 7 votes

Genres: Mysteries & Thrillers, Historical

Publisher's Summary:

In the enthralling sequel to The Scent of Secrets, British actress-spy Clara Vine returns, moving gracefully through the treacherous upper echelons of Nazi high society. Rife with political intrigue and authentic period details, this novel is perfect for fans of Jacqueline Winspear and Eva Stachniak.

Clara Vine, a half-Jewish Anglo-German, uses her unique access to the wealthy elite of prewar Nazi society to spy for her native Britain. In this second installment of her story, Clara, an ambitious young actress, insinuates herself into the lives of the Nazi wives through her association with the famous Ufa Studios. Her close friendship with Magda Goebbels makes her an attractive asset to the British intelligence service.

Richly weaving the historical record with lush fictional details and a tantalizing love story, a cast of real Nazis and their British admirers - such as the Mitford sisters and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor - comes to life in this series.

Members Reviews:

Excellent historical fiction

Words cannot express how wonderful this book is! Once I started The Pursuit of Pearls, I could not put it down. This is the first Clara Vine book that I have read and didnât realize it was a series until I finished it. Next, I plan to track down her earlier books and read them too.

The book opens in Berlin in 1939 on the eve of World War II. Hitler and his regime are midway through the crackdown on Jews â Kristallnacht has already occurred, and Jews are being forced out of their homes and their businesses. Nazi propaganda abounds, and many Germans, Jewish or otherwise, live in a constant state of fear. The Nazis have created a finishing school for women called The Faith and Beauty Society, the purpose of which is to churn out acceptable brides for high ranking Nazis. The story focuses on both the murder of Lottie Franke, a student at the Faith and Beauty Society, and Clara Vine, a German actress who is working for the British Intelligence Agency. As the book progresses, the two plot lines converge.

Jane Thynneâs painstaking and detailed research into the Nazi Party during this time period makes the book absolutely fascinating. I was captivated by descriptions of the various party leaders including Goebbels, Goring, and Himmler and their spouses, and the amount of dissention that existed between the various leaders. Her writing made me feel like I was transported to Berlin and Paris along with Clara. She also includes a fair amount about the German film industry at that time and interesting tidbits about the amount of effort and detail that went into sewing the numerous Nazi uniforms. The amount of day to day control exerted over the German citizens and the inability of anyone to leave Germany without a very valid excuse even in 1939 (not just Jews) was new information for me. I also learned that the Nazis were in Paris and London in 1939 cataloging the treasures in each city and then compiling a list of people who had spoken out against the Nazis so that they could be punished when Hitler took over their cities. Hitlerâs confidence in his supremacy apparently knew no bounds. Many other historical figures from that time period are included in The Pursuit of Pearls, and I found myself frequently looking them up to learn more about those individuals.

This book is one of the best books I have read in a long time.