A JOHN GRISHAM BOOK RECOMMENDATION
Camino Winds: A Book Review
Camino Winds is a bestselling thriller that takes us back to Camino Island amidst a destructive hurricane, and murder ensues.
Camino Island is an island off the coast of Florida. Although only John Grisham knows for sure, Camino Island appears to be Amelia Island.
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According to Bill Selnes in Mysteries and More Blogspot
“Grisham and his wife, Renee, dreamed up the idea for “Camino Island on a drive from their home outside Charlottesville, Va., to their beach house in Florida. Its working title was the name of the place where they have a vacation home, but he eventually changed it for reasons of privacy. Its cover still looks like the view from Grisham’s boardwalk to the beach. That house is on the real-life Amelia Island.”
Even if you haven’t read Camino Island, you can enjoy Camino Winds. Camino Island was the first fiction in this series by John Grisham. Will there be more?
You can read my review of Camino Island here:
Camino Island is a novel about the theft of five original, hand-written F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts from Princeton’s Firestone Library by five imaginative yet nerdy guys. Soon, the insurance company got the idea that Bruce Cable, a Camino Island bookstore owner, bought the manuscripts.
They hatch a plan to find out if he has them that involves a young, beautiful author who has a boatload of student loan debt. What’s more, Mercer Mann has ties to Camino Island because she lived with her grandmother, Tessa, on the island.
Camino Winds Quick Summary
Camino Island is not your typical sleepy tropical island; it was already the backdrop of a suspenseful story of stolen manuscripts, nearly 100 years old, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and are considered priceless.
Camino Winds brings back most of the strange assortment of fiction writers, including Camino Island’s Mercer Mann. The main characters are a bit suspicious and eccentric, and at least one is a convicted felon.
During the horrific hurricane that devastates the island, this thriller reveals that one of the authors has been murdered.
What better place for a suspense thriller than a tropical island during and after a hurricane? What better cover-up for a murder than a hurricane?
The local law enforcement officers are mostly inept when it comes to solving the murder. In their defense, this is a small island, and not many crimes take place there, let alone murder.
Narration
The author, John Grisham, narrates the story and uses dialog and description to pull us into the story and keep us engrossed.
Setting
The crime novel is set on a fictitious island off the coast of Florida. Popular opinion places the island in northern Florida, near Jacksonville.
The time is modern-day, just three years after the conclusion of the mystery of the stolen F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscript thefts.
Theme
Camino Winds is a murder mystery with overtones of political drama. The murder mystery soon turns to Medicare fraud, mistreatment of nursing home patients, more murders, illegal drug use, and more drama.
Genre
This book is not your usual Grisham fare of courtroom drama. It is quite different than what we are used to from Grisham’s other works. This undoubtedly makes it unpopular with many of his faithful, but if you can put aside your bias, you could enjoy it for what it is.
It is the second novel in the Camino Island series that reintroduces several characters from the previous novel.
Author
John Grisham is the author of thirty novels, one of which is the crime novel Camino Island. Most of his world-famous books occurred in Clanton, MS, A Time to Kill, Sycamore Row, The Reckoning, and others.
You can read my review of Sycamore Row here:
Plot
From the broken island after a hurricane and the multiple deaths found in its aftermath, one death stands out: the murder of a best-selling crime drama author, Nelson Kerr.
His head wounds are not consistent with the battering of a hurricane, as there are four contusions. Plus, there are some of his blood droplets inside the house. How did those get there?
One of Bruce’s summer hires, a young male college student who consumes crime dramas like most teens devour burgers and fries, insists it was murder, not a product of the hurricane. He even predicts some of the details.
The local law enforcement officials are too busy to find a murderer, so the deceased author’s friends decide to solve the mystery.
The search for clues begins with Nelson’s computer, which is not only confiscated by the police but also encrypted. Nelson’s sister informs Bruce that she has the manuscript on a flash drive. Bruce starts to tear apart Nelson’s latest novel, which he finds more dangerous than expected.
My Opinion & Recommendation
Grisham always provides a fun ride in his novels. His characters come to life between the pages of his books.
Bruce Cable is my favorite character. He is smart, a bit older, tenacious, and owns a bookstore. I mean, what writer or reader wouldn’t want to own a bookstore on a tourist island?
The endings are always my favorite part of Grisham’s books, not because it’s over but because he wraps everything up so seamlessly.
If you can put your expectations aside, you will enjoy Camino Winds. I have read everything Grisham has written and published and will continue to keep him on my reading list.
Several of the same players are in Camino Winds, and its finish leads you to wonder if there is another coming.
I would recommend this book to anyone, but I would advise those Grisham faithful to keep an open mind. Although this is not the Grisham of thirty years ago, it is still enjoyable.
Conclusion
Read this book for fun. Don’t expect a book on the level of The Firm or A Time to Kill; instead, sit back, relax, and read this murder mystery. Camino Winds is currently number four (10 Jun 20202) on the NY Times Bestseller List of Fictions.
If you’ve read these two, you’ll be happy to know Grisham will release Camino Ghosts in May of ’24. You can pre-order it here.
Note: This post contains affiliate links. When you click on a link and buy the product, I make a small commission, which does not change your price. Read my disclosure statement for additional information.
My favorite Grisham novels are here:
Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. He is a freelance journalist currently living in the Philippines.
You can see his portfolio here. Email [email protected]