This spy thriller takes you to Morocco and it is fun to read about this exotic place. Kit Carradine gets swept up in adventure much like one he might have written. He is an author looking for a bit of excitement in his life and he certainly gets it here! Lots of twists and turns.

Charles Cumming is fantastic! This thriller, reminds mecof the classic Casablanca, a very successful spy novelist is drawn into a life espionage plot when he’s ordered to find a mysterious fugitive on the alluring but deadly streets of Morocco.

Definitely recommend this book

Kit is an author of suspense novels drawn into the world of espionage. Lara is an agent being targeted by some bad people. Kit is sent on a mission to find Lara but doesn’t have all the information. This leads on a death defying journey of mystery and intrigue across several continents. It is told in the present and as narrated by Lara after the event have transpired. The descriptions of the scenes and the characters are brilliant.

This was the first book I've read by Charles Cumming, but it won't be the last. I lucked into it through an advance readers copy from NetGalley, which is a great way to discover new (to me) authors.

One of the drawbacks to reading advance copies, however, is that often the format hasn't been smoothed out, resulting in a rough read (odd numeric codes mid-sentence, confusing line and paragraph breaks, and page headers that show up at random points mid-text.) This might account for the many other readers who said the book was hard to follow at first.

The fortunate readers who get the published version will find the story launches forth with an interrogation (in London, by an American and a Brit) of a woman about an apparent terrorist group called Resurrection. While the movement may have been based on noble ideals, it has turned into a violent personality cult that targets right-wing apologists world wide.

Change of scene to introduce C.K. Carradine, who writes espionage thrillers and is accosted on a London street by a man who manipulates him into tacking a spot of spy stuff onto a professional trip he is scheduled to make.

Those four characters -- the American and British interrogators, the writer, and the woman from the first scene, cross paths across time and continents in a plot that shows how little may have changed since the Cold War.

This is not an action thriller. It is an intelligent "what-if?" about a bookish person thrust into a series dangerous of dangerous activities in exotic locations, primarily Morocco. I liked the fact that no one came off blameless and the three primary nation-states involved all seemed equally villainous. It seemed that Cumming was saying the best and worst of human nature will assert itself, no matter which "side" you're on.

Novelist Kit Carradine is approached by the British government to act as a spy. His assignment sends Kit to Morocco where he is supposed to give a passport to Lara Bartok of Resurrection. Originally an international movement against corrupt politicians and mouthpieces, Resurrection's actions morphed into terrorism as they began kidnapping and even murdering high-profile right-wing figures. Kit eventually finds Lara and has to help her escape from the Russians who are chasing her. Kit and Lara become intimate as they escape to Gibraltar and back to England. Kit is disillusioned that about the true nature of a spy's life and realizes that he cannot trust anyone., Lots of action, conspiracy and romance make this a fun read.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and St. Martin's Press with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

A beautifully written thrilling tale of spies and espionage that sucks you in and makes you feel like you’re in on the action. I was easily transported to the various locations and cities in Morocco and followed along as the characters embarked on a nail-biting journey. It was a definite page-turner in a can’t-put-it-down kind of way and I devoured it in one sitting.

I appreciated how real and relevant this book is and how it touches upon political subjects and a very real and very scary potential near-future. Kit was an admirable lead and Lara was a great supporting character. I grew to love Kit for his honesty, his bravery and his unwillingness to let things be unresolved. He was just so good and I was rooting for him all the way through. Being a civilian asked to jump into a dangerous world of espionage, he was naturally cautious and a little naive at first, getting himself into face-palm worthy situations, but he became more intelligent and resilient with experience. By the end of it, weirdly enough, I felt proud of him. It was totally believable - he was a man with no experience being a spy but he used his street-smarts, prior knowledge and research to his advantage and none of the scenarios the protagonist found himself in felt over-the-top or exaggerated in a roll-your-eyes kind of way and I appreciated that.

Through all the twists and turns, secrets and reveals, this had me on the edge of my seat. It was authentic and engaging and a fun book to read despite the heavy and dark subject that surrounded it.

The story description was intriguing but the story itself didn't flow well. It would bog down in places and then jump suddenly to a new area only to bog down again. Sorry to say I was unable to finish it.

Kit Carradine, an author, is asked by an MI6 officer to track down a mysterious women in Marrakech. Danger, betrayal and intrigue make this an interesting novel to read.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press and Charles Cummings for an ARC ebook copy to review. As always, an honest review from me.

I needed up DNFing this book about halfway through, because honestly I was bored …. Which is not something you want in a spy thriller. Also my rating is actually 2.5 stars, but since there aren't half stars I always round up.

Like:
- The premise of using a novelist who writes thrillers, as a spy
- The overall atmosphere of sitting outside in a European country waiting for the action to happen

Love:
- The cover - GORGEOUS!

Dislike:
- Boring! For a spy thriller, there wasn’t much action happening. Granted, I ended up DNFing it at 50% of the way through, but this genre should capture my attention way before that.

Wish that:
- I had more to say about the book. Nothing was bad per say, but nothing was great either.

Overall, not the book for me. Maybe I’m the only one that feels this way, but these are my thoughts on the book. I did learn that I’m not as big of a spy thriller fan as I originally thought. So maybe that had something to do with my opinions on the book. Who knows?

The Moroccan Girl is a standalone spy thriller from the winner of the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger for Best Thriller of the Year, an award he absolutely deserves. Spy novels are one of my favourite types of thrillers, but many of them are shockingly bad as all and sundry try their hand at crafting the type of story that really requires some level of insider knowledge of the way espionage operates to be realistic and feel truly authentic. That criterion has been fulfilled here given the author has a past working for MI6, and that's really what sets this book apart from the rest. Cumming is inimitable; the rest are merely poor imitations.

The Moroccan setting is wonderful and reminded me very much of the time I visited mysterious Marrakech with the bustling souks, the searing midday heat and complete and utter chaos of the transport system; the author brings the place alive with each turn of the page. The plot is superbly crafted and torn from the headlines with writing that draws you in from the very beginning. Kit Carradine is an engaging and likeable protagonist who, in this novel, even has a love interest. With plenty of action, this is a gripping and altogether top-notch spy thriller. I look forward to reading more from Mr Cumming in the future.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for an ARC.

This novel is a standout spy thriller that will leave you breathless . The details of the espionage plot are so incrinate yet highly believable . The characters are carefully woven and highly complex.

Starts out strong as an espionage thriller writer is recruited to do the very thing he writes about. Drawn into the intrigue, our writer doesn't know who to trust, who is really an agent. Gets a bit convoluted at the end with too many spies and too many surprises.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

I didn't particularly care for the way this book was written. It felt dry and was exceedingly dull and droaned on and on.

I love spy stories and I had high hopes on this one because the premise sound really good. But (and here is my but) unfortunely this wasn’t my cup of tea. It got boring and the plot was lacking wasn’t gripping me. I couldn’t connect with the characters either. Looked very promising but fell flat.

What has Kit gotten himself into? Recruited by BSIS to pay and agent and deliver a passport while he's already in Morocco for a conference, he suddenly finds that there's more to the story. He's a novelist, a spy novelist to be exact, but one without real life experience. His father had it but he's got none. When he arrives in Morocco, things go wonky. Yep. Then he meets Lara and there's more to her - and his mission- than he realized. This has great atmospherics in Morocco, good characters, and a plot line that might move slowly at points but ultimately delivers. There is a political undercurrent but it is key to the story. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Try this one for a low key story of a man who steps up to a challenge.

this was the first book that i read for the author... i was really intrigued by the synopsis that reminded me a lot of Richard castle... as in a writer that gets involved in spy world.
the story is mainly told from the POV of Kit Carradine with some parts told in the view of Lara., however even though the synopsis hinted at a deep adventure in the spy world.. the story itself barely scratched it and focused more on Kit trying to save lara.... taking in a slow motion of unfolding the events rather than a high paced one.
overall it was a nice story to read even if it lacked the depth that i wished in some parts.

Ihhh my goodness make sure you read this! You will be sure to really like it... thank you NetGalley and all for my copy!

I loved that the hero of this story was a novelist trying to fight his way out of ambivalence about his life.

Kit Carradine is a successful novelist in London. He's grateful for the ease of his life, but also a bit dissatisfied. His father had been an agent, and Kit wonders if he's just sleepwalking through a too-calm life. Then one day, he bumps into a man on the street who is more than he seems to be. He's an MI6 agent who recruits Kit to do some easy-peasy work while he's at a literary festival in Morocco. His instructions are simple: drop an envelope at a hotel, meet with a guy in a bar to pick up something from him, and keep an eye out for a beautiful woman. Then everything goes off the rials.

There are spies from various countries, a beautiful woman on the run, crosses and double-crosses, fist fights, and the oppressive heat of Morocco. The descriptions of the bustling markets, relentless sun, people who may or may not be reliable, sumptuous food, and boisterous soundscape of Casablanca and Marrakech are very evocative.

Carr Aldine is a writer. He writes Spy novels. One day he is approached by special forces. Will he become a spy? The temptation is too good to pass up. Will his Father be murdered.
There is also the beautiful Lara. So many men are wanting her. To love her and hurt her.
This is a very timely story. I enjoyed the characters and the intriguing story.

I was quite interested in this book as I like spy novels and find it different fro my usual thriller reading. Therefore, the story was intriguing and I started The Morrocan Girl wondering where it could lead us as Kit is an ordinary man. The character of Kit is quite interesting but I must say some parts of the story seem unlikely to me. The book is read fast so it is quite enjoyable, we are constantly wondering who to trust. The environment of Morocco was great and Cumming made it work well.