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Books and movies typically portray spies as suave, sophisticated men who have the best training and the best equipment—who travel the globe on deadly but romantic secret missions. But in The Moroccan Girl by author Charles Cumming, an unlikely agent finds himself facing off against international spies.
The story follows spy novelist C.K. “Kit” Carradine as his real life and his career converge. When he’s approached by a member of British Intelligence and asked to help with a mission in Morocco, he finds the idea exhilarating. His orders are simple: make two deliveries while searching for a mysterious woman. But Kit soon figures out that the woman he’s trying to find is a fugitive from Resurrection, a violent group that’s planned a number of attacks on right-wing figures. And despite the danger he faces in Morocco, he becomes determined to find her.
The Moroccan Girl isn’t the same old spy thriller. It doesn’t follow one of the typical literary spies: the smooth James Bond type or the gritty Jason Bourne type. But it also isn’t a comic adventure about a bumbling would-be agent. Kit may not have experience as a spy, but he’s the son of a former agent and an author who manages to write believable thrillers—and that gives him enough of a background to make his own story believable. He’s clearly not a pro—and he makes some critical mistakes—but he’s also researched and written enough novels that he’s not completely lost in his new position as undercover asset.
Really, this novel features just about everything that you could want from a spy thriller: a charming hero, a twisting story, mysterious characters, exotic locales, danger, chases, fights, politics, and even a little bit of romance. It’s more than just a fast-paced adventure, too; Cumming gives the story detail and development, drawing both his characters and the international settings in a way that will put readers into the story, wandering the streets of Marrakesh, on the hunt with the anxious author. And that attention to more than just the action makes it both exciting and engrossing.
If you enjoy the action and espionage of a fast-paced spy thriller, you won’t want to miss The Moroccan Girl. It’s the kind of novel that will have you speeding through the pages, only to find yourself wishing that you could stay with these captivating characters and return to these striking cities after you reach the last page.
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