Some of Wein’s books take a while to get going, but “The Pearl Thief” doesn’t make that mistake.

There’s a lively, old fashioned mystery that starts almost immediately. I could see the estate’s library in my mind. The descriptions of the castle keep and the rivers are detailed. Julie at 15 is daring and worldly, the beloved granddaughter of an Earl, and a descendent of Mary Stewart. Lady Julia Lindsay MacKenzie Wallace Beaufort-Stewart is Julie in “The Pearl Thief” and Verity in “Code Name Verity.” “The Pearl Thief” is set in Scotland, after cars and cigarettes, but before World War II tore the world apart, taking Verity, Maddie, and Rose into the dark heart of Europe. “The Pearl Thief” is a redemptive Audible performance, and a satisfying back story. Rose wasn’t quite the book that Verity was and I really did not care for the narration. Verity was a stunning book and a chilling listen, five stars all around. I steeled myself to listen to Elizabeth Wein’s “The Pearl Thief” (2017), a prequel to “Code Name Verity” (2012) and “Rose Under Fire” (2013).

It is also a powerful portrayal of a community under pressure and one girl's determination for justice. 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. And then she notices the family's treasure trove of pearls is missing. 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. Tensions are already high when a respected London archivist goes missing, presumed murdered. 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. Her grandfather's death has forced the sale of the house and estate, and this will be a summer of good-byes. It is not an idyllic return to childhood. Sixteen-year-old Julie Beaufort-Stuart is returning to her family's ancestral home in Perthshire for one last summer. From the internationally acclaimed best-selling author of Code Name Verity comes a stunning new story of pearls, love and murder.

The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein