One sentence summary
Camino Island by John Grisham is a thrilling mystery novel that follows the adventure of a group of brave thieves’ mission of stealing priceless manuscripts from an elite Princeton library.
Book genre
Mystery/Crime Fiction
Main topic of the book
Camino Island narrates the story of a daring heist, where a group of thieves, led by an audacious female criminal named Mercer Mann, attempts to steal very valuable and ancient manuscripts from the Princeton University Library.
Key Ideas
- Murder Mystery: An FBI agent investigating the theft of the manuscripts is viciously murdered and Mercer Mann and her fellow thieves are caught in the center of a dangerous and deep mystery.
- Theft and Betrayal: Suspicion and mistrust among the thieves leads to betrayal, whilst the ever-brilliant FBI Agent Bruce Cable closes in to capture the criminals.
- The Final Battle: There is a final confrontation between Mercer Mann and Bruce Cable as they both race against the clock to get to the precious manuscripts before the other.
Main parts of the book and a short summary
- Part I: Mercer Mann, a failed novelist, is approached by an enigmatic and wealthy billionaire who hires her to infiltrate Bruce Cable’s rare book store. Mercer’s mission is to find out more about Bruce, which she does by befriending him. Meanwhile, the FBI investigates the theft of several priceless manuscripts from the Princeton University library.
- Part II: Mercer discovers the stealing plan orchestrated by members of Bruce Cable’s circle and is persuaded by them to be a part of their mission. Mercer follows through with the plan and the manuscripts are successfully stolen. But soon, suspicion and mistrust arise between the members of the crew.
- Part III: As the tension rises among the thieves, Mercer begins to suspect that one of them may be a mole. When the FBI agent investigating the case is murdered, Mercer and the rest of the crew fear that they are in grave danger.
- Part IV: Mercer and Bruce Cable are set for their final battle to seize the manuscripts from each other. In the end, a winner is announced but it isn’t who you’d expect.
Key Takeaways
- Camino Island is a thrilling mystery novel with unexpected twists and turns around a daring heist that tests the loyalty and morality of the participants.
- The novel pays homage to classic heist and crime fiction while being a captivating and original work with engaging characters and a compelling plot.
- It is a suspenseful story of courage and deceit that reminds us of the power of friendship and of the fragility of loyalty.
Author’s background and qualifications
John Grisham is a crime and mystery novelist, best known for his legal thrillers, such as The Firm, A Time to Kill, and The Pelican Brief. He has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for over 300 weeks and has sold more than 300 million books around the world. He is a law graduate and a member of the American Bar Association.
Target audience
The target audience for the book is adults and mature teenagers looking for an exciting and thrilling story.
Publisher and first publication date
Camino Island was published by Doubleday in June 2017.