It’s Hawaii. It’s hot. It’s sunny. It’s a little bit wild. It’s also 1939, on the eve of the greatest war in history, at what would become the epicenter of the earthquake that shook America to its feet and brought it into the war. This story, however, is about the characters inside the place, the tourists and the residents. Max Frazier is a very private detective. Charlotte is an officer’s wife. Tober is a police chief’s deputy. All of them are involved in a drama surrounding some very valuable missing jewelry.

Moore is a classic style writer with a lot of respect for his characters. Despite the fact that the book is written as a largely first person work, from the perspective of Max Frazier, each of the characters receives a very in-depth and intimate treatment. Coupled with the remarkable character development is a flowing and easy to follow storyline.

Bidwell Moore’s work The Black Pearl reveals the tantalizing and humid world of 1930’s Hawaii in a way that respects its subject and respects its readers. It’s a quick read for anyone, not because of its length, but because it’s hard to put down. For anyone looking for a mystery, a bit of history, or just plain entertainment, this definitely belongs on your coffee table.

TB Koskie
T&R Reviews

Bidwell Moore’s 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 officer’s 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.

BookWire Review
January 23, 2006

Author Biography

Bidwell Moore

Bidwell Moore has traveled and resided widely in the United States, Asia, Europe and Mediterranean Africa. For The Black Pearl, he drew on his three teenage years in Hawaii as well as three adult years in Japan. In Switzerland he served as an assistant military attaché and held several Washington intelligence posts.