The Pursuit of Pearls
The newest entry in the Clara Vine series, The Pursuit of Pearls takes place in 1939 Berlin. As tensions in Germany are building, and the war machine is being put into place, Clara continues her role as a German actress while secretly spying for the British. It is difficult to keep a low profile when a young lady is found murdered just outside the local school of Faith and Beauty, where young Aryan women are educated and groomed for the Nazi elite. Clara needs to follow all possible leads to find out why this promising, beautiful young woman was killed. As a renowned actress, she moves confidently in German society and elite military circles, but she has family secrets that have the potential to destroy her and those she loves. An offer from a man she loathes can protect her and her beloved sister, and keep her Jewish heritage forever secret, but her heart cannot consider this option.
The political atmosphere is charged, and we learn a great deal about how a country prepares its citizens and officers for an inevitable war to come. While following the murder mystery aspect of this historical novel, we also receive an education in the history of the Reich. Clara Vine can smoothly move in the company of the important people making this history, and the author sets the reader up nicely for book three of the anticipated trilogy. As a reviewer who enjoys WWII-era mysteries, I plan to read the previous book in the series, The Scent of Secrets, in the near future.
