Following the announcement that Michael Connelly would be releasing two novels in 2017, word just broke that John Grisham has very similar plans.
Following the success of last year’s The Whistler, Grisham will release another legal thriller (still currently untitled) on October 24, 2017. However, before that, Grisham will release a new “heist thriller” titled Comino Island, on June 6th.
EW was first to report on the plot details for Comino Island, which you can read below.
Camino Island unspools over one long summer, when thieves pilfer five handwritten F. Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts from the Princeton Library and send them into the rare books black market. As the FBI and a secret underground agency hunt them down, a young writer embarks on her own investigation into a prominent bookseller who is believed to have the precious documents.
Speaking to EW, Grisham explained that “[My wife] Renee and I dreamed up the story during a ten-hour drive to Florida. We love rare books and great bookstores, and the story just sort of emerged along the way.”
It’s worth pointing out that Connelly and Grisham, both known for normally releasing their books in the fall, add to an already jam-packed summer of highly-anticipated titles.
Just in June alone, Robert Crais (The Wanted), Clive Cussler (Nighthawk), Anthony Horowitz (Magpie Murders), Joseph Finder (The Switch), Mike Maden (Tom Clancy Point of Contact), Eric Van Lustbader (The Bourne Initiative), Ben Coes (Trap The Devil), John Gilstrap (Final Target), Rick Campbell (Blackmail), and Brad Thor (Use of Force) all have new books coming out.
July is just as star-studded, by the way, headlined by new offerings from Daniel Silva (House of Spies), C.J. Box (Paradise Valley), Linda Fairstein (Deadfall), Jeff Abbott (Blame), Kathy Reichs (Two Nights), and John Connelly (A Game of Ghosts), among others.
One well-known author, who asked to remain anonymous because their book comes out this summer, told us “between the saturated market, and tougher requirements to meet the Times list, this summer is going to be crazy.”
As we previously reported, The New York Times recently announced huge changes to their world-famous bestsellers lists. The reaction from individuals within the publishing industry has been overwhelmingly negative, as most question the Times motives for the move. But beyond just that, it’s bound to increase competition between publishers to help ensure their authors still make the coveted bestsellers list.
How that will shake out this summer, especially with Connelly and Grisham tossing their names in the mix, will be interesting to see!