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The Glass Pearls

Faber Editions

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The Glass Pearls

By: Emeric Pressburger, Anthony Quinn - introduction
Narrated by: Mark Gatiss
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About this listen

For fans of The Passenger, this thrilling tale of an ex-Nazi surgeon hiding in plain sight in 1960s London by the celebrated filmmaker is a lost noir gem, introduced by Anthony Quinn and narrated on audio by Mark Gatiss, as chosen by Ian Rankin on BBC Radio 4's A Good Read.

'Stunning: incredibly good, thought-provoking and tense.' Ian Rankin
'This extraordinary novel had me hooked from start to finish.' Sarah Waters
'An outstanding novel: gripping, tense and darkly unsettling. ' Jonathan Freedland
'A wonderfully compelling noir thriller and audacious and challenging act of imagination.' William Boyd

Nothing is more inviting to disclose your secrets than to be told by others of their own ...

London, June 1965. Karl Braun arrives as a lodger in Pimlico: hatless, with a bow-tie, greying hair, slight in build. His new neighbours are intrigued by this cultured German gentleman who works as a piano tuner; many are fellow émigrés, who assume that he, like them, came to England to flee Hitler. That summer, Braun courts a woman, attends classical concerts, dances the twist. But as the newspapers fill with reports of the hunt for Nazi war criminals, his nightmares become increasingly worse .

©2022 Emeric Pressburger and Anthony Quinn (P)2022 Faber Audio Classics Crime Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense England Fiction Exciting

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Critic reviews

"A wonderfully compelling noir thriller and audacious and challenging act of imagination." (William Boyd)

"This extraordinary novel had me hooked from start to finish." (Sarah Waters)

"Incredibly good, thought-provoking and tense." (Ian Rankin)
All stars
Most relevant  
Once again, Mark Gatiss at his best, reading this
captivating story.
I'm at awe how Mark Gatiss managed both the German accent as well as the French names.

A must listen

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The narration was compelling and very well-pitched and the story arc surprising and chilling - like the subject itself.

A tautological feast.

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It is an ingenious and beautifully written novel, but nevertheless utterly chilling. Makes one think a lot.

An excellent read

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One of the best narrators I’ve yet listened to on Audible; great characterisations and more than competent with accents.

An Audible triumph.

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Great narration as expected. I didn't expect such a challenging story, which didn't explicitly judge the main character for much of the book. I loved it.

Good all round.

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The manipulation of emotions about the main character-Karl - was fascinating. Also the enigmatic woman of his lonely desire is beautifully drawn.

Interesting sympathies

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The split between rooting for the underdog that you know did terrible things because of his history and humanity, and the final chapters which bear listening to twice. An excellent reading of an excellent book

Simply tragic

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An important book about the holocaust and its perpetrators disguised as a thriller a wonderful book.

Great story and characters

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Hitchcock meets Ishiguro meets marathon man…. Gripping! Twisty!unsettling! Clever! Driving narrative and a stunning set of twists - 10/10

Superb!

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This book was selected by Ian Rankin on BBC R4's "A Good Read" (30 January 2024). The short discussion on that programme/podcast gives a useful introduction to the book -- so maybe check it out before buying.

As Rankin says in the programme, there's something of Patricia Highsmith and Graham Greene in it. It's a (very odd) kind of holocaust survivor memoir, a fascinating portrayal of London in the '60s, and a very humorous and suspenseful read.

A very unusual, thought-provoking suspense novel

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