CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Best-selling mystery author John Grisham makes a stop in Charlotte on his first book tour in 25 years.
Grisham signed copies of his 30th novel, Camino Island, at Park Road Books.
"I've come here a lot for other local authors, but he's like a big name so I figured I'd check it out," said Douglas Deane.
Grisham says his new book is set on a beach and follows the journey of a man accused of stealing a manuscript.
"I tried to write a whole book and keep the lawyers out of it," Grisham said. "I almost succeeded until the very last chapter."
However, many of Grisham's fans say they love the legal mysteries he has become famous for.
"He knows what the ending is going to be but it's always so much fun to read it and to see how everything comes out well in the end," said reader Betsy Burns.
Rawles Kelly says she has been a longtime fan of his work.
"His writing is spectacular," she said. "He pulls you in immediately and he has very unusual story lines."
Grisham's story lines have jumped off the page onto the big screen with box office hits like The Firm, The Pelican Brief, A Time to Kill and The Client.
He has sold more than 275 million books worldwide, but in spite of his popularity, he hasn't done a book tour in 25 years.
"This is quite a treat for Park Road Books," said Kelly.
Grisham took his time with each attendee as he signed their books.
"It's intriguing to hear what they say, which books they like they are always nice, they never say they don't like one," he said.
Perhaps they might like his next one even more. Grisham says he finds inspiration for stories and characters everywhere, including book signings.
"Every person, every interaction, every place everything you run across when you write fiction could possibly turn up in a book," Grisham declared.