Well-crafted spy thriller about an author of spy novels who finds himself being drafted to assist the British secret service on a research trip to Morocco. But what sounded like a simple favor turns into a complex task that requires all the ingenuity and cunning of a seasoned spy - but is the spy author up to the task?
Charles Cumming knows how to develop an exciting story with a realistic plot seasoned with numerous believable twists and turn, and I really enjoyed this one about an ordinary guy who finds himself in an extraordinary situation. Four big stars!

A big thank you to the author Charles Cumming, the publisher St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my candid opinion.

I have not enjoyed a great romping adventure like this in a long time! It is a great spy thriller written about a Spy thriller author who gets recruited to serve for..."Queen and Country" as a sort of amateur player. What ensues is a great chase through Morocca, both Casablanca and Marakesh with a set of characters, each shadier and scarier than the last. Kit, our would be hero, somewhat bumbles and pushes his way through this adventure while having some excellent observations and by using his deductive reasoning.

I could not put the book down ---- I thoroughly enjoyed it and plan to read more of Cumming's books!

A mediocre spy thriller novel with a plot that starts well, but doesn't really come through in the end in my opinion. A writer Kit is approached out of the blue by a spy agency to recruit him to look for the Moroccan Girl as they think he will be able to draw her out due to the circles he runs in being a writer. He soon learns that he may not be able to trust the people he has contacts with and many other agencies and political groups are involved. I just never saw him as a strong character with good decision making tools, but I guess as an untrained "spy" that could be realistic. My biggest regret is that it didn't really deliver on the spy theme as promised in the forward. It was more of a fictional tale with a little spying involved. I found myself not really caring how the story wrapped up, which to me was disappointing.

Kit Carradine is perfect, 36, unmarried, educated, no pets, lives alone, son of a retired MI6 agent, successful author of spy thriller novels and invitee to a literary festival in Marrakesh. Kit would be a perfect courier.
A “chance” encounter on a London street easily draws Carradine into the espionage game; a game he has long wished to join.
Kit is asked to deliver a packet to a “drop” to a hotel in Marrakesh; a simple mission but of course things go awry. Soon he is trailing Lisa Barton, a member of Resurrection, a violent revolutionary group targeting prominent right wing political figures. Not surprisingly MI6 is not the only agency interested in Lisa.
Ultimately Kit must decide to abandon Lisa or save her at great risk to himself.
The Moroccan Girl reminds me of espionage novels from the 70s and 80s - those numerous characters and a plodding story line. Most events unfold in a predictable manner and so the elements of suspense and surprise were diminished. The local of Morocco proved an interesting turn. Too many novels of this genre rely on European cities for intrigue. Casablanca and Marrakesh offer more than enough atmosphere for this story. Though a bit confusing, in the end everything is cleared up. I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. #NetGalley #TheMoroccanGirl

Great book for readers who love alpha females in a historical time period. Love the character building up Lara and her journey maneuvering around the revolution.

Did not manage to download this book on time. I am very sorry that I did not manage. Thanks for the opportunity.

Kit Carradine, a successful, but slightly bored, spy thriller author is approached by an MI6 officer, asking him to track down a woman hiding in Morocco, under the guise of doing research for his next book. It turns out the woman, Lara Bartok, is an international fugitive and leading figure in a cult-like movement tied to terrorism. Kit comes to realise that his task is harder than initially thought and that all other intelligence services want Lara found, too. As Kit and Lara chase through Morocco, they encounter an eclectic mix of spies, rich playboys and shady business men and soon find themselves ensnared in a complex web, where nothing is at it seems and no one can be trusted.

There are many different characters early on in the book, which is a bit confusing. However, in the end, everything is cleared up and the way characters fit together makes sense. The plot was quite fast-moving at times, which added to the confusion. However, that was fine, because the reader was just confused along with Kit. I liked how quickly Kit adjusted to the real life spy business. I really enjoyed the twist at the end. The budding love story was a bit boring and also quite sudden. I absolutely loved that the story was mostly set in Morocco, as it brought back the fondest memories.
I would read another book by the author.

I've been entranced by Marrakesh ever since reading a mystery about it as a teen. Being an author, Kit seems well equipped to think on his feet with all the agents, betrayals and adventures found within.

I really enjoyed the Moroccan setting and the spy thriller vibes. This would make a great movie! I was confused early with a few of the plot lines

I don’t know if it’s the layout of the digital arc or wrong book at the wrong time but I just couldn’t understand what was going on, who was narrating or even follow along in the dialogue. Very confusing. Prefer not to give it a rating and will give it another go in print form.

I have read a couple of other novels by Charles Cumming and have enjoyed each of them. I lean towards mysteries more so than suspense books so Cumming is not on my top five list; having written that, till now I have always found his plots well above average. " The Moroccan Girl " doesn't have the same "feel" than my previous readings. I only finished this book because (a) I have a morbid habit of always finishing books I begin reading and (2) I felt an obligation to Net Galley to complete the assignment because they were gracious enough to supply the book at no cost. As a simple summer read on a hot sandy beach please enjoy! As a serious story ....meh. Just didn't care for the set up and hoped I would care before the denouement. Nope. Go, please go, read Charles Cumming's other spy books.

The Moroccan Girl was hard for me to get in to as there is a lot going on right away. The character stories start to make more sense as you get in a few chapters. Kit Carradine is asked to track down a woman that is hiding somewhere in Marrakesh by MI6. You can’t turn down the opportunity to be a spy but once he learns just how dangerous she is he isn’t sure he can continue with the assignment.

Lara, the lady Carradine is tracking, is a is the leader of Resurrection. They are violent group that has attacked public and political people/groups. Carradine must decide if he wants to risk it all for this woman, who now he is very intrigued by or save himself and leave her to her fate.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The novel was a full throttle spy thriller, and of particular highlight were the exotic locations and charged situations through which Charles Cumming thransports his readers. I enjoyed the classic premise of the “ordinary” author being swept up in an international plot of deceit and romance. There were certainly several thinly veiled political jabs that made the text seem timely, although nevertheless far-fetched. However, there were just too many secondary characters, too many plot twists, and too many structural styles to make the book a seamless read.

I love John Le Carre and espionage thrillers. For me, this falls far short of Le Carre's quality. I found Kit Carradine completely unbelievable as a character and therefore never felt connected to him or the story. Kit is supposedly an author of spy novels and the son of a British secret service agent, but his behavior from the very beginning is that of someone who is completely gullible and clueless, so it's no surprise that he gets in over his head quickly, and blunders from one event to the next. I never felt any tension or worry. I was bored and couldn't have cared less about any of the characters. In fact, I kind of wished Kit had been taken out early on and I would have been spared the rest of the book.

I received a free digital copy via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, but I didn't get around to it before the publication date, so I bought it via Libro-fm on audio. I also did not care for the narrator, which didn't help my overall experience. IMO, there are much better spy thriller writers out there - John Le Carre and Daniel Silva come to mind immediately. Skip this book and grab anything by either of those gentlemen. You'll be happier.

I am reading everything I can find by this author now. The book was well paced and I enjoyed the protagonist very much. Will be looking forward to more in this series.

I am sorry for not reviewing fully but I don’t have the time to read this anymore. I believe that it wouldn't benefit you as a publisher or your book if I only skimmed it and wrote a rushed review. Again, I am sorry for not fully reviewing!

Kit Carradine is a famous author of best-selling spy novels when he is approached by MI6 to complete a simple mission for his country as he attends a festival in Morocco, the very thing he writes about. The story takes you through Casablanca, Morocco and Marrakech, and draws you into the intrigue and suspense. Kit doesn't know who to trust, who is really an agent, and what he should ultimately do. Although this is supposed to be a stand alone novel, I would think the next novel continues Kit's story with reference to this one. The story gets a bit tangled up at the end with too many spies and some unexpected surprises. .

Great premise for a book and fantastic location. An author specializing in spy novels who becomes a spy is an interesting twist. However, it was a bit clunky in the writing. Decent but poorly paced at times.

#TheMorr#TheMoroccanGirl #NetGalley

This book follows a spy author as he becomes an actual spy. It didn't feel like the typical spy setting where everything works out well and they know exactly what they are doing, which was something I enjoyed. You got to see the spy doubting and deciding on what to do, which I found interesting.

As the story evolves, and it takes place in several different places, there are also well-thought descriptions of these settings, which I enjoyed, particularly the indoor locations such as the restaurants, hotels, and other rooms.

There are also many turns and unexpected events, which I was not expecting and which gave the story an interesting twist and ending.

The Moroccan Girl was a thrilling mystery, espionage story. Containing many unexpected twists and turns, although I found it a bit confusing at times. Thank you NetGalley for the copy, all opinions are my own.