Pearl Cove

May 31, 1999
Formulaic but fun, Lowell's latest romantic suspense novel returns to the glamorous Donovan family she created in Amber Beach and Jade Island. When wheelchair-bound pearl harvester Len McGarry turns up dead on an Australian beach with an oyster shell sticking out of his chest, his beautiful widow, Hannah, knows that Len was murdered for his $3 million rainbow pearl necklace, the Black Trinity, now missing. Feeling herself in danger, Hannah seeks help from Len's partner and half-brother, the ruthless but hunky Archer Donovan. Archer fell for Hannah 10 years ago, when she was Len's teenage bride, and he's only too happy to help her track down both Len's killer and the necklace. Archer uses his family's resources, his inside knowledge of the pearl trade and his U.S. government connections to find the (rather predictable) bad guys. True love turns out to be harder to locate. As soon as they fall into bed, Archer knows he wants Hannah to have his baby. But Len was a cruel, unworthy husband, and Hannah, still recovering from her marriage, has trouble committing to Archer. Lowell uses the double search as backdrop for the push-and-pull between a reticent heroine and an oddly insistent, "elementally masculine" hero. Neither her plotting nor her airy prose take the romance genre anywhere new. Lowell does, however, infuse the minutiae of pearl diving and of international gem sales into a racy light read.

Black rainbow pearls inspire murder, theft, lust and international espionage after a devastating cyclone wipes out a small Australian pearl farm. Dick Hill keeps up with the racing (and racy) plot in spirited fashion. His American characters, particularly the Donovan men, are strong heroes. He stumbles over the women, particularly the story's Australian heroine, Hannah McGarry. At times her accent is accurate, at others simpering, and occasionally absent. His Asians are more believable. Hill's strongest performance comes in the erotic scenes between Archer and Hannah. From the sounds of it, he's participating, rather than narrating. If you're listening alone, it'll blow you away. But if someone else is with you, it could be embarrassing. R.P.L. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine


Handsome and dangerous Archer Donovan is summoned from Seattle by his beautiful sister-in-law to Pearl Cove, his half-brother Len's pearl farm in western Australia. Len is dead, and his death looks like murder. Missing is the "Black Trinity," a unique necklace of black pearls. Robin Rowan's soft voice and slow pace are perfect for this novel of intrigue in the Pacific Rim. Filled with suspense, the story includes a fascinating glimpse into the pearl trade. Rowan is equally facile with the Australian, French, Chinese, and American accents that fill the story. A welcome addition to the Donovan series. A.C.P. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine