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Camino Island #1
Camino Island
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • “A delightfully lighthearted caper ... [a] fast-moving, entertaining tale.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A gang of thieves stage a daring heist from a secure vault deep below Princeton University’s Firestone Library. Their loot is priceless, but Princeton has insured it for twenty-five million dollars.
Bruce Cable owns a popular bookstore in the sleepy resort town of Santa Rosa on Camino Island in Florida. He makes his real money, though, as a prominent dealer in rare books. Very few people know that he occasionally dabbles in the black market of stolen books and manuscripts.
Mercer Mann is a young novelist with a severe case of writer’s block who has recently been laid off from her teaching position. She is approached by an elegant, mysterious woman working for an even more mysterious company. A generous offer of money convinces Mercer to go undercover and infiltrate Bruce Cable’s circle of literary friends, ideally getting close enough to him to learn his secrets.
But eventually Mercer learns far too much, and there’s trouble in paradise as only John Grisham can deliver it.
A gang of thieves stage a daring heist from a secure vault deep below Princeton University’s Firestone Library. Their loot is priceless, but Princeton has insured it for twenty-five million dollars.
Bruce Cable owns a popular bookstore in the sleepy resort town of Santa Rosa on Camino Island in Florida. He makes his real money, though, as a prominent dealer in rare books. Very few people know that he occasionally dabbles in the black market of stolen books and manuscripts.
Mercer Mann is a young novelist with a severe case of writer’s block who has recently been laid off from her teaching position. She is approached by an elegant, mysterious woman working for an even more mysterious company. A generous offer of money convinces Mercer to go undercover and infiltrate Bruce Cable’s circle of literary friends, ideally getting close enough to him to learn his secrets.
But eventually Mercer learns far too much, and there’s trouble in paradise as only John Grisham can deliver it.
290 pages, Hardcover
First published June 6, 2017
23542 people are currently reading
73292 people want to read
About the author
John Grisham
492 books90.2k followersJohn Grisham is the author of more than fifty consecutive #1 bestsellers, which have been translated into nearly fifty languages. His recent books include Framed, Camino Ghosts and The Exchange: After the Firm.
Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction.
When he's not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system.
John lives on a farm in central Virginia.
Grisham is a two-time winner of the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction and was honored with the Library of Congress Creative Achievement Award for Fiction.
When he's not writing, Grisham serves on the board of directors of the Innocence Project and of Centurion Ministries, two national organizations dedicated to exonerating those who have been wrongfully convicted. Much of his fiction explores deep-seated problems in our criminal justice system.
John lives on a farm in central Virginia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 12,406 reviews
September 25, 2025
I'm a great Grisham fan, I love most of his books, and I can say without a doubt that this is not one of his best works.
The truth is, the book goes from very fast and very gripping to very slow and very girly far too quickly. It's like reading two different books intertwined, and I couldn't care less about the second one.
I seriously doubt John Grisham wrote the whole thing (P.S.: note that for a huge author, today, “ghostwriting” doesn’t necessarily mean that another person wrote it. For example: “Ken Follett” is a team of 15 historians who research, review, write, correct + Ken Follett, who sketches a plot but doesn’t pen every line. I’d be shocked if Grisham wrote every word himself).
Some of the portions where the girl's POV is adopted are just too intimately "girly" in style to have been written by him. I'm not saying "girly" in a negative sense at all, just a matter of tastes, but it’s a matter of voice: I have this very strong feeling that he had some help from a female ghostwriter, one who writes VERY differently from John Grisham.
When I buy a Grisham book, I DO NOT want to end up reading a ghostwritten novel where the innocent girl with no personality ends up in bed with the rough, handsome and mysterious boss of the local literary world. WTF?
Loved the beginning and the end, that actually sound like Grisham, but the middle section was a huge letdown, and it has a COMPLETELY "off" sound.
My guess - and warning - is, this is ghost-writing gone too far.
Also, the main character (Mercer) is an absolutely unbearable, pretentious woman with no likable feature at all. Maybe the woman who wrote that part of the book put her own personality into Mercer? I don't know what to think.
The truth is, the book goes from very fast and very gripping to very slow and very girly far too quickly. It's like reading two different books intertwined, and I couldn't care less about the second one.
I seriously doubt John Grisham wrote the whole thing (P.S.: note that for a huge author, today, “ghostwriting” doesn’t necessarily mean that another person wrote it. For example: “Ken Follett” is a team of 15 historians who research, review, write, correct + Ken Follett, who sketches a plot but doesn’t pen every line. I’d be shocked if Grisham wrote every word himself).
Some of the portions where the girl's POV is adopted are just too intimately "girly" in style to have been written by him. I'm not saying "girly" in a negative sense at all, just a matter of tastes, but it’s a matter of voice: I have this very strong feeling that he had some help from a female ghostwriter, one who writes VERY differently from John Grisham.
When I buy a Grisham book, I DO NOT want to end up reading a ghostwritten novel where the innocent girl with no personality ends up in bed with the rough, handsome and mysterious boss of the local literary world. WTF?
Loved the beginning and the end, that actually sound like Grisham, but the middle section was a huge letdown, and it has a COMPLETELY "off" sound.
My guess - and warning - is, this is ghost-writing gone too far.
Also, the main character (Mercer) is an absolutely unbearable, pretentious woman with no likable feature at all. Maybe the woman who wrote that part of the book put her own personality into Mercer? I don't know what to think.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 30, 2020
Back with another new novel, John Grisham seeks to expand his horizons with a story free of much legalese, but with the slightest hint of some criminal activity. A heist at one of Princeton's libraries puts a number of original F. Scott Fitzgerald's manuscripts in the hands of some career criminals. Quick-acting FBI agents are able to scoop up two of the five, but the others are still in hiding, along with the manuscripts. When one is rumoured to have surfaced at a small book shop on Camino Island, the FBI's Rare Asset Recovery Unit pegs Bruce Cable as being involved and plan keep an eye on his bookselling operation. Meanwhile, Mercer Mann is approached by a private security firm to help with the reacquisition of the manuscripts under the guise of writing her next novel. Mercer has struggled with her craft and is not sure she wants to play sleuth, particularly if it means returning to Camino Island, where she spent many summers with her grandmother. Taking a risk, Mercer agrees to open some old wounds and pretends to be writing, while surrounding herself with the local writing community. Slowly, Mercer begins building bridges with Bruce Cable, in hopes of learning more about the manuscripts. However, as she grows closer to an answer, Mercer may have second thoughts of toppling all she has built in a short period of time. With millions of dollars on the line, Mercer must decide what is most important to her. Grisham shows that he has talent to pen novels that keep lawyers and the law outside of the narrative. Sure to appeal to a different group of readers, the story offers some interesting insight into the craft of writing the next 'great novel'.
I have long been a fan of John Grisham and his novels, having cut my teeth on his legal thrillers throughout the years. This story differs greatly from those and serves a completely different purpose. While the legal thrillers are usually quite sharp-edged, this book shows a much smoother edge to Grisham's writing. The characters offer an interesting mix, giving the reader a great sampling of both mannerisms and characteristics that complement one another at times and clash at moments to offer some dramatic flavour to the story. One might say that the characters are a lot softer than Grisham usually presents, but the genre might play into that, alongside the intended audience. The plot and setting are also a much softer, transitioning from the rough and tumble heist at the beginning to the oceanfront setting of Florida, where the breeze and sand denote a more peaceful place for the book to develop. One also has a feel of more romance and emotional discovery in this book, where the reader is subjected to Mercer's inner turmoil and portions of her self-discovery as she grows closer to the man she is supposed to betray. Its structure also left me a little baffled, choosing 'chapters' in what are surely part divisions and then chopping up the chapters into enumerated pieces, clearly of the usual chapter variety. I will admit that the book was well-crafted and kept the story moving forward, but I feel it tapped too much into sentimentality and the development of the author's process than gritty legal battles and a dark exploration of the criminal element, which better suits Grisham as an author and my enjoyment of his stories. This book will surely create a stir, both good and bad, for the vast number of Grisham fans. I am happy to have offered my five Canadian cents and will watch as things transpire.
Kudos, Mr. Grisham for another interesting novel. While it was not my favourite, your versatility shines through by penning this piece. I am eager to see how it is received.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
I have long been a fan of John Grisham and his novels, having cut my teeth on his legal thrillers throughout the years. This story differs greatly from those and serves a completely different purpose. While the legal thrillers are usually quite sharp-edged, this book shows a much smoother edge to Grisham's writing. The characters offer an interesting mix, giving the reader a great sampling of both mannerisms and characteristics that complement one another at times and clash at moments to offer some dramatic flavour to the story. One might say that the characters are a lot softer than Grisham usually presents, but the genre might play into that, alongside the intended audience. The plot and setting are also a much softer, transitioning from the rough and tumble heist at the beginning to the oceanfront setting of Florida, where the breeze and sand denote a more peaceful place for the book to develop. One also has a feel of more romance and emotional discovery in this book, where the reader is subjected to Mercer's inner turmoil and portions of her self-discovery as she grows closer to the man she is supposed to betray. Its structure also left me a little baffled, choosing 'chapters' in what are surely part divisions and then chopping up the chapters into enumerated pieces, clearly of the usual chapter variety. I will admit that the book was well-crafted and kept the story moving forward, but I feel it tapped too much into sentimentality and the development of the author's process than gritty legal battles and a dark exploration of the criminal element, which better suits Grisham as an author and my enjoyment of his stories. This book will surely create a stir, both good and bad, for the vast number of Grisham fans. I am happy to have offered my five Canadian cents and will watch as things transpire.
Kudos, Mr. Grisham for another interesting novel. While it was not my favourite, your versatility shines through by penning this piece. I am eager to see how it is received.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
October 5, 2017
"Your secrets are safe. I can't think of a soul I would want to tell."
And these secrets are within a crime. A jumbo, over-the-top, kick in the door of modern literature, and pull down the shades type of heist. Dollar signs that even have dollar signs.
When a group of well-rehearsed thieves make their way into the tombs of Princeton's lower vaulted depths, they come away with a golden grail in the form of original hand-written manuscripts of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Miraculously, they stage enough diversions that they escape the university grounds and burrow into their hideouts. But the coast is not always clear just because time passes. A flubadub occurs and two of the members are caught. Each of them utter not a word. Clear sailing for the others? Maybe yes and maybe no.
Advice to oneself ala Grisham: Write what you know.
So Grisham parachutes this story into the waiting arms of a bookstore owner in a small town on Camino Island in Florida. Bruce Cable (interesting name in regard to ol' Bruce's widely growing circuit in the book world) doesn't always ring his daily sales on his cash register. Bruce dabbles, on occasion, in the darker side of intellectual exchange. A first print version in impeccable condition sends his heart racing.....almost as much as a shapely woman swinging her hips and opening the bookstore door at the same time.
Enter Mercer Mann who grew up on Camino Island and is a fledgling writer with a brief kiss of fame. She's now broke, unemployed, and somewhat bewildered when she's approached by a mysterious woman. A deal is struck in which Mercer will go undercover and try to get the goods on the elusive Bruce Cable. Mercer doesn't realize that someone else may be trying to get a foothold into Cable's backdoor operations as well.
John Grisham presents quite a different read this time. We are immersed in the world of books and the intricate mechanisms of publishing. Dinner conversations abound with the chatter of authors bantering on about their books. It almost has the flavor of Hemingway and his feasts in Paris in the 1920's with his jaunty friends. And the drinks flow just as hard and fast.
I enjoyed this one despite the fact that there is not a courtroom in sight as in Grisham's golden days. The heist itself seems to provide background noise. There wasn't the usual high tension as in times past. In addition, you may feel somewhat of a nudge that his character choices and dialogue have a bit of a different flavor for him this go-round. And different can be good.
Now the ending......a swift kick in the pants and a wry smile.
And these secrets are within a crime. A jumbo, over-the-top, kick in the door of modern literature, and pull down the shades type of heist. Dollar signs that even have dollar signs.
When a group of well-rehearsed thieves make their way into the tombs of Princeton's lower vaulted depths, they come away with a golden grail in the form of original hand-written manuscripts of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Miraculously, they stage enough diversions that they escape the university grounds and burrow into their hideouts. But the coast is not always clear just because time passes. A flubadub occurs and two of the members are caught. Each of them utter not a word. Clear sailing for the others? Maybe yes and maybe no.
Advice to oneself ala Grisham: Write what you know.
So Grisham parachutes this story into the waiting arms of a bookstore owner in a small town on Camino Island in Florida. Bruce Cable (interesting name in regard to ol' Bruce's widely growing circuit in the book world) doesn't always ring his daily sales on his cash register. Bruce dabbles, on occasion, in the darker side of intellectual exchange. A first print version in impeccable condition sends his heart racing.....almost as much as a shapely woman swinging her hips and opening the bookstore door at the same time.
Enter Mercer Mann who grew up on Camino Island and is a fledgling writer with a brief kiss of fame. She's now broke, unemployed, and somewhat bewildered when she's approached by a mysterious woman. A deal is struck in which Mercer will go undercover and try to get the goods on the elusive Bruce Cable. Mercer doesn't realize that someone else may be trying to get a foothold into Cable's backdoor operations as well.
John Grisham presents quite a different read this time. We are immersed in the world of books and the intricate mechanisms of publishing. Dinner conversations abound with the chatter of authors bantering on about their books. It almost has the flavor of Hemingway and his feasts in Paris in the 1920's with his jaunty friends. And the drinks flow just as hard and fast.
I enjoyed this one despite the fact that there is not a courtroom in sight as in Grisham's golden days. The heist itself seems to provide background noise. There wasn't the usual high tension as in times past. In addition, you may feel somewhat of a nudge that his character choices and dialogue have a bit of a different flavor for him this go-round. And different can be good.
Now the ending......a swift kick in the pants and a wry smile.
June 8, 2017
I got like 140 pages in and did a lot of eye rolling, skipped ahead to read the ending and then rolled my eyes one last time and moved on.
September 12, 2017
I enjoyed this more than some other recent John Grisham novels I have read. Many parts of it were 3 stars and many parts were 4 stars. I will compromise at 3.5 stars (but round up to 4 on the official scale – since I have been so harsh on Grisham lately!)
The main appeal of this book is that books are central to the theme. Hardcore readers – which most of you probably are – will appreciate the discussion of bookstore business/politics, book values, first edition collecting, and book heists. All of that was what kept me in this right up to the very end.
The story was just okay – some of the plot points convenient and convoluted. It is fiction, so of course the author is making it up, but I want there to be at least some sense that the events are plausible. In this case, it seemed like any time Grisham wanted something to fit he would be like, “Well, it just so happens that over here is the exact thing we were discussing!” It’s a bit silly, but only mildly distracting.
One thing I liked a lot compared to Grisham’s recent efforts is that it felt fresh and unique. Normally, it feels like he is using the same formula and it is getting stale. But, in this case the mystery was different than anything I have seen in one of his books before.
Finally, I go back to one of the things that amuses me about Grisham the most. I feel like he plans his plot and scenes around food. I dare you to try and find a Grisham where he doesn’t mention what people are eating every few pages, characters are not planning a get together based around food, or the main character doesn’t stop of somewhere for beer and burgers to contemplate what just happened. It makes me laugh every time
The main appeal of this book is that books are central to the theme. Hardcore readers – which most of you probably are – will appreciate the discussion of bookstore business/politics, book values, first edition collecting, and book heists. All of that was what kept me in this right up to the very end.
The story was just okay – some of the plot points convenient and convoluted. It is fiction, so of course the author is making it up, but I want there to be at least some sense that the events are plausible. In this case, it seemed like any time Grisham wanted something to fit he would be like, “Well, it just so happens that over here is the exact thing we were discussing!” It’s a bit silly, but only mildly distracting.
One thing I liked a lot compared to Grisham’s recent efforts is that it felt fresh and unique. Normally, it feels like he is using the same formula and it is getting stale. But, in this case the mystery was different than anything I have seen in one of his books before.
Finally, I go back to one of the things that amuses me about Grisham the most. I feel like he plans his plot and scenes around food. I dare you to try and find a Grisham where he doesn’t mention what people are eating every few pages, characters are not planning a get together based around food, or the main character doesn’t stop of somewhere for beer and burgers to contemplate what just happened. It makes me laugh every time
July 16, 2017
Seldom has such a good premise and beginning of a novel fallen as far and as fast as this. The story languishes with not one, but two inept agencies looking for perpetrators, despite apprehending some immediately. The weak and incomplete ending finishes this bottomless piece. 0 of 10 stars
July 4, 2017
What a fun summer read!
I haven't read a John Grisham book since the 90s, but I picked up Camino Island after seeing a positive review. I was intrigued because the story is a departure from Grisham's usual legal thrillers. The plot is that priceless manuscripts by F. Scott Fitzgerald were stolen from a Princeton library, and the hunt is on to catch the thieves and save the papers.
The novel starts off with a thrill as we watch the gang of thieves go about the heist. (As a librarian and also as someone who wants literary archives to be protected, I liked that Grisham completely made up the details of the theft and didn't base it on the real library layout, because he didn't want anyone trying to imitate the crime in real life.) After the Fitzgerald manuscripts are stolen, we watch the police and FBI work the case, but when the trail goes cold, investigators decide to send in someone undercover.
Enter Mercer, an aspiring novelist who is tasked with infiltrating the social world of Bruce Cable, a bookseller in Camino Island, Florida, who is suspected of purchasing the stolen manuscripts. Mercer meets Bruce and some other writers in the area, and I really enjoyed the literary discussions they had. I won't spoil the ending of the mystery, but I was satisfied with how the plot was resolved.
I enjoy reading books about books, so it was fitting that I liked this literary mystery so much. The dialogue is a bit on the nose at times, but I enjoyed this novel so much that it seems silly to quibble. Recommend for those who like bookish thrillers.
Favorite Quotes
"Some writers are seasoned raconteurs with an endless supply of stories and quips and one-liners. Others are reclusive and introverted souls who labor in their solitary worlds and struggle to mix and mingle. Mercer was somewhere in between."
"Writers are generally split into two camps: those who carefully outline their stories and know the ending before they begin, and those who refuse to do so upon the theory that once a character is created he or she will do something interesting."
"Why do writers suffer so much? / ... It's because the writing life is so undisciplined. There's no boss, no supervisor, no time clock to punch or hours to keep. Write in the morning, write at night. Drink when you want to."
"Cable's Rules For Writing Fiction, a brilliant how-to guide put together by an expert who's read over four thousand books ... I hate prologues. I just finished a novel by a guy who's touring and will stop by next week. He always starts every book with the typical prologue, something dramatic like a killer stalking a woman or a dead body, then will leave the reader hanging, go to chapter 1, which, of course, has nothing to do with the prologue, then go to chapter 2, which, of course, has nothing to do with either chapter 1 or the prologue, then after about thirty pages slam the reader back to the action in the prologue, which by then has been forgotten ... Another rookie mistake is to introduce twenty characters in the first chapter. Five's enough and won't confuse your reader. Next, if you feel the need to go to the thesaurus, look for a word with three syllables or fewer. I have a nice vocabulary and nothing ticks me off more than a writer showing off with big words I've never seen before. Next, please use quotation marks with dialogue; otherwise it's bewildering. Rule Number Five: Most writers say too much, so always look for things to cut, like throwaway sentences and unnecessary scenes."
"There should be a rule in publishing that debut novels are limited to three hundred pages, don't you think?"
I haven't read a John Grisham book since the 90s, but I picked up Camino Island after seeing a positive review. I was intrigued because the story is a departure from Grisham's usual legal thrillers. The plot is that priceless manuscripts by F. Scott Fitzgerald were stolen from a Princeton library, and the hunt is on to catch the thieves and save the papers.
The novel starts off with a thrill as we watch the gang of thieves go about the heist. (As a librarian and also as someone who wants literary archives to be protected, I liked that Grisham completely made up the details of the theft and didn't base it on the real library layout, because he didn't want anyone trying to imitate the crime in real life.) After the Fitzgerald manuscripts are stolen, we watch the police and FBI work the case, but when the trail goes cold, investigators decide to send in someone undercover.
Enter Mercer, an aspiring novelist who is tasked with infiltrating the social world of Bruce Cable, a bookseller in Camino Island, Florida, who is suspected of purchasing the stolen manuscripts. Mercer meets Bruce and some other writers in the area, and I really enjoyed the literary discussions they had. I won't spoil the ending of the mystery, but I was satisfied with how the plot was resolved.
I enjoy reading books about books, so it was fitting that I liked this literary mystery so much. The dialogue is a bit on the nose at times, but I enjoyed this novel so much that it seems silly to quibble. Recommend for those who like bookish thrillers.
Favorite Quotes
"Some writers are seasoned raconteurs with an endless supply of stories and quips and one-liners. Others are reclusive and introverted souls who labor in their solitary worlds and struggle to mix and mingle. Mercer was somewhere in between."
"Writers are generally split into two camps: those who carefully outline their stories and know the ending before they begin, and those who refuse to do so upon the theory that once a character is created he or she will do something interesting."
"Why do writers suffer so much? / ... It's because the writing life is so undisciplined. There's no boss, no supervisor, no time clock to punch or hours to keep. Write in the morning, write at night. Drink when you want to."
"Cable's Rules For Writing Fiction, a brilliant how-to guide put together by an expert who's read over four thousand books ... I hate prologues. I just finished a novel by a guy who's touring and will stop by next week. He always starts every book with the typical prologue, something dramatic like a killer stalking a woman or a dead body, then will leave the reader hanging, go to chapter 1, which, of course, has nothing to do with the prologue, then go to chapter 2, which, of course, has nothing to do with either chapter 1 or the prologue, then after about thirty pages slam the reader back to the action in the prologue, which by then has been forgotten ... Another rookie mistake is to introduce twenty characters in the first chapter. Five's enough and won't confuse your reader. Next, if you feel the need to go to the thesaurus, look for a word with three syllables or fewer. I have a nice vocabulary and nothing ticks me off more than a writer showing off with big words I've never seen before. Next, please use quotation marks with dialogue; otherwise it's bewildering. Rule Number Five: Most writers say too much, so always look for things to cut, like throwaway sentences and unnecessary scenes."
"There should be a rule in publishing that debut novels are limited to three hundred pages, don't you think?"
November 21, 2017
I know it's been a few (several?) years since I read Grisham, but, my gosh, he has changed! Often accused of cranking out legal thrillers and following a specific formula, maybe he wanted to depart to a simpler, softer, more feminine style. If that was his intention, he succeeded!
I found the subject matter very entertaining, otherwise I probably would not have finished it. The "mystery" not much of a mystery at all revolves around some stolen manuscripts that are worth millions in the literary world. The reader gets to learn a bit about the black market as we follow the actual theft of F. Scott Fitzgerald's original Gatsby manuscript from Princeton University. We follow the stolen papers and see how they eventually end up on Camino Island, Florida, in the hands of Bruce Cable, a local bookstore owner.
The story is light and entertaining IF you are interested in writing or literary history. Grisham provides tons of anecdotes about Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and others. He also has definite opinions on what makes a good book! He has a list of bulletpoints for anyone attempting to write fiction and it is really funny and spot on.
The setting is beautiful and tropical and the writing is just as easy, breezy as you please. No hard hitting legalese to be found. A few interesting tidbits about FBI technological advances, but that's about it in the way of any procedural information.
So, no cops or lawyers to speak of, just one English teacher/writer who goes undercover to try and bring down Bruce Cable. I wasn't a big fan of our girl, Mercer Mann. She thought she was so good at this spying job she fell into and she comes across as incredibly naive with a big ego at the same time. Weird. Hard to relate to or root for.
I found Bruce very interesting and wish there was more of his story.
I also could have done without all the romance stuff-ick. Romance in a Grisham novel? What's the world coming to??
The story is going along and all of a sudden, it's epilogue time and all over. It truly feels cut short and too abrupt.
This could be a nice short book for the plane or the beach. But, only if you go in knowing there isn't a mystery or any "thriller" scenes typically found in a Grisham novel.
I found the subject matter very entertaining, otherwise I probably would not have finished it. The "mystery" not much of a mystery at all revolves around some stolen manuscripts that are worth millions in the literary world. The reader gets to learn a bit about the black market as we follow the actual theft of F. Scott Fitzgerald's original Gatsby manuscript from Princeton University. We follow the stolen papers and see how they eventually end up on Camino Island, Florida, in the hands of Bruce Cable, a local bookstore owner.
The story is light and entertaining IF you are interested in writing or literary history. Grisham provides tons of anecdotes about Hemingway, Fitzgerald, and others. He also has definite opinions on what makes a good book! He has a list of bulletpoints for anyone attempting to write fiction and it is really funny and spot on.
The setting is beautiful and tropical and the writing is just as easy, breezy as you please. No hard hitting legalese to be found. A few interesting tidbits about FBI technological advances, but that's about it in the way of any procedural information.
So, no cops or lawyers to speak of, just one English teacher/writer who goes undercover to try and bring down Bruce Cable. I wasn't a big fan of our girl, Mercer Mann. She thought she was so good at this spying job she fell into and she comes across as incredibly naive with a big ego at the same time. Weird. Hard to relate to or root for.
I found Bruce very interesting and wish there was more of his story.
I also could have done without all the romance stuff-ick. Romance in a Grisham novel? What's the world coming to??
The story is going along and all of a sudden, it's epilogue time and all over. It truly feels cut short and too abrupt.
This could be a nice short book for the plane or the beach. But, only if you go in knowing there isn't a mystery or any "thriller" scenes typically found in a Grisham novel.
June 8, 2017
This isn't a "John Grisham book", it's a bit of froth. It's starts off well with The Heist (that's not a spoiler it's the title of the first chapter). Then it descends into aimless meanderings among the colony of authors on the island. Almost zero suspense. Absolutely zero "thrills". The ending was phoned in.
If you want an extremely gentle ride through the soporific world of book authors then it will be good I suppose. Otherwise grab a different Grisham book (I'm a huge fan by the way).
To be fair I think Grisham was indeed trying for "something different". He succeeded. He found an audience for it obviously and that's great. I just wanted to give you a heads-up before you spend your bucks.
If you want an extremely gentle ride through the soporific world of book authors then it will be good I suppose. Otherwise grab a different Grisham book (I'm a huge fan by the way).
To be fair I think Grisham was indeed trying for "something different". He succeeded. He found an audience for it obviously and that's great. I just wanted to give you a heads-up before you spend your bucks.
June 5, 2020
Every time I read a book by John Grisham, I am consistently reminded of what a great storyteller he is. His style is compact, direct and to the point, and pulls you in immediately. I wasn’t 10 pages into his new book “Camino Island” and I knew that I would be spending most of the day focused on reading it. The good news is that it was worth it.
Rather than focusing on lawyers, it takes aim at the world of bookstores, publishing, and writers. It begins with a skillful heist of five John F. Fitzgerald manuscripts from a secure vault below Princeton’s Firestone Library. The manuscripts end up in a secondary black market and a young female writer, Mercer Mann, is hired to go undercover an investigate a popular independent bookstore owner and prominent dealer in rare books that is thought to have or know who is in possession of the manuscripts.
Using a background that is second nature to Grisham works well and provides interesting tidbits and name dropping throughout the book. As usual, Mercer is in over her head and the reader is right there with her. The plot develops fast and flows well. His prose is easy to read and take in as the pages meld together in a character driven adventure that captures your attention. Even though this book is one of his shorter ones (just under 300 pages), it is well worth the time.
Overall, Grisham knows how to tell a story that readers enjoy. I especially appreciated his respectful name dropping of Stephen King, support for independent bookstores, a nice small shot at Amazon. The question to ask myself is whether I ever really read a bad Grisham book? Although some are better than others, the answer is no. All of them have been good, better, or best. If you’re honest, you are probably nodding your head right now. “Camino Island” is one of the better ones. Just try it.
Rather than focusing on lawyers, it takes aim at the world of bookstores, publishing, and writers. It begins with a skillful heist of five John F. Fitzgerald manuscripts from a secure vault below Princeton’s Firestone Library. The manuscripts end up in a secondary black market and a young female writer, Mercer Mann, is hired to go undercover an investigate a popular independent bookstore owner and prominent dealer in rare books that is thought to have or know who is in possession of the manuscripts.
Using a background that is second nature to Grisham works well and provides interesting tidbits and name dropping throughout the book. As usual, Mercer is in over her head and the reader is right there with her. The plot develops fast and flows well. His prose is easy to read and take in as the pages meld together in a character driven adventure that captures your attention. Even though this book is one of his shorter ones (just under 300 pages), it is well worth the time.
Overall, Grisham knows how to tell a story that readers enjoy. I especially appreciated his respectful name dropping of Stephen King, support for independent bookstores, a nice small shot at Amazon. The question to ask myself is whether I ever really read a bad Grisham book? Although some are better than others, the answer is no. All of them have been good, better, or best. If you’re honest, you are probably nodding your head right now. “Camino Island” is one of the better ones. Just try it.
August 4, 2024
This is the sort of book that any busy reader will love. Five F Scott Fitzgerald original manuscripts are heisted from a museum; years later a women writer goes undercover in the bookish community on Camino Island to see if she can get any proof that the stolen manuscripts are with the art theft investigation's prime suspect, a book dealer. The mystery itself was underwhelming; this was more a study of the bookish community that anything else, which was quite interesting. A 7 out of 12, Three Star Grisham jam. :)
2024 read
2024 read
June 20, 2017
Allow the author to help with this review. Starting on page 237 to 238, one of his cardboard cutout characters, gives advice on how to right a good book/bestseller:
"I'll give any book a hundred pages, and if by then the writer can't hold my attention i'll put it away. There are too many good books I want to read to waste time with a bad one."
Geez. Should've taken this advice.
What a boring, uneventful, tritely written .... well, what? Yeah. What was this? A thriller? A veiled hat tip to Grisham's author friends? A romance? Not sure. Maybe a sedative before bedtime? Hmmmm. It's chock full of paper thin characters and most are not pleasant or interesting. They are TYPES. And he loves to end paragraphs with question marks ... queries by a character to herself/himself like: "Should I wear socks?". And he uses this at least twice not as words spoken by a character, but as art of his narrative: "GO, GIRL!"
This plods along and has such a silly yawn of a climax. Grisham calls this his "beach read". More like a Beach Toss Into the Ocean. Read your suntan lotion bottle directions, instead.
"I'll give any book a hundred pages, and if by then the writer can't hold my attention i'll put it away. There are too many good books I want to read to waste time with a bad one."
Geez. Should've taken this advice.
What a boring, uneventful, tritely written .... well, what? Yeah. What was this? A thriller? A veiled hat tip to Grisham's author friends? A romance? Not sure. Maybe a sedative before bedtime? Hmmmm. It's chock full of paper thin characters and most are not pleasant or interesting. They are TYPES. And he loves to end paragraphs with question marks ... queries by a character to herself/himself like: "Should I wear socks?". And he uses this at least twice not as words spoken by a character, but as art of his narrative: "GO, GIRL!"
This plods along and has such a silly yawn of a climax. Grisham calls this his "beach read". More like a Beach Toss Into the Ocean. Read your suntan lotion bottle directions, instead.
June 1, 2020
This book went down smooth and easy. I almost gave this 5 stars. I had a blast reading this story about reading and bookselling. It took 2 days to get through this.
It's been awhile since I've read anything by John Grisham. I think his Painted House was the last I read of his. I started out reading his novels in high school and read each one until the late 90s or into the aughts. I got tired of the law stories. I listened, during the COVID quarantine, to a Stephen King Podcast he and John did together and John was talking about this book. It wasn't about lawyers, but a bookseller and about the love of books. Well, that sounded amazing. I got this from the online library.
We start out seeing a team steal the F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts from Princeton worth millions. Then we see a struggling writer being contacted by an insurance claims recoverer to get close to a big bookseller on Camino Island.
Honestly, I just enjoyed hearing all the writers on the island discuss the pub biz and different books. Stephen King even gets a shout out here. I love that kind of shop talk.
This is a great beach read, or quarantine read, or just something for the joy of it. I recommend it.
It's been awhile since I've read anything by John Grisham. I think his Painted House was the last I read of his. I started out reading his novels in high school and read each one until the late 90s or into the aughts. I got tired of the law stories. I listened, during the COVID quarantine, to a Stephen King Podcast he and John did together and John was talking about this book. It wasn't about lawyers, but a bookseller and about the love of books. Well, that sounded amazing. I got this from the online library.
We start out seeing a team steal the F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts from Princeton worth millions. Then we see a struggling writer being contacted by an insurance claims recoverer to get close to a big bookseller on Camino Island.
Honestly, I just enjoyed hearing all the writers on the island discuss the pub biz and different books. Stephen King even gets a shout out here. I love that kind of shop talk.
This is a great beach read, or quarantine read, or just something for the joy of it. I recommend it.
August 6, 2023
I liked the premise but huge chunks of this book were told, not shown. When there was dialogue, it was awkward and wooden.
This was the first book I read by this author and, judging by it, his style is not for me at all.
This was the first book I read by this author and, judging by it, his style is not for me at all.
August 27, 2024
**'Few writers books that i've enjoyed present works have now ended up being way too stilted and frustrating..'
Okay read!
Just doesn't have that John Grisham feel to it but i guess it's still a readable book #1 in the 'Camino Island' mystery series.
Okay read!
Just doesn't have that John Grisham feel to it but i guess it's still a readable book #1 in the 'Camino Island' mystery series.
September 3, 2021
“All trails become dead ends.”
“Camino Island” is the first John Grisham I have read in a long while. With its focus on rare books, valuable manuscripts, cool bookstores, and expensive first editions of famous texts, this novel is a beach read for book lovers. If you don’t try to force it to be more than that you will enjoy it. If you try to make this text be more than it is capable of being, you will roll your eyes a lot. And that is your own fault.
Grisham gives his story a sexy rogue of a criminal (the white collar, not dangerous to society kind) named Bruce Cable who is not a “bad” guy. You like him. He is erudite, charming, good in bed and he owns an awesome bookstore. I mean, come on! And (gasp) he gets away with the crime. And that’s not a spoiler by the way. It is obvious from the first chapter that this is that kind of book.
The setup is that the original manuscripts for five of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s books are stolen from Princeton University (where they are housed) and off we go!
The text features 8 chapters, each broken up into numerous sub chapters, which makes for quick reading. I laughed a little during the novel’s kinda bad chapter 7, which features a lot of extraneous stuff that a writer who did not have Mr. Grisham’s economic clout would never have gotten by an editor.
“Camino Island”- sit in the sun with a chilled white wine and read. This novel was written for that purpose. It features a too tidy ending that is pure fiction. And with a book like this, that is the point!
“Camino Island” is the first John Grisham I have read in a long while. With its focus on rare books, valuable manuscripts, cool bookstores, and expensive first editions of famous texts, this novel is a beach read for book lovers. If you don’t try to force it to be more than that you will enjoy it. If you try to make this text be more than it is capable of being, you will roll your eyes a lot. And that is your own fault.
Grisham gives his story a sexy rogue of a criminal (the white collar, not dangerous to society kind) named Bruce Cable who is not a “bad” guy. You like him. He is erudite, charming, good in bed and he owns an awesome bookstore. I mean, come on! And (gasp) he gets away with the crime. And that’s not a spoiler by the way. It is obvious from the first chapter that this is that kind of book.
The setup is that the original manuscripts for five of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s books are stolen from Princeton University (where they are housed) and off we go!
The text features 8 chapters, each broken up into numerous sub chapters, which makes for quick reading. I laughed a little during the novel’s kinda bad chapter 7, which features a lot of extraneous stuff that a writer who did not have Mr. Grisham’s economic clout would never have gotten by an editor.
“Camino Island”- sit in the sun with a chilled white wine and read. This novel was written for that purpose. It features a too tidy ending that is pure fiction. And with a book like this, that is the point!
October 8, 2017
Camino Island was a disappointment. This is really just a beach read. Not much substance. I really didn’t care for the audiobook. The narrator had an uninteresting voice and I didn’t like her style. Maybe the book was better to read rather than listening to? I continued on as it was only 7 cds.
I’m giving up on Grisham. As everyone on Goodreads, my TBR list is extensive and there are many higher caliber books to get going on.
3 out of 5 stars.
I’m giving up on Grisham. As everyone on Goodreads, my TBR list is extensive and there are many higher caliber books to get going on.
3 out of 5 stars.
July 30, 2020
3.5 stars.
When a major literary theft occurs, who better to help investigate than a writer?
Thieves steal five highly valuable manuscripts from Princeton’s Firestone Library. The authorities are determined to find out what happened to them and hopefully get them back.
Mercer Mann is a novelist with writer’s block and a mountain of debt. She is approached by a woman seeking her help. She wants Mercer to move into her grandmother’s house on Camino Island and help investigate the local bookstore owner and raconteur, to see if he’s involved with the manuscript theft. In exchange they’ll eliminate her debt.
She’s no spy, but she gets drawn into the investigation. She becomes involved with a circle of writers on the island, each more colorful and dysfunctional than the next, and finds herself being pulled into the orbit of Bruce Cable, the handsome and enigmatic bookstore owner who may or may not also deal in stolen books.
As they get closer and closer to finding out the truth, Mercer isn’t sure how she wants things to end. She likes being part of the action, and she finds herself drawn to Bruce and his wife, Nicole. But who’s playing whom?
It’s been forever since I’ve read a John Grisham book. I was a huge fan when his books first started coming out—I even met him at a signing (swoon) in the early 90s. I remember missing my stop on the metro one morning because I was so engrossed in reading. Somewhere I lost track of his stuff but I thought I’d pick this one up and see what I’ve been missing.
This was a fun, charming caper. Not a lot actually happens and things are a little confusing at times, but the story is pretty entertaining and the characters are appealing, so I enjoyed it. There’s no doubt Grisham knows how to tell a story!
I’m definitely interested in the follow-up, Camino Winds , and I may check out some of his other books as well.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
When a major literary theft occurs, who better to help investigate than a writer?
Thieves steal five highly valuable manuscripts from Princeton’s Firestone Library. The authorities are determined to find out what happened to them and hopefully get them back.
Mercer Mann is a novelist with writer’s block and a mountain of debt. She is approached by a woman seeking her help. She wants Mercer to move into her grandmother’s house on Camino Island and help investigate the local bookstore owner and raconteur, to see if he’s involved with the manuscript theft. In exchange they’ll eliminate her debt.
She’s no spy, but she gets drawn into the investigation. She becomes involved with a circle of writers on the island, each more colorful and dysfunctional than the next, and finds herself being pulled into the orbit of Bruce Cable, the handsome and enigmatic bookstore owner who may or may not also deal in stolen books.
As they get closer and closer to finding out the truth, Mercer isn’t sure how she wants things to end. She likes being part of the action, and she finds herself drawn to Bruce and his wife, Nicole. But who’s playing whom?
It’s been forever since I’ve read a John Grisham book. I was a huge fan when his books first started coming out—I even met him at a signing (swoon) in the early 90s. I remember missing my stop on the metro one morning because I was so engrossed in reading. Somewhere I lost track of his stuff but I thought I’d pick this one up and see what I’ve been missing.
This was a fun, charming caper. Not a lot actually happens and things are a little confusing at times, but the story is pretty entertaining and the characters are appealing, so I enjoyed it. There’s no doubt Grisham knows how to tell a story!
I’m definitely interested in the follow-up, Camino Winds , and I may check out some of his other books as well.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2019.html.
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2020/01/my-favorite-books-of-decade.html.
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/the.bookishworld.of.yrralh/.
October 9, 2024
I went into reading this book with some trepidation because a lot of the reviews I read were negative. Actually, I wasn't going to read it until I found a copy in a Little Free Library box while on vacation and decided to give it a try after all. I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was really quite enjoyable.
Grisham usually writes legal thrillers, but this was one of his diversions from that genre that he produces now and then.
The story was presented in layers and built to a surprising conclusion.
I'm glad I disregarded those negative reviews. You never know when or where you'll find a gem.
Grisham usually writes legal thrillers, but this was one of his diversions from that genre that he produces now and then.
The story was presented in layers and built to a surprising conclusion.
I'm glad I disregarded those negative reviews. You never know when or where you'll find a gem.
June 25, 2017
Seldom has such a good premise and beginning of a novel fallen as far and as fast as this. The story languishes with not one, but two inept agencies looking for perpetrators, despite apprehending some immediately. The weak and incomplete ending finishes this bottomless piece. 0 of 10 stars
August 17, 2022
“Writers are generally split into two camps: those who carefully outline their stories and know the ending before they begin, and those who refuse to do so upon the theory that once a character is created he or she will do something interesting.”Unlike some other reviewers, I like Mercer and Bruce and the whole Camino Island scene. But the story gets a bit choppy after a strong opening. Characters disappear and reappear too abruptly. When a character asks ‘how did you know,’ getting the answer ‘I always knew’ is pretty unsatisfying without more explanation. And the resolution to the novel felt very rushed. There could have been many more chapters of cat and mouse that Mr. Grisham apparently decided he didn’t feel like writing.
Still Mr. Grisham’s skills as a storyteller are solid, as always. Camino Island is not Grisham’s best, but it’s not his worst. If you’ve never read any if his books before, you should definitely start with one of his better, earlier works.
June 7, 2017
1. Grisham is one of my favorite authors.
2. I have read all 37 of his previous works listed in the front of this novel.
3. Every one of them has been a good story; many were great.
4. His characters, stories, and writing pull you right in and along.
5. I have hardcover copies of all of his works.
6. I usually purchase them the first day they go on sale.
7. I often read them in one sitting.
8. I read this one in one sitting and enjoyed it very much.
2. I have read all 37 of his previous works listed in the front of this novel.
3. Every one of them has been a good story; many were great.
4. His characters, stories, and writing pull you right in and along.
5. I have hardcover copies of all of his works.
6. I usually purchase them the first day they go on sale.
7. I often read them in one sitting.
8. I read this one in one sitting and enjoyed it very much.
June 13, 2017
If I could change the title, I think I'd rename it Anatomy of a Heist. The writing is very matter-of-fact - nothing very thrilling or exciting - that begins with the theft of five one-of-a-kind F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts from the bowels of the Princeton University Firestone Library. From there, it follows the day-to-day (often minute-by-minute) lives of the thieves and those who want to find them and bring the manuscripts back to their rightful home. It's divided into sections, each of which details the relevant characters and events pretty much on a minute-by-minute basis.
"The Heist," the opening section, brings readers an up-close-and-personal look at the robbers and how they planned the job and carried off the loot. "The Dealer" focuses on Bruce Cable, owner of a popular bookstore on Florida's Camino Island who collects rare books and, despite having a gorgeous French wife who deals in antiques, is quite the ladies' man. That's followed by "The Recruit," which introduces Mercer Mann, a semi-successful novelist and current teacher at the University of North Carolina. She's desperately trying to get out of a writing slump, hoping to get published and sell enough books to pay off her massive student loans and live the life of a successful writer.
In earlier days, Mercer was a frequent visitor to Camino Island and thus is familiar with its small tourist town of Santa Rosa, where Bruce's bookstore is located. When powers-that-be suspect that Bruce somehow may be involved in the theft of the manuscripts, which are insured for a whopping $25 million, she's considered the perfect "spy" and is offered the job of getting close enough to Bruce to learn his secrets. What they're willing to pay for her services is mind-boggling; but she wonders if its worth selling her soul as a snitch. Even if she can get over that hump, does she have what it takes to convince Bruce that she's just a curious, temporary island resident who has an interest in old books? And what if it turns out that Bruce has no secrets at all?
From there, the story unfolds bit by bit, section by section - always in a mostly narrative, little dialogue fashion. For readers, that means no nail-biting or edge-of-seat balancing, which may not sit all that well with those who demand knock-'em-dead action (nor will, perhaps, the lack of courtroom drama). But as with any writer worth his or her salt, the devil is in the details - and in that respect, Grisham is as good as it gets. It was fascinating to see how deftly he weaves together all the bits and pieces into the whole story that builds to the ending - which, as might be expected, is understated as well. Good job!
"The Heist," the opening section, brings readers an up-close-and-personal look at the robbers and how they planned the job and carried off the loot. "The Dealer" focuses on Bruce Cable, owner of a popular bookstore on Florida's Camino Island who collects rare books and, despite having a gorgeous French wife who deals in antiques, is quite the ladies' man. That's followed by "The Recruit," which introduces Mercer Mann, a semi-successful novelist and current teacher at the University of North Carolina. She's desperately trying to get out of a writing slump, hoping to get published and sell enough books to pay off her massive student loans and live the life of a successful writer.
In earlier days, Mercer was a frequent visitor to Camino Island and thus is familiar with its small tourist town of Santa Rosa, where Bruce's bookstore is located. When powers-that-be suspect that Bruce somehow may be involved in the theft of the manuscripts, which are insured for a whopping $25 million, she's considered the perfect "spy" and is offered the job of getting close enough to Bruce to learn his secrets. What they're willing to pay for her services is mind-boggling; but she wonders if its worth selling her soul as a snitch. Even if she can get over that hump, does she have what it takes to convince Bruce that she's just a curious, temporary island resident who has an interest in old books? And what if it turns out that Bruce has no secrets at all?
From there, the story unfolds bit by bit, section by section - always in a mostly narrative, little dialogue fashion. For readers, that means no nail-biting or edge-of-seat balancing, which may not sit all that well with those who demand knock-'em-dead action (nor will, perhaps, the lack of courtroom drama). But as with any writer worth his or her salt, the devil is in the details - and in that respect, Grisham is as good as it gets. It was fascinating to see how deftly he weaves together all the bits and pieces into the whole story that builds to the ending - which, as might be expected, is understated as well. Good job!
July 29, 2017
4*
This is a stand alone by the author and not a legal mystery. The first 80 pages or so set up the plot. Chapter 1 is about a theft of 5 original F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts from Princeton University.
Chapter 2 is about a bookstore owner, Bruce Cable, on Camino Island, Florida, near Jacksonville.
Chapter 3, titled "The Recruit" is about an unemployed writer, Mercer Mann, recruited by a representative of the insurance company that is on the hook for $25 million. They want Mercer to go to Camino Island and get close to Bruce and find out if he has the stolen manuscripts. They offer her a $100,000. She says no, but when they offer to pay off her student debt, now$60,000, she agrees.
Some other players:
Denny, one of the thieves, a cold blooded killer
Noelle, Bruce's wife. She and Bruce have an open marriage.
I liked the way the plot unfolded and thought the characters were believable and well written. I didn't expect the ending, but I liked it. My wife didn't like the ending and thought the first part of the book was too slow.
One quote, describing a local eccentric author's house: "In the air there was a less than pleasant odor of what seemed to be a mix of stale cigarette smoke and dirty dogs. The furniture was old flea market stuff, but quirky and engaging."
Thanks to Doubleday for sending me this book through the Goodreads giveaway program.
This is a stand alone by the author and not a legal mystery. The first 80 pages or so set up the plot. Chapter 1 is about a theft of 5 original F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts from Princeton University.
Chapter 2 is about a bookstore owner, Bruce Cable, on Camino Island, Florida, near Jacksonville.
Chapter 3, titled "The Recruit" is about an unemployed writer, Mercer Mann, recruited by a representative of the insurance company that is on the hook for $25 million. They want Mercer to go to Camino Island and get close to Bruce and find out if he has the stolen manuscripts. They offer her a $100,000. She says no, but when they offer to pay off her student debt, now$60,000, she agrees.
Some other players:
Denny, one of the thieves, a cold blooded killer
Noelle, Bruce's wife. She and Bruce have an open marriage.
I liked the way the plot unfolded and thought the characters were believable and well written. I didn't expect the ending, but I liked it. My wife didn't like the ending and thought the first part of the book was too slow.
One quote, describing a local eccentric author's house: "In the air there was a less than pleasant odor of what seemed to be a mix of stale cigarette smoke and dirty dogs. The furniture was old flea market stuff, but quirky and engaging."
Thanks to Doubleday for sending me this book through the Goodreads giveaway program.
May 22, 2021
Nobody so popular produces such a mix of duds and gems. This one is mostly dud; Grisham really phoned it in. Voice: he insists on giving us the dramatic action scene to start the story in 'tell' mode, skimming along as the sophisticated crooks do everything perfectly and steal Fitzgerald's manuscripts from Princeton University. Yay! A perfectly planned crime that goes off without a hitch! I don't care about the bad guys, who get almost no live scenes, and I haven't met the good guys. So we jump to Mercer, a struggling writer, who's just lost her teaching position. She's not making progress on her current novel, but she doesn't really want to look for work. Is this a thriller or a snoozer?
Yay! More telling. The FBI follows the bad guys and arrests two of them without a hitch. Yawn. The remaining, super-tough, highly-trained, former military crook hides the manuscripts and disappears. The crooks had a perfect plan in case any of them were caught! Yay! What lazy plotting! Everything goes great!
And so it goes. An insurance company proxy offers Mercer a pile of money to spy on the guy they suspect may be hiding the manuscripts. Now, at least, we get some live scenes, even if they're just Mercer meeting quirky writers on Camino Island. Meanwhile, the very-bad guy has decided he didn't make a good deal, and he's going to steal the manuscripts back. Why not? He tortures and kills to find out who has the five books now, setting up an awesome, tense, exciting sequence where Mercer is spying on the guy with goods, the insurance company is getting ready to bust him, and the bad guy is sneaking up on him, ready to kill him and take the stuff. But no, it doesn't happen. Instead, things happen smoothly and without tension, and everybody gets what they want. So deflating.
Back in 2005 Grisham wrote--attempted to write--an international thriller titled 'The Broker.' It had meaningless silent ninja killers who didn't do anything, ridiculous magical software that would change the balance of world power (oh, come on. write your own code.) and other incoherent plot and character issues. Camino Island is not as bad, but it feels similar, unsatisfying, shabbily written, and lacking tension or cleverness.
I like to diss Grisham because he's written several novels that sizzled, 'The Firm', 'The Runaway Jury', 'The Brethren' and several others. What's interesting to me about Grisham, is that he can switch hit: do a lazy piece of crap like this, and then come back with something engaging. It forces me to keep checking back.
Yay! More telling. The FBI follows the bad guys and arrests two of them without a hitch. Yawn. The remaining, super-tough, highly-trained, former military crook hides the manuscripts and disappears. The crooks had a perfect plan in case any of them were caught! Yay! What lazy plotting! Everything goes great!
And so it goes. An insurance company proxy offers Mercer a pile of money to spy on the guy they suspect may be hiding the manuscripts. Now, at least, we get some live scenes, even if they're just Mercer meeting quirky writers on Camino Island. Meanwhile, the very-bad guy has decided he didn't make a good deal, and he's going to steal the manuscripts back. Why not? He tortures and kills to find out who has the five books now, setting up an awesome, tense, exciting sequence where Mercer is spying on the guy with goods, the insurance company is getting ready to bust him, and the bad guy is sneaking up on him, ready to kill him and take the stuff. But no, it doesn't happen. Instead, things happen smoothly and without tension, and everybody gets what they want. So deflating.
Back in 2005 Grisham wrote--attempted to write--an international thriller titled 'The Broker.' It had meaningless silent ninja killers who didn't do anything, ridiculous magical software that would change the balance of world power (oh, come on. write your own code.) and other incoherent plot and character issues. Camino Island is not as bad, but it feels similar, unsatisfying, shabbily written, and lacking tension or cleverness.
I like to diss Grisham because he's written several novels that sizzled, 'The Firm', 'The Runaway Jury', 'The Brethren' and several others. What's interesting to me about Grisham, is that he can switch hit: do a lazy piece of crap like this, and then come back with something engaging. It forces me to keep checking back.
July 16, 2023
This book has been sitting on my TBR begging to be read. Little did I know that is was about a theft of stolen manuscripts belonging to F. Scott Fitzgerald.
I learned a lot from this book about book selling, first editions and the black market. I love reading mysteries about stolen art and books. This book was right up my alley.
A team of five people stage a heist at Princeton University to steal the original manuscripts of F. Scott Fitzgerald. You wouldn’t think they could get away with it, but they did.
Bruce Cable owns a bookstore on Camino Island in Florida.
Mercer Mann down on her luck who happens to inherit a cottage from grandmother on the island is approached by a strange women, who works for an insurance company. She is asked to go undercover and become friendly with Bruce to seek what she can find.
She is offered a financial sum to pay off all her debts. The mystery woman believes Bruce holds the secrets to the missing manuscripts.
This is not your usual court room drama novel. It is a well written drama filled with twists and turns.
A wonderful summer read.
I learned a lot from this book about book selling, first editions and the black market. I love reading mysteries about stolen art and books. This book was right up my alley.
A team of five people stage a heist at Princeton University to steal the original manuscripts of F. Scott Fitzgerald. You wouldn’t think they could get away with it, but they did.
Bruce Cable owns a bookstore on Camino Island in Florida.
Mercer Mann down on her luck who happens to inherit a cottage from grandmother on the island is approached by a strange women, who works for an insurance company. She is asked to go undercover and become friendly with Bruce to seek what she can find.
She is offered a financial sum to pay off all her debts. The mystery woman believes Bruce holds the secrets to the missing manuscripts.
This is not your usual court room drama novel. It is a well written drama filled with twists and turns.
A wonderful summer read.
January 30, 2021
I don't read John Grisham novels often, legal thrillers are not really my thing. But, this is more of a crime novel. It makes me realize, I may be missing out, Mr. Grisham is a great writer. I've seen the movies, but his books have eluded me.
I loved everything about this story! It provided a look into a world I enjoy visiting, but know little about. This is a tale about book stores, books, and trafficking of stolen tomes and manuscripts. It's gripping, engaging, and quite entertaining.
Grab a copy... It delivers!
I loved everything about this story! It provided a look into a world I enjoy visiting, but know little about. This is a tale about book stores, books, and trafficking of stolen tomes and manuscripts. It's gripping, engaging, and quite entertaining.
Grab a copy... It delivers!
June 13, 2017
As close to chicklit as Grisham could get (accomplished woman in dire straits is only person in the world who can help the FBI nail their man). But the writing is trademark crisp, and who wouldn't love a story where the mcguffin is the original manuscript for The Great Gatsby.
September 2, 2017
While this was a much better book than Grisham's recent efforts (e.g. "Rogue Lawyer") it still is not at the same level as his earlier books (e.g. "A Time To Kill", "The Chamber"). In some ways this reminded me of "Gray Mountain". A female lead who is suddenly out of a job and finds herself in changed circumstances. This is not a thriller or page turner. This is not about race or the death penalty or any other theme to make you stop and think. This would make a nice beach read.
The story opens with a gang of thieves staging a daring robbery from a secure vault below Princeton University’s Firestone Library. Their loot? Several F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts. The FBI is called in and despite a promising start the ring leader and manuscripts disappear.
Bruce Cable owns a bookstore in the small resort town of Santa Rosa on Camino Island in Florida. He loves the business and especially loves rare books and first editions. Few people know he also deals in the black market of stolen books and manuscripts. He has done very well and authors often stop by his store on book tours.
Mercer Mann has recently been laid off from her teaching position at a North Carolina college. She has written one novel, which did well, and a collection of short stories but is suffering from a severe case of writer’s block. She also has student loan debts which are difficult to pay off when employed. Just in time she is approached by a mysterious woman working for an even more mysterious company. A generous offer of money and having her student debt paid off convinces Mercer to go undercover and get close to Bruce Cable. Close enough to him to learn his secrets. It seems Mercer spent summers during her childhood with her grandmother at a cottage on Camino Island. The cottage is still in the family and Mercer will go there to write a new, long overdue, novel.
The ringleader in the theft from Princeton was never caught. It would appear that he made a quick deal to sell the stolen manuscripts but suddenly he is back. And wants the manuscripts. Despite a strong start to the story I found the ending was rather poor and disappointing. Despite this it was still an enjoyable read. Nothing too serious. No real theme or anything to think about. A nice story to read while on a beach somewhere.
The story opens with a gang of thieves staging a daring robbery from a secure vault below Princeton University’s Firestone Library. Their loot? Several F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts. The FBI is called in and despite a promising start the ring leader and manuscripts disappear.
Bruce Cable owns a bookstore in the small resort town of Santa Rosa on Camino Island in Florida. He loves the business and especially loves rare books and first editions. Few people know he also deals in the black market of stolen books and manuscripts. He has done very well and authors often stop by his store on book tours.
Mercer Mann has recently been laid off from her teaching position at a North Carolina college. She has written one novel, which did well, and a collection of short stories but is suffering from a severe case of writer’s block. She also has student loan debts which are difficult to pay off when employed. Just in time she is approached by a mysterious woman working for an even more mysterious company. A generous offer of money and having her student debt paid off convinces Mercer to go undercover and get close to Bruce Cable. Close enough to him to learn his secrets. It seems Mercer spent summers during her childhood with her grandmother at a cottage on Camino Island. The cottage is still in the family and Mercer will go there to write a new, long overdue, novel.
The ringleader in the theft from Princeton was never caught. It would appear that he made a quick deal to sell the stolen manuscripts but suddenly he is back. And wants the manuscripts. Despite a strong start to the story I found the ending was rather poor and disappointing. Despite this it was still an enjoyable read. Nothing too serious. No real theme or anything to think about. A nice story to read while on a beach somewhere.
May 23, 2020
This was an entertaining summer beach read, with none of Grisham's usual courtroom legal drama. There is no mystery for the reader to solve, only for the reader to see how this drama will all play out.
Thieves steal F. Scott Fitzgerald's priceless original manuscripts from Princeton University. Princeton had these priceless manuscripts insured for 25 million. Princeton's insurance company sets out to recover the manuscripts, to keep from paying out.
Mercer Mann is a broke young novelist. She is suddenly offered a lucrative job to go undercover and befriend Bruce Cable, a book store owner on Camino Island, who may be dealing stolen books and manuscripts. Mercer and Bruce become friends, and the reader wonders just how close these two will get, there is an attraction between the two. Will Mercer fall in love with Bruce? Will Mercer turn him in or quit this undercover job that feels like a betrayal to Bruce? Several moral aspects come into play for Mercer, who has never worked undercover before, and she genuinely likes Bruce.
I have not read Grisham in 10 plus years, and this one is unlike his typical legal thrillers. It is entertaining but does not feel like a thriller, but more like a summer beach read.
Thieves steal F. Scott Fitzgerald's priceless original manuscripts from Princeton University. Princeton had these priceless manuscripts insured for 25 million. Princeton's insurance company sets out to recover the manuscripts, to keep from paying out.
Mercer Mann is a broke young novelist. She is suddenly offered a lucrative job to go undercover and befriend Bruce Cable, a book store owner on Camino Island, who may be dealing stolen books and manuscripts. Mercer and Bruce become friends, and the reader wonders just how close these two will get, there is an attraction between the two. Will Mercer fall in love with Bruce? Will Mercer turn him in or quit this undercover job that feels like a betrayal to Bruce? Several moral aspects come into play for Mercer, who has never worked undercover before, and she genuinely likes Bruce.
I have not read Grisham in 10 plus years, and this one is unlike his typical legal thrillers. It is entertaining but does not feel like a thriller, but more like a summer beach read.
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