When in any doubt or perhaps when facing too much choice, it’s a safe bet to reach for an old faithful, so I did just that when I picked this Grisham from the TBR pile by the bed. For the uninitiated, TBR means To Be Read or should that be BTBR – Begging To Be Read.

Published in 2024, it’s new-ish and proves that Grisham has lost none of his ability to write or to come up with ideas, unlike one of the principal characters in this novel, Mercer Mann. She is a writer with a very successful first novel behind her and nothing new in the pipeline – a sort of writer’s block until, that is, she is given a real story to write.

Camino Ghosts opens with an idyllic beach wedding as Mercer marries Thomas on Camino Island but in Chapter Two, dark clouds begin to gather for some, and the inklings of a new book emerge. A deserted island, once inhabited by runaway slaves, is ripe for development but the owner, who has no written proof of ownership, does not want to sell, not for any price. Add to that, the curse which was put on the island many years ago by Nalla, ‘with voodoo in her blood’ who wanted to ‘protect [the island] from outsiders’.

Grisham entwines past and present, telling us the story of how innocent villagers were captured one night and taken to be sold as slaves. Those who were worthless were savagely killed. This was harsh reality for natives at the time. Grisham describes their hellish journey on board ship and the brutal treatment they endured, invoking the sympathy of the reader. A storm blows the ship off course, kills many on board and allows a few to reach the relative safety of Dark Isle, where they find the small settlement of a few others who have made a similar journey before them.

It is an engaging narrative, not quite as courtroom-centred as some of Grisham’s books, but the characters are richly drawn.

Lovely Jackson is the last known descendant of those settlers and while she no longer lives on the island itself, she still visits regularly and tends to the graveyard where her ancestors are buried. She believes in her people and the past and demonstrates the power one voice may have.

Grisham interweaves the story of the island and its painful history with modern day events. Mercer wants to write Lovely’s story, bringing it right up to the contemporary battle with Tidal Breeze, a company determined to make Dark Isle into Panther Cay, ‘a gaudy resort for white people’ or as they see it, a tourist’s paradise. Of course, the corporate opposition is prepared to play dirty or at least, not exactly clean; they may be able to exert a little pressure on the judge who will preside – her son might provide the leverage they need to win. If they can prove that Lovely has no legal right to the land, their case is won, anyway. Steven Mahon is the environmental lawyer prepared to take up the fight on Lovely’s behalf. Grisham has, once again, found his cause and of course this is where his legal expertise comes to the fore as the warring sides meet and a courtroom battle commences.

It is an engaging narrative, not quite as courtroom-centred as some of Grisham’s books, but the characters are richly drawn. Mercer, Lovely and Steven have a strong supporting cast, not least Bruce who introduces Mercer to Lovely, Thomas, Mercer’s husband and Diane, Steven’s undaunted assistant.

There is an emotional depth to this novel as Grisham explores themes of justice and morality, tied as they are to historical events and the inhumanity of slavery. As ever, his writing is fluid and short chapters make this easy to read. I discovered this is the third in the Camino Island series after I had read it, and it certainly works as a standalone. Yet another success for Grisham.


Camino Ghosts is published by Hodder and Stoughton