Review by Booklover Becca -- Diamond and Pearls

[Becca Olsson]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Diamond and Pearls" by Julien Ayotte.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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At first glance, Diamond and Pearls by Julien Ayotte appears to be a classic investigative story surrounding the disappearance of an extraordinarily expensive pearl necklace and ring set. This theft sets in motion a series of events and seemingly chance meetings that quickly push the story beyond a simple search for missing jewelry. We are introduced to Mr. Diamond, a retired policeman turned insurance investigator who is on the hunt for the pearls. Along the way, we meet a large cast of characters from various backgrounds, including a burglar, mobsters, widows, jewelers, etc., whose lives become intertwined as they attempt to shed their old ways and build new relationships.

I appreciated the distinctive twist to the classic detective story that this novel provides. This uniqueness comes from Julien Ayotte’s decision to give equal focus to characters who would typically be deemed simply as the good guys and bad guys, yet he has these characters working together, building relationships, and going beyond typical measures to help each other in difficult times. In doing this, he showcases the complexity of human nature and the injustice of reducing one to a simple good or bad label. In the center of all these events and characters are the pearls which are given a life of their own, one based on familial love, hard work, and tradition. The pearls are the driving force between all the subsequent relationships and, as such, are possibly one of the most distinctive characters within the novel.

While the overall theme of this novel is unique and refreshing, the execution leaves something to be desired. With such a range of characters, I was hoping for more development, but was unfortunately left feeling as if they were a little hollow. The pace of events is quite rushed and leaves little time for the characters to experience real internal struggles about their various decisions (to walk away from their previous lives, to build new relationships after years of solitude, etc.) beyond a passing mention at any given time. They have a noticeable lack of any distinctive quirks or flaws. There is an oddly consistent and distracting specification of “smartphone” versus simply “phone” used throughout the novel. All of this is coupled with an incredible amount of over explanation and extremely basic back and forth within the characters’ dialogues that gives them an unnaturally two-dimensional feeling.

This absence of depth extends to various settings and props as well. Ayotte describes apartments, cabins, cafeterias, etc. but only so far as to state the physical layout. There is not enough description of ambiance or other passing characters to create an effective atmosphere. Equally, Ayotte relies heavily on brand names to describe certain props instead of providing actual descriptions.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars. The uniqueness of the story was not enough to overcome the lack of character depth. This book is clearly professionally edited as there were no grammatical errors that I noticed. However, Ayotte's need to over explain basic ideas (such as define the term “incentives” or what a background search is), the dry and unnatural dialogue, and the lack of well-developed atmosphere supports the given rating.

With no overly explicit content, this book would be appropriate for any adult readers who are searching for some light entertainment and possibly a fresh perspective to the original mystery storyline.

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Diamond and Pearls
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[Jasy95]

Thanks for the great review! It's wonderful that the author gave the characters complexity, but it's a shame that they lacked in development and interesting dialogue.