Camino Island by John Grisham, Book Review

John Grisham has another first – a crime book written - not for the usual suspects, but for crime authors and want-to-be bookshop owners. Camino Island brings the world of crime into the heart of the literary scene. Once again Grisham, this time as author, rather than lawyer, writes what he knows about and paints for us the world of authors, the book signing circuit, bookshop owners and the struggles of getting published. Get to know the ins and outs of running a successful bookshop, what life is like for a struggling author, the incestuous world of publishing and the shenanigans that this literary universe contains.  Grisham also outlines writing do´s and don´ts – a useful quick guide to the aspiring crime writer-reader! 

The theft of Scott F. Fitzgerald’s priceless original manuscripts, which are stolen from Princeton University, form the backdrop of the story which takes us to the resort town of Camino Island, Florida. There we enter the world of the flamboyant bookshop owner with shady dealings in stolen first editions and a motley crew of aspiring writers fluttering around his flame. The struggling and attractive writer, Mercer Mann, is recruited by the insurance company trying to recover the manuscripts; she is to get close to Bruce Cable and collect evidence of the manuscript's location – but is she too close to the flame? Will she be in danger? If you have ever dreamt of being a writer or a bookshop owner this is a must read crime book!

John Grisham: as a child dreamed of being a professional baseball player. After graduating from law school at Ole Miss in 1981, he went on to practice law for nearly a decade. One day, Grisham overheard the harrowing testimony of a twelve-year-old rape victim and was inspired to start a novel exploring what would have happened if the girl´s father had murdered her assailants. Getting up at 5 a.m. every day to get in several hours of writing time before heading off to work, Grisham spent three years on A Time to Kill and finished it in 1987. Today, Grisham has written a collection of stories, a work of non-fiction, three sports novels, five children´s books, and many legal thrillers. His work has been translated into 42 languages. He lives near Charlottesville, Virginia. 

Camino Island was first published by Hodder & Stoughton in June 2017, hardback, £20.00

by guest reviewer Sylvia Campbell