Camino Islands Series #3

Camino Ghosts is the third book in the Camino series, although it isn’t necessary to have read the first two books in order to read this one. It is set on Camino Island and Dark Isle, nearby, both off the coast of Florida. Dark Island, until recently, has been abandoned and is said by the locals to be both haunted and cursed. Anyone landing on the island has never been seen again, presumed killed. Originally, the indigenous people had been very active on the island, but they were enslaved many years ago, and like the traditional owners of many lands, most were killed. Those who remained ended up leaving.

Mercer Mann, a local author, is alerted by her friend Bruce, a local book seller (both are introduced in the previous books) to a story written by one of the traditional residents, Lovely Jackson. Lovely is an older woman and a previous resident of Dark Isle. However, despite her age she is well spoken and has her wits about her. Lovely has produced a book about the history of Dark Isle, based on notes she has made over the years, and her memory. Like many indigenous peoples, Lovely’s people have passed their history down via stories and memory. Lovely’s book is a dark, yet vivid description of how their peoples have been treated, raped and murdered, focussing on a few special cases, including a close friend, Nalla.

But her written story is just a small part of her knowledge. Mercer and Bruce believe there is a lot more to learn. It is fortuitous that Lovely, who says she is the rightful owner of the island, is concerned about a proposal for development just as much as the locals. Mercer and Bruce convince Lovely to enlist a small-time pro-bono lawyer, Steven Mahon, to help Lovely with her claim and also to stop the environmental devastation of the island by a developer who has their sights on developing the island. The developers say they believed the island to be owned by no one and they are pushing for approval for a huge multi-million-dollar hotel and casino complex. They are not the least concerned about what they see as the ramblings of an old woman and they don’t believe they will come to any harm on the island, despite its reputation.

Mercer meets regularly with Lovely to write a more detailed non-fiction account of life on the island. However, since Lovely moved from the island many years ago, she has maintained a connection with her past. She has regularly visited the island, and the graves of her people still reside there. Nevertheless, the developers and Lovely end up in court in dispute over the ownership of the island. The developers argue that they should be awarded ownership, according to State law.

How will Lovely be able to prove ownership? And can she do it with her team of helpers? Or will the developers get their way and gain permission to clear the island for a huge new resort?

I thought this was a rather unusual book for John Grisham, even though it has a legal basis for the story. Much of the book concentrates on the historical background of the island, accounts of life in the South and the violence and gruesome conditions of the time. It was very interesting, but unlike most of his books its subject is not a particular death of a character, or based on a trial in court for murder. It is more focussed on the social issues of the area: of slavery and the rights of indigenous people. So, if you are interested in the history of the South in the United States you would find this book a good read. Though this is a book of fiction, I suspect cases like this will become more prevalent in the future, as indigenous people in lands around the world fight for what they believe to be their title to land.

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