Book Review: Camino Island—By John Grisham

While on vacation with my dad, I had finished the two books I had initially planned on reading. As a result, my dad kindly (forced) me to read one of his extra books—Camino Island by John Grisham. I had never read a John Grisham before, but I have enjoyed every mystery book I've read, so I figured I would give it a try.

Brief Synopsis

Camino Island follows the story of what happened to the five original Fitzgerald manuscripts when they were stolen from Princeton's library. These priceless original manuscripts are worth millions of dollars, and when they are still nowhere to be found months after the Princeton heist, the FBI starts coming up with creative solutions to track down leads and recover the manuscripts. The story essentially follows three main storylines that intersect throughout the book. The first follows a manuscript thief who evades the law while his accomplices are caught by the FBI. The next follows an avid bookshop owner with a thriving bookstore located on Camino Island. The last follows a young writer struggling to get her second book finished when she gets asked to undergo a secret mission on Camino Island.

Camino Island by John Grisham book cover from Amazon.com.

Personal review

This book was an interesting read. I started it on vacation, and I read the first 150–200 pages quite quickly. I think the beginning heist did a great job of hooking the reader and keeping me engaged in what was to come right from the first few chapters. I do generally like books that follow different characters who then intersect by the end of the book, so I was quick to follow the concept as Grisham introduced a completely new character with a totally random background within the first 100 pages. 

I was also excited when Grisham quickly introduced us to the third character, who would be the pivotal plot instigator for the rest of the story. However, after a few chapters featuring this protagonist, I began to lose my initial interest and excitement in the story. I will admit this is also when I was returning from my vacation and re-entering my daily life, which typically doesn't include the same time allotment for reading as lying on the beach does. 

I did enjoy the end of the book, and I think in general it was exciting to see where Grisham was going to take the story after the slight twist towards the last 50 pages of the book. However, I don't think the ending was a complete surprise, yet most mysteries aren't. If the author leaves you enough clues, the ending should never be a complete surprise. I believe Grisham is a good author; however, I feel the book lost its momentum, especially toward the end of the middle section. And although the resolution was written well, it paled in comparison to the enticement he built at the beginning of the story.

Favourite quote

"Plans—nothing ever goes as planned, and the survivors are the ones who can adapt on the fly."

My rating: 6.5/10