The Pearl Thief

Elizabeth Wein

May 2017 · Bolinda · Narrated by Maggie Service

About this audiobook

Sixteen-year-old Julie Beaufort-Stuart is returning to her family's ancestral home in Perthshire for one last summer. It is not an idyllic return to childhood. Her grandfather's death has forced the sale of the house and estate and this will be a summer of goodbyes. Not least to the McEwen family – Highland travellers who have been part of the landscape for as long as anyone can remember – loved by the family, loathed by the authorities. Tensions are already high when a respected London archivist goes missing, presumed murdered. Suspicion quickly falls on the McEwens but Julie knows not one of them would do such a thing and is determined to prove everyone wrong. And then she notices the family's treasure trove of pearls is missing. This beautiful and evocative novel is the story of the irrepressible and unforgettable Julie, set in the year before the Second World War and the events of Code Name Verity. It is also a powerful portrayal of a community under pressure and one girl's determination for justice.

About the author

Elizabeth Wein is the holder of a private pilot’s license and the owner of about a thousand maps. She is best known for her historical fiction about young women flying in World War II, including the New York Times bestselling Code Name Verity and Rose Under Fire. Elizabeth is also the author of Cobalt Squadron, a middle grade novel set in the Star Wars universe and connected to the 2017 release The Last Jedi. Elizabeth lives in Scotland and holds both British and American citizenship.

Maggie Service trained at Webber Douglas and with National Youth Theatre. Her credits include the television series Red Dwarf XI, Doctor Who, Call the Midwife, I Want my Wife Back, Miranda and Foyle’s War. She has also appeared in the films London Road and Halcyon Heights, and radio shows Vincent in Brixton and In and out of the Kitchen. Her theatre credits include Rules for Living, NT50, Collaborators, Earthquakes in London, London Assurance (National Theatre), Well, Girl with a Pearl Earring (West End), A Flea in her Ear (Old Vic) and The Country Wife (Royal Exchange).