Camino Winds (John Grisham) | Book Review

A beautiful setting in a quite little island. An intriguing set of people – all of whom were writers. And a bookstore that is the center of all activity in this little island. I don’t think I have picked a book with a more inviting premise than this in a long time, it is extremely appealing. The whole setting and the plot had me glued to this book instantly and I was left all the more impressed with the impeccable story-telling skills of Grisham – which I have always admired. It’s a very intelligent & unique story, told such wonderfully – that makes it an effortless read. You wouldn’t realize and you would find yourself 60% into the book in no time.

Almost everything in the initial half of the book gets you excited. 11 different characters from the literary field on an island, a hurricane that destructs the place and the suspicious death of one of them – is it attributed to the storm or something else? So far, so good. But to be honest, I had actually expected that at least 3 or 4 of these 11 characters would loose their lives in the storm. And then somehow, one would turn out to be a murder. Next, I had expected that at least one of these very people would probably have some part to play in this crime. On both these accounts, the book kind of strays. With everyone from this group except one surviving the storm and none of them having to do anything with the crime, I felt the initial promise fizzle out a bit – so many characters but with nothing to do in the story – almost wasted. If nothing else, maybe at least one of them could have been made to appear a suspect.

I also felt, as soon as Bob reveals to Bruce & Nick about the mystery woman Ingrid, the suspense was let off quite early in the book. Similarly, the motive was quite easily & casually discovered. There didn’t seem to be any OMG moment in it. And after that it was only about trying to catch the culprits. And that too happened quite effortlessly in the end with no resistance so to speak. I felt the book sorely lacked that “sting” which would have done justice to the lovely premise of this book. That one unexpected turn. Even till the very end I was expecting something unexpected would happen, but it didn’t.

But that aside, it doesn’t take away from the fact that it is still an extremely enjoyable & gripping read with no dull moment. What was most enjoyable was the character of the young lad Nick, who always seems to be one step ahead and preempting all the happenings before anyone else – thanks to his craze for crime novels.

What I have realized about these great story-tellers – be it Grisham or Jeffrey Archer – is that, it is their story telling which really is the highlight of their books more than the story itself. Even with Sooley I was left wondering, ok – what was so great about it? The story was great but wasn’t quite a bit of it filled with match descriptions? Why do I then like it so much? Same was the case with Turn A Blind Eye from Archer. Looking back, surely backed by an exceptional plot, but more than that, I so greatly enjoyed just reading every sentence and visualizing every situation as the author paints it. It was an absolute joy to read. The thrill and excitement that they create in situations with their small touches, the small little nuances of their characters, the setting of their books, and just a pleasant feel good read – I think that makes these the greats they are.

More books from John Grisham – Sooley (John Grisham), The Judge’s List | Book Review | Book Of The Year 2021 Winner