The whole spy thing wasn’t really clicking with me so I had to DNF. Could be good for people who are into authors and spies!

I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this book, as some spy stories can get a bit too deep for me, but I actually enjoyed it as it was easy to follow even with quite a few characters and had a romance side to it too. Kit was a great character and the Moroccan setting came across well. Overall it was a good plot idea. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for letting me read and review this book.

The Moroccan Girl although described as a spy novel didn't quite measure up. Although finely layering the premise with the spy novelist joining up with actual spies, it still falls short. In addition, the left wing slant of the terrorist group was disconcerting and just never added up.

The Moroccan Girl started off incredibly strong, and with quite literally, a bang. As the narrative progressed, I found myself less interested in what the main character was involved in but never lost interest in the actual character himself—who was intriguingly naive and overly trusting, and really gave me Arthur Dent from Hitchhiker's Guide vibes. Overall, I found that the description of political espionage and unrest grew tiresome and tedious, thought that feeling may have just been prompted by our current, real-life, state of events.

I'd be interested in checking out what this author puts out in the future, especially if they try their hand at a different genre.

This spy thriller was an excellent book. I enjoyed that the main character was a writer finding himself in a sticky situation with the intention of doing research for his next book. Kit is approached by MI6 to complete a mission that would help his country as he goes to the book festival in Morocco. Once his mission is supposed to be over, he then begins to trail Lara, a member of the Resurrection, a violent group. The story intensifies when Kit is at crossroads and must decide to either save Lara or turn her in to the intelligence community. Overall, this book kept me turning pages and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This was a roller coaster of a ride. The twists and turns kept me guessing, but they were well crafted so as to give the reader a sense of possible ease before dropping us into the next dilemma. I usually can see where things are headed well before they play out, but this novel was cleverer than I, so I offer a hearty congratulations to Cumming for his adept storytelling. The audio was well done also.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

I am really sorry it took me so long to finish this book. It did take a little bit to get engaged with the characters in this book. Once you get into the flow with all the moving parts of the book it was really good. I recommend that you keep with this book and give it a little time and you will be happy you did.

For a spy-like thriller, I found it hard to get into this one. This arena just may not be up my alley, but I thought the story was a bit confusing and boring. The setting was an interesting one, but there wasn’t enough detail there to really being the atmosphere of Morocco home for me. I found myself just wanting to make my way through this novel, so I’d have to rate it at 2 ⭐️ stars.

This is a story of life imitating art. A writer of spy novels gets the opportunity to be a spy. His training is non-existent and his assignment anything but a walk in the park. I enjoyed it from start to finish, sitting down to read it any chance I got. Who's a good guy? How does one tell? Kit, the main character, summons resources he didn't know he had to accomplish his mission, meeting several bad guys along the way.

I know I don't have the guts to be a spy, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy reading about them. I wondered if Kit might appear in more novels. If so, I would read them. Cumming has written a well-crafted novel in The Moroccan Girl.

This book was exciting and contained twists and uncertainties that propelled me through page after page.

This wasn't necessarily a spy thriller.. but more of a romance/fiction story. It was enjoyable at parts, but overall.i found the pace a bit slow, and wasn't really interested in knowing how the story ends.

This book was definitely out of my normal reading realm and I can honestly say that I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it! It has an air of thriller/spy but in fact it is more romance/drama which I was happy about.

Kit is an ex-M16 agent and recent bored spy /thriller author who is offered a simple job to drop a package at a hotel in Marrakesh. One thing leads to another and Kits interest in Lisa, a member of a rebellion group, has him ultimately deciding whether to abandon Lisa or risk his life to save her. Surprises at every corner keep the pages turning. Very well done!

This was my first book by Charles Cumming, although certainly not his first. His impressive literary credentials (I discovered after reading it) are apparent from the first page. I won't do his the disservice of comparing him to other authors of this genre. Suffice it to say that everything he writes is worth reading. I haven't said a specific word about this book, nor do I intend to! Yes it was published in the UK under another name, so ignore all the 1 star reviews.

"The Moroccan Girl" is a rather slow and sometimes boring novel. The synopsis was definitely interesting but it was largely uninteresting for me to read.

Thanks NetGalley for this ARC, in exchange for an honest review. Let me first say that I judged a book by it's cover, I thought "Oh, pretty". I am used to Fantasy and Science Fiction where world building is essential, along with plot and character development. With that being said, this book left me wanting. I didn't really feel Morocco, maybe you're not supposed to feel the place that spy novels are set in, I'm not sure. The characters were intriguing though, I adored Carradine, I wish I could snatch his character and apply him somewhere else. It took me a bit to get into the story but I did enjoy it for the most part and I know that I have many patrons who would enjoy both his writing style and his content, which were both good (even though this book made me desperately miss world building).

Beautiful setting and premise, however, it was slower than I expected and the characters did not keep me interested.

If you are looking to read an exciting spy thriller you don’t have to look any further. I have never read anything written by Charles Cumming but he is an excellent author. It was a little slow to start but once it took off I couldn’t stop reading it. He writes so very descriptive which only adds to the story! You need to read this book! Thanks Charles!

I can confidently say The Moroccan Girl delivered with its fair share of espionage, murder, heavy action, and the typical love story thrown in the mix, The novel left me fairly satisfied during the Christmas break.

The reader meets Kit Carradine, a bored novelist of spy thrillers and the son of an actual spy who is looking for a little more action in his life. Coincidently, he is approached by a man named Mantis who is interested in obtaining his services for a British government operation within a group known as MI6. He must save one of the leading figures of a violent revolutionary group, Lara Bartok, all while staying alive and not mishandling his tasks which could spoil his future assignments with the group.

Cummings does a fairly good job of keeping the reader entertained. I could not consciously determine who to trust, who to believe and who to totally write off. The character development needed more work but the story had a great deal of forward momentum to the point where I was constantly hydroplaning through each scene. I love a good fast paced story and this one delivered.

Cummings takes the reader through many locations including Casablanca, Morocco, and Marrakech. The descriptive sensory language throughout each location was spot on. The details allowed the reader to taste, smell, and hear what Carradine was forced to experience. I think that alone took the novel from a 3 to a 4 star with no hesitation.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from @stmartinspress via Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Novelist Kit Carradine is drawn into a real-life espionage story that is so twisty even he couldn't write it. Readers will love this thriller.

I had a hard time enjoying this novel. I found myself getting lost and being all "what did I just read, maybe I need to go back and reread" more often than I should have.

Kit is approached on the street and asked to help out MI6. Throw in a little insta love with the leading lady he is trailing, and he must make a choice on whether to let her handle herself or try to save her.

As I said, I spent most of the book being confused and getting lost. I wasn't very invested but I thought the story was well paced and didn't particularly drag anywhere or get bogged down.

2.5 stars for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and the author for allowing me to read and review.

The book was ok, I loved the author in his previous books. I was not able to finish the book. The writing was excellent