CAMINO GHOSTS

5 stars out of 5

This is the third in the author's Camino Island series, and in many ways, I'll call it my favorite even though I gave each of them 5 stars as well. It's a happy, sad, bittersweet, intriguing, well-written story that held my attention throughout. I will not, though, calll it a "thriller;" nothing in here was the least bit frightening or scary to me.

Back to the forefront is Bruce Cable, owner of a bookshop on Camino Island. His friend, author and college teacher Mercer Mann, is looking to write a follow-up to her successful novel but having trouble finding a topic. Ever helpful, Bruce turns to a small self-published history of nearby Dark Island written by local resident Lovely Jackson. Now 80 years old, Lovely claims not only to have lived on the long-deserted island, but is the owner; she was the last inhabitant to leave, and many of her relatives are buried there. She also claims that the island is cursed - and any people not of color (a.k.a. white) will not be welcomed there.

But progress, apparently, has no use for claims like hers; a large development company has set its sights on turning Dark Island into a tourist attraction now that a huge storm carved a path for a bridge to be built between the two islands. Despite offers of huge sums of money, Lovely says no deal; so the company, in the belief that Lovely can't prove ownership of Dark Island, decides to take the matter to court.

From there, it's a matter of history - readers learn what Lovely knows first-hand and by way of her ancestors, almost all related to the slave trade, kidnapping and worse. In the present, we see how the trial develops, proceeds and ends as an aging Camino Island lawyer who opposes the Dark Island development project takes on Lovely's case in true David v. Goliath fashion.

I should note that this book stands alone well, although those who read the first two will have an advantage of being familiar with several of the characters (and besides, they're really good books as well). As for this one, I once again thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review a pre-release copy. Loved it!

Camino Ghosts by John Grisham (Doubleday, May 2024); 295 pp.