Exciting Twists and Turns in “The Green Pearl Caper”

In The Green Pearl Caper by Phyllis Entis, Damien Dickens works as a private investigator along the Atlantic City Boardwalk in July 1979. One day a rich heiress named Celine Sutherland comes to Damien because he got his start as a private investigator working for Celine’s father and once rescued her from a life of drugs and prostitution in Mexico. Celine has gotten her life together now and has strong suspicions that someone, possibly her older sister, Sylvia Sutherland, CEO of Sutherland Smokes, Inc. or Sylvia’s husband, Gordon Sethwick, the VP of finance there, has been embezzling money. Then Damien goes out late at night to investigate, gets hit on the head, and discovers his wallet and gun have been stolen. He wakes up in a dumpster after being chloroformed while hiding there from a cop who assumes Damien is drunk.

By the time Damien gets home, he learns that Celine has been murdered. It doesn’t take long before Damien is arrested for murder, his gun found next to the body. The DA tries to get the judge to deny bail, but it is set way too high for Damien to afford. However, the next day Damien gets released on bail, and it was Susan Sutherland who paid for him because she doesn’t believe he killed her sister. Although his detective’s license has been taken away, he can still investigate on behalf of himself, which would help to solve Susan’s sister’s death. Thus Damien gets more and more deeply into the case, finding more drama and danger in the midst.

I enjoyed the experience of listening to The Green Pearl Caper. The setting of 1979 allows for the lack of a cell phone and other technology, such as DNA tests, a refreshing change from all the modern tools. The plot has many exciting angles and interesting twists. We get a lot of creative plot points, with some very dramatic points. The last hour and a half in particular prove to be very exciting as the book approaches its solution.

The characters in this book are drawn well. Damien seems just how one might imagine a private investigator who has been in business for years, a very real person. We also find ourselves invested in the lives of the characters, including Millie, Damien’s amazing secretary who abandons him when troubles hit him and Gus, Damien’s attorney who helps him in many angles of the case.

Tom Lennon performs the audio edition of this book, doing an excellent job of playing the role of Damien Dickens, who gives a first person narration of the book. His voice seems especially suited for playing the role of a grizzled PI. I like the voices he created for the various characters, as well as the expressions and timing of the book. He really does seem to embody the character of Damien.

The Green Pearl Caper is a fun book with a lot of creative touches that add to the pleasure of listening to it. The audiobook makes the book become all the more enjoyable to read, and I had a good time spending time with this book. I give this book five stars!

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the narrator, but that had no influence on the content of my review.

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