This is a great addition to this series. It stays in the universe of Camino Island and draws on many of the characters we’ve already met. The new story is still about books and the book business, with some history and some courtroom drama mixed in. (After all, this is John Grisham  – I knew there would eventually be a courtroom scene!)

Mercer Mann is back, fresh from her success with Tessa, and she’s looking for a new story. Bruce Cable, our beloved – if slightly shady – bookstore owner has got just the thing. Lovely Jackson, a long-time Camino Island resident, was born on nearby Dark Isle. The island was settled by escaped slaves, fiercely defended by them, and she is the last surviving resident. Now, a big development company is looking to seize the island and turn it into a casino, heedless of the damage to the island, the ecosystem, and the history of the original residents. Definitely best-seller material.

The story follows Lovely and her attorney, Steve Mahon, and a fresh cast of characters as they take on the big developers and stake Lovely’s claim to her birthplace.  Bruce, Noelle, and other Camino Island residents are also along for the ride. We get the history of the island and the slaves who settled there, we get a bit of courtroom drama, and of course we get the behind the scenes maneuvering we’ve come to expect in a Grisham novel. Great fun, and I can’t wait for the movie!

This book came to me by way of the Akron-Summit County Library.