“But Camino Island and its hint of the supernatural hold writing promises for Mercer.”
John Grisham’s latest thriller stays true to the novelist’s celebrated storytelling identity as a master of literary and legal enchantments. But that is not all. The seasoned writer skillfully blends the murky world of real estate development, land conflicts, and rights in a setting where the past haunts the present. Set on a deserted fictional island and fittingly titled Camino Ghosts, the book continues Grisham’s excellent storytelling tradition, a successful writing history spanning over three decades.
Camino Ghosts is a story of the conflict arising when an influential and prosperous resort designer sets foot on Camino Island. It is a story also woven around the charming novelist Mercer Mann, bookseller Bruce Cable, and native resident Lovely Jackson. A great deal of Camino’s myth of enchantment further imparts a gripping and entertaining excellence to the novel’s fictional world and its legion of characters.
The novel’s opening scene is an attractive and pleasing setting carved out on Camino Island, where Mercer Mann and Thomas, her sexually attractive groom, unite in marriage. The opening chapter is a rite of passage for Mercer and Thomas. It sets the scene for a fascinating read with characters ranging from pleasurable and successful writers to miserable characters. It also parades wine-guzzling figures and characters with a penchant for drama and absurdity, once under the influence of substances.
Along with its twists and resolutions, Camino Ghosts highlights writers and the challenge of staying relevant in the dynamic world of writing and publishing. The novel presents a world where publishers and readers stare down at writers, actively nudging them for hits after hits. Mercer Mann experiences this sort of pressure. The successful novelist must reignite her old storytelling genius with her editor at Viking Press. But Camino Island and its hint of the supernatural hold writing promises for Mercer.
Other books in the Camino series include Camino Island and Camino Winds. Penguin Random House is the publisher of Camino Ghosts. Whoopi Goldberg narrates the novel’s audio version. Released in late May, Camino Ghosts is available globally.
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