2024 the best books on tape review

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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Soak up the sun—and the intrigue—with the first novel in John Grisham’s beloved Camino series.

“A happy lark [that] provides the pleasure of a leisurely jaunt periodically jolted into high gear, just for the fun and speed of it.”—The New York Times Book Review

A gang of thieves stage a daring heist from a secure vault deep below Princeton University’s Firestone Library. Their loot is priceless, but Princeton has insured it for twenty-five million dollars.
 
Bruce Cable owns a popular bookstore in the sleepy resort town of Santa Rosa on Camino Island in Florida. He makes his real money, though, as a prominent dealer in rare books. Very few people know that he occasionally dabbles in the black market of stolen books and manuscripts.

Mercer Mann is a young novelist with a severe case of writer’s block who has recently been laid off from her teaching position. She is approached by an elegant, mysterious woman working for an even more mysterious company. A generous offer of money convinces Mercer to go undercover and infiltrate Bruce Cable’s circle of literary friends, ideally getting close enough to him to learn his secrets.

But eventually Mercer learns far too much, and there’s trouble in paradise as only John Grisham can deliver it.

Look for all of John Grisham’s rollicking Camino novels:
Camino Island
Camino Winds
Camino Ghosts

From the Publisher

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N2ABE60
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Vintage; Limited ed. edition (June 6, 2017)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 6, 2017
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1411 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 305 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1524797146
Reviewer: laura merrone
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An Intriguing Story That Really Keeps You Guessing
Review: I read this because I got in on a discussion of the novel on social media and discovered it was set on Amelia Island, my old haunting ground. Also, I liked John Grisham books so I thought I would give it a try. It didn't disappoint and was very good. I enjoyed the characters and the setting with lots of surprise twists. Also, he gave some writing tips through the story also. Would recommend it for all who want an island getaway without all the expense... Looking forward to reading his next book in the series, Camino Winds.

Reviewer: Robin Landry
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Parts were great
Review: This might not be my favorite Grisham novel, but there's still plenty to like when it's Grisham writing the story. Set on an island in Florida, centered around a small bookstore with a national reputation, this is the story of Mercer, a thirty-something writer with writer's block who's just been let go from her college teaching job because of budget cuts. She's approached by a woman who works for the insurance company who is on the hook for 25 million dollars after five, handwritten manuscripts, by Fitzgerald, were stolen from Princeton and are suspected to be on the black market soon to disappear into the murky world of black market collectors. Mercer is hired to ingratiate herself into Bruce Cable, the owner of the bookstore on the island, because it's rumored that he has the manuscripts. Mercer spent summers on the island with her grandmother, so she has a logical 'in' and will not be suspected as a spy.Okay, first the good parts of the book, starting with Grisham's always readable prose, interesting plots, and just plain good story-telling skills. I always finish any of his books I've started and have read everything he's written, so for me, Grisham has a good track-record. This story kept me entertained throughout, and the ending was wonderful.Now for the not-so-good parts of the book, I won't say bad, because Grisham probably couldn't write a bad book if he tried, starting with the lead character Mercer. She's as boring as one of those perfect characters out of a pulp-fiction-romance-chic-lit novels. She's slim and fit, with no visible means of exercise which at 31 does NOT happen, she wrote one wonderful, critically acclaimed first novel and then quit her tour because no one came to the first two signings(so what? You were supported by a real publisher, something most writers only dream of, stop being a baby and get out there and do the work), she gets paid and sleeps with someone she's ready to send to jail(no moral compass, yet she talks about her vampid sister's obsession with material things),she whines about how her sister's college was paid for while Mercer only got one year out of her dad before he went broke, and then says she dutifully sees him once a year and whines again about how they have nothing in common and he only talks about himself. What? Mercer is the classic example of a narcissist. I could not like her for a single second. Happily, the other characters are fresh, funny and amazing, and worth reading the book for.If you love books, which I'm assuming most people who read even this review are, this is a fun book. I loved the writers in the books, especially the lesbians who write romance novels. Perfect. And the bookstore owner should have been the main character. The thieves are boring and I almost quit the book after the first couple of chapters of those four. Boring.But in the end, this is an entertaining, well-written book that taught me something about the book world and I'm glad I read it.

Reviewer: LeaAnne Chapman
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Fun read
Review: This is a first John Gresham book that I have read in years. I have forgotten how quickly I get sucked in with his books. I liked the storyline of rare books and black market. It was different from his legal thrillers. I like the characters and the plot. I look forward to reading the next one in the series.

Reviewer: Stephen L. Dalton
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Summary of Camino Island a Novel Mercer is the “perfect” woman for the job as she is young and beautiful, newly unemployed and up to her eyeballs in ...
Review: IntroductionCamino Island is a novel about the theft of five original, hand-written F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts from Princeton’s Firestone Library by five cunning yet nerdy guys, well except the one psychopath, which goes south rather quickly after the heist, when the FBI discovers a small drop of blood left by one of the thieves.There are rumors that Bruce Cable, a Camino Island bookstore owner bought the manuscripts. Elaine, an investigator for a mysterious and covert company hired by an insurance company that holds a policy on the manuscripts for $25 million, hires Mercer Mann. Mercer is a down-on-her-luck writer, who has just lost her teaching job. Elaine wants her to get close to Bruce and his wife, Noelle Bonnet, an antique dealer, to possibly discover if they have the manuscripts.Summary of Camino Island a NovelMercer is the “perfect” woman for the job as she is young and beautiful, newly unemployed and up to her eyeballs in student debt. Elaine offers to pay off for her, plus $100,000 for a six-month assignment, during which time she can finish the novel she has not even started writing yet and is three years overdue. She will get half up front and the other half at completion. Another component that makes her ideal for the situation is that she spent nearly every summer with her grandmother, Tessa on Camino Island. Though she has not been back since her grandmother’s passing, the beach cottage is still in the family and available for use.Mercer fits right in with the crowd of Bruce’s friends on the island, mostly writers with storied pasts and stories about each other, as writers are notorious gossips. At least, they are in this story. Her plan to spend the six months writing her passed due novel does not necessarily go as planned. However, the discussion she has with Bruce about writing turns into a story that draws them closer together. One of Bruce’s past girlfriends was writing a story about a love triangle between F. Scott Fitzgerald, his wife Zelda, and Ernest Hemingway before his ex-girlfriend committed suicide and he begins giving Mercer the details.While Noelle is in France buying antiques, they have a romantic fling. Despite Bruce and Noelle’s open marriage, Mercer feels a bit guilty about it, but not enough to stop.NarrationThe narrator is the storyteller, the bard, or Mr. Grisham, whichever you please.SettingThe first setting of this novel is the Firestone Library at Princeton, then the cabin in the Poconos where the thieves hide out for a while, but the setting for most of the story is modern day Florida, Camino Island, in the small, sleepy tourist town of Santa Rosa.ThemeTo me, the overall theme of this novel is not to let greed rule your life. The thieves wind up dead, in jail, or on the run because of greed. Mercer sells her moral standing to discover if Bruce has the manuscripts, mainly because she has no job, no money, and a ton of student debt. Elaine’s company and the insurance company do not want to pay the $25 million they insured the books for, and Bruce gives up a cushy, comfortable, and prosperous life on a resort island and possibly risks everything for the excitement of dealing in stolen goods.GenreThis is a crime fiction dealing with rare books and manuscripts.AuthorAs all Grisham fans know, he is a notable trial defense and courtroom drama writer with very few exceptions. From his very first novel, A Time to Kill to The Rooster Bar, and some top-rated titles in between, such as The Frim, Sycamore Row (the sequel to A Time to Kill), and The Pelican Brief most are courtroom dramas. Many of these titles became major motion pictures. Even his Young Adult (YA) series of Theodore Boone books were courtroom drama based. And yes, he did stray from the genre with Playing for Pizza, Calico Joe, The Tumor, and a few others, but crime drama or legal thriller, at least to me, is his forte! After all, he was an attorney.Well, this is not the usual John Grisham courtroom drama, but you could refer to it as a legal thriller because much of the storyline deals with criminal elements within the underground rare books and art trade.My Opinion & RecommendationMy favorite character was Bruce Cable. I cannot imagine having a more perfect life than as the owner of a successful bookstore and coffee where you are the barrister. I mean come on, you can wear any outfit you want, even with a bowtie if you are into such things, and no one thinks you are weird because, hey you own a bookstore. You go to “work,” make some coffee, grab whatever book you choose from the shelf, and sit down and read until someone comes in. You have a huge collection of first edition books autographed by the authors, most of whom you know personally; and then, you meet and marry a beautiful and beguiling antique dealer, who fills your home with Provençal furnishing. I could not imagine wanting much more, but then there are the nefarious deals with rare books to keep things exciting.To me, this was a good story, not a great John Grisham page-turner novel like many of his legal thrillers, but it is a superb crime fiction. If you are looking for a compelling story that forces you to turn the page in anticipation, this is not it. Although, I do believe it is a must-read for all Grisham fans, and it did not become a New York Times Bestseller and reach number one just because it was Grisham who wrote it; still and all, I'm sure that helped. Plus, his going on tour for the first time in twenty-five years to publicize the book probably helped as well.I think non-Grisham fans would probably like this book much more than his regulars because it is such a departure from courtroom dramas and legal thrillers. Someone that is not expecting a cutting-edge courtroom battle would perhaps be more in tuned to the book. Nevertheless, I do think anyone would enjoy the story, but not if you are waiting for a page-turner. Camino Island: A Novel

Reviewer: 1234567890
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great read
Review: I think I like all of Gresham books and always look forward to next one. I loved the characters and the plot. I really like the the geography and the sights. I recommend all Gresham book to everyone.

Reviewer: Louis B.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Good novel, a very nice summer read even though I read it in spring. A good plot not too complicated that I would have loved to read out on a beach somewhere.

Reviewer: susan williams
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Good plot and keeps you from putting it down.

Reviewer: Gill Mather Author
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: John Grisham has been a favourite author on and off over the years. I bought Camino Island in a Bookbub promotion and it was terrific. I simply couldn’t put it down. It’s a very clever book, especially given the author’s note at the end to the effect that he knows little about the bookshop trade or the market in rare books.It starts with a successful theft six months ago of the five original hand-written manuscripts of F. Scott Fitzgerald from Princeton University by a gang of five. One of them gets away with the manuscripts and in a panic quickly offloads them for too little money and later tries to get them back.Bruce Cable over about twenty years has honed a very successful well-known bookshop on Camino Island, a holiday resort in Florida. I’ve no idea whether Camino Island is real or fictional but the book makes it sound idyllic. Not really the marrying kind, he and a successful dealer in Provençal furniture and effects, Noelle, form a relationship and tell people they’re married though it isn't clear whether they are married or not. It’s an open relationship and Cable is a laid-back, likeable character and massively supportive of writers.Mercer Mann is a woman of thirty-one who’s just been laid off as a lecturer by the University of North Carolina. She published a successful novel some years ago and also a book of short stories but hasn’t been able to write anything much since. Though she comes from a monied family, she has no money herself and in fact is in debt, which worries her a lot. She has an older sister but they’re not close. Her parents are unsatisfactory, the mother absent and the father a spendthrift womaniser who’s got through his fortune.Her happiest times as a child were summers spent with her maternal grandmother, Tessa, at Tessa’s beach cottage on Camino Island, beachcombing and turtle-watching. She knows of Cable’s bookshop, Bay Books, having gone there a few times with Tessa and nearly visited on a book tour to promote her own book, but cancelled the tour before getting to Bay Books.Tessa died in a boating accident about ten years ago and Mercer hasn’t visited the cottage since though she owns half of one-third of the cottage. Other family members vacation at the cottage.Mercer is approached by a woman who at first gives a false name and offers her a teaching job. The woman soon admits to being Elaine Shelby and the job is something different. Elaine works for a company specialising in security and investigations. They’ve been working with the FBI to find the Fitzgerald manuscripts. Elaine offers Mercer $100,000 to work for them for six months. Elaine appears to know all about Mercer and her company seems to have vast resources, including technical and surveillance, at its disposal. The plan is for Mercer to spend the time at the cottage claiming to be writing her second novel and to inveigle herself into Cable’s inner circle of friends with a view to finding out as much as possible. Mercer is told that Cable’s main source of income is as a dealer in first editions and rare books and is suspected of having the Fitzgerald manuscripts. As an added incentive, Elaine says they’ll pay off Mercer’s student debt which clinches it for her.So that’s the background. Mercer does successfully worm her way into Cable’s set and enjoys the dinners and social side while still writing very little. She likes Cable a lot, also his friends and Noelle and becomes somewhat compromised.The characters are so well drawn, they leap off the page. Mercer is a little flat, but that’s understandable since the main story is told from her POV.

Reviewer: Loredana Vocale
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Perfetto ottimo imballaggio

Reviewer: lilian Ferreira
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Gostei demais do livro. E um Grisham diferente , mas sempre bem escrito.