It’s a good mystery and coming-of-age tale set in 1938 in the Scottish Highlands.Julia is awakening to the pleasures of love, and she has two somewhat competing crushes. This is a prequel of sorts to Wein’s Code Name Verity, giving readers a little background on the character of Julia. But a chance encounter by the river, will result in charges of murder and theft.

The construction workers have pretty much taken over the house and grounds, with the family ensconced in a few upstairs rooms, and the morning room. Now the property has been sold and is being converted into a school for boys. She has many fond memories of time spent with her older brothers, Sandy and Jamie, and especially with her grandfather, the recently deceased Earl of Strathfearn. Read moreīook on CD performed by Maggie Service3.5*** 15-year-old Julia-Beaufort Stuart comes home from finishing school for one final summer at the family’s ancestral home: Strathfearn House. 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 goodbyes. 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 bestselling author of Code Name Verity comes a stunning new story of pearls, love and murder – a mystery with all the suspense of an Agatha Christie and the intrigue of Downton Abbey.

The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein