Hodder to publish Grisham's F Scott Fitzgerald thriller

Hodder & Stoughton has acquired a new standalone thriller by John Grisham, Camino Island, about the search for rare, stolen manuscripts of F Scott Fitzgerald in a close-knit literary community in Florida.

Camino Island, to be published in June, will be an "addictive summer read" that casts the world of bookselling in a new light, according to Hodder publisher Oliver Johnson, who has been Grisham’s UK editor for over 25 years.

The book opens with the daring heist of five invaluable manuscripts of F Scott Fitzgerald’s only novels. With the months passing and the manuscripts still missing, struggling writer Mercer Mann is recruited to return to the small Florida island she loved as a child and get close to its infamous bookseller, and his interesting collection of rare manuscripts.

Johnson said: "Early in January I received a call from John’s agent, David Gernert telling me that John had written a 'surprise' thriller, Camino Island. He described it as the perfect beach read and moments later John had emailed me the script. It proved to be exactly that: an addictive thriller with a high stakes mixture of suspense, invaluable stolen manuscripts and a wonderful heroine sent to infiltrate a close-knit writerly community. And all this set against the beautiful backdrop of Florida’s holiday coast. It’s a totally addictive summer read – and will make you see the world of bookselling in a whole new light!"

Johnson acquired UK and Commonwealth rights to the book from David Gernert at The Gernert Company in New York for Hodder to publish in hardback, e-book and audiobook on 6th June.