Published by St. Martin's Publishing Group on February 12, 2019
Genres: Fiction, Thrillers, Espionage
Pages: 368
Goodreads
“Charles Cumming has breathed new life into the spy novel.” —Ben Macintyre, bestselling author of A Spy Among Friends
Published in the UK as The Man Between In this gripping contemporary thriller, reminiscent of the classic Casablanca, a successful spy novelist is drawn into a real-life espionage plot when he’s ordered to find a mysterious fugitive on the alluring but deadly streets of Morocco.
Renowned author Kit Carradine is approached by an MI6 officer with a seemingly straightforward assignment: to track down a mysterious woman hiding somewhere in the exotic, perilous city of Marrakesh. But when Carradine learns the woman is a dangerous fugitive with ties to international terrorism, the glamour of being a spy is soon tainted by fear and betrayal.
Lara Bartok is a leading figure in Resurrection, a violent revolutionary movement whose brutal attacks on prominent right-wing public figures have spread hatred and violence across the world. Her disappearance ignites a race between warring intelligence services desperate to find her—at any cost. But as Carradine edges closer to the truth, he finds himself drawn to this brilliant, beautiful, and profoundly complex woman.
Caught between increasingly dangerous forces who want Bartok dead, Carradine soon faces an awful choice: to abandon Lara to her fate, or to risk everything trying to save her.
I was so excited to read this book after reading the description. I don’t know if my expectations were too high, but for a thriller, I didn’t find The Moroccan Girl as captivating as I had hoped. The storyline while plotted to be fast-paced, felt like forever to reach any true tension in the book that had me wanting more. The last 15-20 percent of the book was far closer to what I had expected.
The characters felt two dimensional and stereotypical, particularly the Americans and Russians. Ultimately, I didn’t care for Kit which makes it remain engaged while reading. For a writer that specializes in spy thrillers, Kit makes so many decisions that had me wondering if he had a death wish. I didn’t feel strongly one way or the other about Lara, our femme fatale for the book. The romance that developed between the two was unnecessary. It felt hasty and ultimately it didn’t add to the story. I would have been happy for them to form a simple friendship and go on their merry way. Instead of that side plot, I would have enjoyed hearing more about the other characters that played a key role in the case.
Character and plot complaints aside, Cumming truly has a talent for vivid descriptions and atmosphere. I truly enjoyed the descriptions of Morocco where the author spent a considerable amount of time making sure the reader “saw” the cities as he did and not just a rose-colored view of Casablanca. It almost made me want to visit (almost).
Currently, this book is labeled as a standalone but I suspect Cumming will shape it into a series featuring Kit. While I don’t think I will be waiting with bated breath for Kit’s next adventure, I do have some friends and family that will enjoy his antics.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
