The Black Pearl

Nineteen thirty-nine Hawaii: two Hollywood actresses, the artillery brigades handsomest officer and finest polo player, the polo players beautiful wife, a Japanese carrier pilot who is sketching the aerial approach to Pearl Harbor, and the captain of the sketchers sampan unite in a mlange of passionate encounters that find coherence in the symbology of a Tahitian black pearl. Sidelights are the gold mesh necklace concealed in the God Kanes chest and the emerald cut diamond lost in the sand of the officers beach at Waialua. BookWire Review January 23, 2006 Bidwell Moores fast-paced novella recreates 1939 military and social life in Hawaii as it existed just a few years before the attack on Pearl Harbor that changed the tranquil islands forever. Moore intertwines the lives of a cast of interesting characters, including two glamorous Hollywood actresses, a group of soldiers and their wives, and quirky island locals, as well as a Japanese carrier pilot who is sketching the aerial approach to Pearl Harbor. Charlotte Ross is a beautiful, young, military wife who is also a treasure hunter. She is trying to discover the identity of the owner of a gold mesh necklace concealed in a statue of the island god Kane. While searching for sea treasure, Charlotte survives a near-fatal accident and has a brief but memorable encounter with a handsome Japanese pilot that will forever change her life. Later, a mysterious black pearl is sent to her. To help her solve the mystery of the pearl, Charlotte employs the help of Max Frazier, the islands best private investigator, who is also looking for an expensive piece of jewelrythis one is an emerald-cut diamond lost by one of the actresses in the sands of the officers beach at Waialua. The storys surprise ending neatly wraps up several of the books subplots, bringing together the characters in ways the reader would never have imagined. Moores vast knowledge of Hawaii and Japan (he lived for a time in both locations) and his experience as an assistant military attach give the book an authentic tone. His fast-paced narrative, while engaging, switches points of view so often that the plot is sometimes choppy and difficult to follow. Taken as a whole, however, The Black Pearl is an intriguing and enthralling tale of pre-World War II life in Hawaii.