Sunday, June 21, 2020

Camino Island by John Grisham

I read a lot of John Grisham books during my college years and early twenties.  I looked forward to reading one of his works again.
A group of men steal F. Scott Fitzgerald's original hand-written manuscripts from Princeton University's Firestone Library.  An investigative agency recruits a young writer in a slump who needs to pay off her huge student loan debt to infiltrate a book store owner's graces.  Investigators believe he bought the manuscripts.  
As Mercer befriends Bruce Cable, she realizes that she truly likes him and regrets her commitment to trying to  send him to prison.
This was an entertaining read, but not as satisfying as recent reads (Gentleman in Moscow, Pride and Prejudice, Lord Peter Wimsey, Murder on the Orient Express, Flavia de Luce mysteries, Peace Like a River etc). I did not appreciate Bruce's view of women and how he and his "wife" regard their marriage (see warnings).  
Warnings: A lesbian couple (no explicit details about their intimacy) is part of the group of friends, lots of drinking, Bruce and his wife Noelle are fine if they are intimate with other people, Bruce typically sleeps with women authors who come to his store for book signings, Noelle has a boyfriend (who is married) in France whom she visits regularly, Mercer sleeps with Bruce many times over one weekend.
The above warnings are why I hesitate to read most adult fiction anymore!

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