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The Glass Pearls

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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 Crime Fiction Exciting

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
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I found it striking that as a Jewish refugee Pressburger should write such a complex and compelling novel. For much of the story one finds oneself rooting for the main protagonist in spite of our knowledge of his history. Beautiful writing and precise character portrayal. No surprise that Pressburger was such a consummate screenwriter. If only he had written more novels. Graeme Greene-esque levels of subtlety.

The complex moral voice.

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I enjoyed this so much as it was such a well written story. Recommendation from ‘a good read’ and a post war story. But I fell in love with the characters and the gentle way the story was told. I initially did not think I would have liked this book due to the plot but I was proven so wrong. I was endeared to the baddie. Definitely worth a go.

I loved this

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This book was hugely enjoyable - I raced through, loving the multi dimensional characters, vivid locations and the engaging central conflict. Mark Gatiss does a wonderful job of narration, brilliant voices and tempo.

Brilliant story & narration

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I selected this largely because it was narrated by Mark Gatiss - who does a superb job - not realising who the author was. It's a fascinating story and more so when considered in this context.

Fascinating story

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The narrator is brilliant. The humanity of the story, the tale of a Nazi hiding in 1960s London, is both surprising and engaging. I loved this book.

Gripping story

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