Camino Island by John Grisham

Camino Island by John Grisham

3.68 out of 5
(40 customer reviews)

$29.97

“Camino Island” is a book by John Grisham about a rare book dealer and a writer. They join a heist to steal valuable manuscripts from a university library. The story delves into literary theft, book selling, and chasing stolen literary treasures.

Book Summary

Princeton University’s Firestone Library houses F. Scott Fitzgerald’s original manuscripts of five novels. A group of five thieves steal them, but their success is short-lived. Two members are caught, and the leader, Denny, sells the manuscripts to a rare book dealer for half a million dollars before escaping to Panama.

Months later, Denny returns to find the manuscripts with Bruce Cable, who owns Bay Books in Florida. Denny’s arrival spells trouble for Bruce, as he’s determined and ruthless, even killing a team member.

The insurance company covering the manuscripts suspects Bruce, leading them to hire Mercer Mann, a struggling writer, to infiltrate Bruce’s circle. Mercer reluctantly accepts the job, despite her childhood ties to Camino Island.

With Elaine’s help, Mercer befriends Bruce and his wife, Noelle, confirming that Bruce possesses at least one Fitzgerald manuscript. The FBI joins the investigation, but when they search Bruce’s vault, they find nothing. Bruce had outsmarted Mercer from the start, shipping the manuscripts to France to ransom them back to Princeton for $4 million each.

Months later, Bruce finds Mercer teaching at a university in Illinois. He forgives her, and they part as friends, leaving Mercer undecided about returning to Camino Island.

Specifications

ISBN: 0385543026

EAN13: 9780385543026

Language: English

Release Date: Jun 6, 2017

Pages: 304

Dimensions: 0.91″ H x 9.25″ L x 6.13″ W

Weight: 1.39 lbs.

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: Doubleday

 

40 reviews for Camino Island by John Grisham

  1. Claud Kilback
    1 out of 5
    Such a weak plot with meaningless characterization. Holes in the story. What's genre of this story. Waste of time. I wouldn't recommend at all.
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    Kelly Schowalter
    1 out of 5
    Well, the title says it all. A Novel. No twists. No particularly interesting characters. Plods along. To a predictable ending. Pass this one by.
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    Bobbie Bosco
    4 out of 5
    I love anything by Grisham. This was a bit hard to follow. Great plot, but a lot of characters made it confusing at times. I'm still a loyal follower though.
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    Titilayo Aligbe
    5 out of 5
    This was a quick read, finished in 3 days. Really enjoyed the easy read and that the more intimate scenes were tasteful. Interested in reading more by thus author!
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    Alade Israel
    5 out of 5
    As always, great characters, intriguing storyline and and great visuals of events and scenarios…thank you Mr. Grisham for yet another outstanding read.
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    Marjorie Atuhire
    2 out of 5
    Have really enjoyed early Grisham books. Recent ones? Not so much. Read this in one sitting, not because It was a thriller page turner but because I was bed-ridden. “Writer” Characters with potential—but pretty “stock” (quirky lesbian couple, drunk with a sad back story, Ann Rice character with normal family life) Its obvious to me now they were introduced for later books in a series which the cheesy ending blatantly sets up . The robbery at the beginning was brilliant and got the book started off on an exciting pace, but then those characters were almost totally dropped until the end, when that part of the plot had to be wrapped up. BUT the teaser of the protagonist's grandmother dying under mysterious circumstances and the introduction of the “kindly” care-taker/gardener who knew her WAS NOT solved but shelved for a later book. Like I said “Meh”. Just an introduction book for a series, which I will not purchase. Sorry, John, not even good enough for a sick bed.
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    Fernando Harber
    5 out of 5
    Enjoyable easy read with a few good twistGood start to this 3 book series ready to read the next
    Helpful? 0 0
    Rachel Richards
    4 out of 5
    This was an easy read about the theft of priceless original manuscripts, a bookseller who may dabble in stolen books, and a young author/writing professor. Mercer Mann goes to Camino Island where she spent summers as a child under the guise of finishing her second novel. She's really there to help investigate local bookstore owner Bruce Cable who may or may not have the stolen manuscripts.Mercer fits right in with the eclectic group of authors on the island and wonders if she's made a mistake going back to a place that holds so many wonderful and painful memories.I enjoyed the story and the simple writing. This would make a great beach read. It doesn't have a lot of the legal text Grisham is known for.
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    Derek Hoosen
    5 out of 5
    I enjoyed the plot development. The characters were believable and well defined.It was a fast read because I couldn't wait to see which way the story would go.
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    Varun Karnik
    5 out of 5
    Intriguing book. Multiple stories developed in parallel, separate but linked. Characters were real enough yet also unbelievable. Overall a good read.
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    Vineeta Mallick
    2 out of 5
    What can i say…obvious and boring. What a surprise since its Grisham. I only finished it to see if anything happens…
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    Azhar Joshi
    5 out of 5
    Camino Island is thoughtful and well laid out. Good character development that occurs over decades.Some international twists they fit well with that story line.
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    Cassie Barton
    5 out of 5
    Grisham at his finest. Great character development, superb plot and a delightful ending. Thanks John for another well written novel.
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    Evert Turner
    5 out of 5
    Another winner for John Grisham. Very Engaging. Good storyline. Loved the characters. Can't wait to read the next Camino book.
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    Sabina Byaruhanga
    5 out of 5
    Unique plot. Eccentric and colorful characters. So refreshing to read great fiction that does not rely on filthy language or perverted sex to sell. An actual brilliant mind writing great books.
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    Rajesh Bedi
    1 out of 5
    So disappointing. Heroine isn't worth rooting for. Her foil/chaser is described as such a nice guy, but he didn't seem it to me. Resolution was rushed & flat. I don't want to meet these characters again in the next Camino story.
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    Cathrine Schinner
    4 out of 5
    Enjoyable read. Looking forward to the rest of the story. Especially liked the epilogue. Make some time for light reading.
    Helpful? 0 0
    Ruby Clark
    1 out of 5
    Description states that this is a signed first edition. The book received is a first edition but it is not signed.
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    Chinyere Yussuf
    4 out of 5
    This one meandered and although I enjoyed it, it suffers by comparison to his other books. That being said, it was still better than almost any other author could do. Grisham is a masterful storyteller and I will read everything he's written by the end of 2023.
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    Junior Kovacek
    4 out of 5
    Me
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    Karolann Considine
    2 out of 5
    This book was immediately engaging with good characters and an interesting, if overdone, plot. 7/8 of the way through the book falls on its face with a ridiculously predicable ending predicated on gross, unbelievable mistakes. Grisham got his pay day on this book for name sake only. I'm glad I didn't pay for my wholly disappointing copy. This is no Pelican Brief.
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    Tracy Allie
    4 out of 5
    Recommended
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    Effie Botsford
    5 out of 5
    Loved it! Kept me guessing & wondering! Would she get caught, whose going to jail? And saying good bye to a great figure in your life. We all grieve differently!
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    Blanca Marquardt
    1 out of 5
    ...and should have quit sooner.Spare yourself some grief and avoid this one like the plague. I rarely write a bad review but just had to this time.I enjoyed the first 37 pages pretty much; they moved very fast and I thought the heist was reasonably interesting. Those types of characters (the criminals) aren't the type I like to hang around with much, but the detail surrounding their caper kept my attention. I found the main character, Bruce Cable, to be shallow (he appears on page 39), but when Mercer Mann (the female lead) showed up on page 59, I began to have serious doubts. And actually, when she and "Elaine" started their first lunch on page 60 (grilled chicken salads with sparkling water) I pretty much knew I wouldn't be able to finish. All the same, I carried on until page 90. (Sad...)Good luck to you if you read this mess of a novel.
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    Carey Von
    1 out of 5
    When I opened the plastic off of book, it reeked of "cigarette smoke"!!
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    Viva Akankunda
    5 out of 5
    A heist of priceless documents, and the plot to recover them gets Mercer involved for a price. What seems an impossible ruse becomes an actual plan and darn if it doesn't seem to work. Or does it work? The complex characters take Twists and turns as always with a writer of Grisham's caliber. And in the end…ah you're going to have to read it for yourself to find out.
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    Kaylee Treutel
    5 out of 5
    Excellent condition
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    Thando Van Jaarsveld
    1 out of 5
    I wont repeat the detail from the other 1 star reviews, but wholly agree. I cannot believe John Grisham had anything to do with this. Utter silliness. Dont care about the main character; inconsistent values; romance has no chemistry; plot is like Intro to Fiction class paper... dont waste your time....Sorry but feel like I have to help a stranger...
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    Ray Cooper
    5 out of 5
    good service , great price, for used audio cd.
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    Hrishikesh Hayre
    1 out of 5
    It seemed John was more interested in writing about the world of sleazy authors than actually producing an interesting novel. The crime takes of all 10-pages while the remainder of the book is spent on spineless, philandering deadbeats and their sex-capades. You'll come away from this book with zero inspiration, zero interest in the plot (what little there is) and zero interest in the pointless, empty, gossipy lives of its characters. To be completely candid, I thought my 85-year-old aunt Biddy wrote this novel... it's exactly what she loves talking about... and exactly why I get bored listening to her. John hit rock bottom with this one.
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    Onoriode Akintade
    5 out of 5
    Always enjoy John Grisham's books. Easy fast read. A real page turner. Difficult to put down. I now must read Camino Winds.
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    Mashudu Malan
    5 out of 5
    One clue too many, the clue stood out, but I didn't know who would figure it out- it escaped detection because of the confusion between the 2 groups of people involved.
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    Amos Kabanda
    5 out of 5
    Excelente libro.
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    Oluwunmi Opeyemi
    5 out of 5
    Excellent
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    Namita Sastry
    5 out of 5
    As it is always the case, John Grisham's book was very well written, kept me engaged and flipping pages...I did anticipate the twist at the ending, so one could say the story was hackneyed. However, the fact that I finished the book pretty quickly does tell me that the end was not as predictable as I thought it would be... 😀
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    Cameron Graham
    5 out of 5
    Good story. Fast read. Will keep your interest right to the end. Another Grisham story well told.
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    Gerhard Pretorius
    5 out of 5
    This was one of favorite John Grisham novels. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Good story. Good characters. Positive and focused on the good guys. I liked that.
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    Hari Vyas
    5 out of 5
    This is a good read. Intricate plot and details. I started it and couldn't put it down. It was a great escape.
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    Satishwar Chandran
    3 out of 5
    Love his writing, no matter what he writes.. but this didn't give me my fill. Still a creative and entertaining story nonetheless.
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    Tanya Gleichner
    1 out of 5
    It's Thanksgiving weekend, I came down with a cold and decided to borrow this as an audio book from my local library.What a bunch of junk! I could have written this heap. The ending was especially terrible.The characters are ridiculous, there is no intrigue, it's boring, unbelievable and even somewhat hokey.If I had to choose between this book and my cold, I would choose the virus!!!
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