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 island's best private investigator, who is also looking for an expensive piece of jewelry—this one is an emerald-cut diamond lost by one of the actresses in the sands of the officers beach at Waialua. The story's surprise ending neatly wraps up several of the book's subplots, bringing together the characters in ways the reader would never have imagined.

Moore's vast knowledge of Hawaii and Japan (he lived for a time in both locations) and his experience as an assistant military attaché 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.