In June 2017, John Grisham published an offbeat novel that wasn’t a legal thriller focusing on lawyers. Instead, he took aim at the world of bookstores, publishing, and writers. It began 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 Bruce Cable, the popular independent bookstore owner of Bay Books on Camino Island and prominent dealer in rare books that is thought to have or know who is in possession of the manuscripts.
I thought the book was interesting and well worth the read. However, there were many others who just didn’t get into it the way I did. Many readers posted unfavorable reviews and feedback, finding the book slow and not as fulfilling as expected. Now, Grisham is returning to Camino Island for a second time and bringing Cable and his odd-ball band of writers with him. And as much as I hate to even say the words, after reading “Camino Winds” I find myself moving towards the same camp as those readers who didn’t enjoy the first one.
This time around Bruce Cable is preparing for the return of bestselling author, Mercer Mann, to a book signing at his popular Bay Books store. However, Hurricane Leo crashes the party and the island in a destructive fashion. A mandatory evacuation is ordered by the governor causing most of the residents to board up their houses and head to the mainland. However, Bruce and few members of his writing group decide to stay and watch over their homes and businesses.
Leo tears through the island, including homes, businesses, and hotels, leaving devastation, ruin, and flooding in its wake. Following the hurricane, Bruce and his buddies go out to check on the homes and stores of their friends to secure the damage. To their surprise, they discover that their fellow thriller writing friend, Nelson Kerr, appears to be an apparent victim of murder after suffering several suspicious strikes to the head from a blunt instrument.
When the local police are overwhelmed from dealing with the cleanup from the storm and poorly equipped in solving the case, Bruce and his buddies start forming their own theories and possible motives for their friend’s possible murder. Kerr had just finished his latest novel and the manuscript appears to be missing from his hard drive. Could that be the key to what got him killed? As Bruce and his writer team’s investigation moves forward, they find themselves getting into shockingly dangerous territory with enemies willing to kill to protect their secrets.
The book description makes it sound interesting and tantalizing. However, the problem is that the book doesn’t really deliver that on that advertisement. It’s interesting, don’t get me wrong. A nice summer beach read that can be knocked off in a day or two. I especially enjoyed the character of Nick Sutton, a bright college student, bookstore employee of Brice’s, and mystery reader extraordinaire. His story arc was a strength throughout the book and I hope to see more of him in future Camino island novels. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that “Camino Winds” is a leisurely style read. The murder mystery is thin, slow and drawn out in almost casual manner. There is no real drama or tension in solving Kerr’s murder, which mostly takes place away from the island, a bit poorly developed, and several key plot points occur offscreen (which was fairly frustrating at times).
It’s not that the book is bad, it’s just not that good. It lacks tension and personal connection. It almost comes across as trying to be one of those cozy mystery series set in a small town with quirky characters with a shot of Grisham legal flair thrown in. However, it doesn’t really work that well and the outcome lacked in suspense.
There is no doubt that Grisham knows how to tell a story that readers enjoy. He is a master storyteller that has written more winners than I can name off the top of my head. Last Fall he published “The Guardians”, which is one of his best. This Spring he followed it up with “Camino Winds” which I believe is one of his okay, but nothing more, outings.
Better luck next time John. I am sure you will bounce back and I am willing to bet on it…