The Puerto Rico Pearl

Ainsley Walker Gemstone Travel Mystery #4

by J.A. Jernay

“Well-paced and skillfully told, with an outstanding sense of place, an enjoyable main character, and entertaining supporting cast.... [Ainsley Walker] swept me off my feet.” -- Venus de Hilo, 5-star review “A delightful [series] – it will enchant you with exotic places and interesting characters.” -- Linda Osborn, 5-star review For fans of Nora Roberts and Janet Evanovich…. It’s hurricane season. An airplane en route to the States has just been forced to land on the island of Puerto Rico—and onboard is AINSLEY WALKER. Stranded in torrential rain, she is guided by another passenger towards a rickety plantation house in the island’s tropical interior, where she meets an elderly woman who has lost a precious family heirloom. It's a pearl brooch that had once belonged to an actual pirate of the Caribbean—and the spinster needs Ainsley to find it ... fast. Soon she finds herself on another runaway adventure—one that propels Ainsley from wealthy art museums to abandoned sugar mills, from colonial-era cities to buried pirate chests on abandoned naval bases. Along the way, she discovers joy, pain, friendship, danger, the limits of her endurance—and the fact that things are never quite as they seem. From an author who worked on the foreign desk of The Washington Post … …who explored North and South America for nearly twelve months… …who was a finalist in a prestigious short story contest sponsored by the estate of F. Scott Fitzgerald… …comes a travel adventure that will change the way you see your life.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 15, 2012

Reviews

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for review.

I had never read the Ainsley Walker Gemstone Travel Mystery Series before this one. I felt it had a good pace, some good and some bad characters but for the most part good, there was intrigue, adventure, good storyline and I got to learn a little bit about Puerto Rico. The author nicely worked in some history on the Island and its people which made it so that I felt I walked away with a little more knowledge then I went in to the book with. All in all I thought the book was a good quick read and I have already downloaded another book from the series.

Ainsley Walker is a gemstone detective. If it is lost, she will find it. En-route back home from a previous job and feeling like she could sleep for a week there is a medical emergency on her flight. The flight is diverted to the closest airport, which happens to be Puerto Rico. All Ainsley can think about is getting home to her bed when the airport is shut down due to a tropical storm. Ainsley is upset but knows there is nothing she can do. She begins talking to her seatmate and invited back to her families home until the airport opens back up. After arriving at the home she is taken to meet a family member who has need for Ainsley's services. With nothing else left to do but hurry up and wait, Ainsley dives in to helping and she adventure, chaos, and confusion ensue.

[sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful read

I enjoyed this book so much,it's a great story and you learn history in a exciting way.what ever happened to the pearl brooch?what deep dark secrets will out ainsley discover in her quest to reclaim the pearl brooch ?this book moved along at a great pace and it has a monkey.monkeys make everything better.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a book set in Puerto Rico because I was traveling there. This was one of the few choices I stumbled across. Has some great history, food, and cultural references. Loved that it included the Coquís. The actual mystery and how the heroine solved it was a bit unbelievable.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

J.A. Jernay has a great series in the gemstone detective Ainsley Walker mysteries. This one features Ainsley searching Puerto Rico for an antique pearl brooch. Since I'm not familiar with the island, I appreciated the maps showing the cities Ainsley visited. The colorful characters Ainsley encounters in her search tell her some of the history of Puerto Rico as well as of the brooch. Jernay's details of the locales, the culture, and cuisine add depth to the story. And there are pirates. Very much a fun read, but I feel I learned something also.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in order to review it.

[Lesha Symons Ervin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as others.