The dual timeline plot is a bit tired in this telling, but the principle characters of a thriller novelist and his various spying friends -- the identity of whose masters you aren't very sure of throughout most of the story -- makes this a bit exciting and fresh. Thriller fans will find this worthwhile.

A good read with some notable twists along the way. C. K. Carradine, "Kit", is a professional writer of spy novels. His livelihood provides a comfortable if somewhat lonely life. He leans to the left but not much. He sometimes shows a glint of what some would call conservatism but would be embarrassed to acknowledge it. He looks up to his father, a former operative for the Service. He is appreciative of the advantages of his life. He is satisfied, but he is somewhat melancholy and bored. That cracks a bit when he is suddenly thrust into the midst of a violent act perpetrated by a hazy anarchical group, the Resurrection. Shortly thereafter, a shadowy operative from the Service requests a favor of him during an upcoming book conference trip, and Kit begins to phase shift from his staid writers status quo into the world he only imagined heretofore. As the plot unfurls, we find that Kit is a bit of a natural at the "spy stuff". After fulfilling the favor and playing hide-and-seek across Morocco to escape, he learns that all is not what he was led to believe.

The book takes you through an English novelists adventures after being recruited as a spy. He is comical, smart and bored with his daily routine and his life turns upside down on a trip to Morocco. Very well written and the pages flew by with this gem.

Charles Cumming, author of “The Moroccan Girl,” has selected an exotic name for a rather well known theme. But he redeems himself with the actual story that, although not particularly innovative, is well written, containing twists and turns that keep the reader engrossed.

Famous author Kit Carradine is drafted by an M16 officer to track down a beautiful woman hiding out in exotic Marrakesh. Carradine, although not an official spy, has delusions of being one and approaches the job with a combination of dash and timidity that makes him appealing to readers. Not familiar with the seamier side of espionage, the protagonist soon finds himself pitted against a violent terrorism group that quickly shows him that all is not alluring about the job he has accepted. He must adapt to the seamier aspects of his new existence to survive. In fact, after finding the woman, he discovers that betrayal, violence, and fear are far more prevalent than any romantic notions he might have had.

Cumming is a great writer who can encase side issues into his main story that add tension and thrills. The usual choice becomes clear to the hero; abandon the woman or risk his own life to save himself. I became a fan of the author as I found myself becoming avidly absorbed by both his knowledge of the game and ability to explain it. I encourage you to become more familiar with Charles Cumming, himself an ex-M16 agent, and his widely accepted espionage book themes.

The formatting on this book was not ready for prime time with numbers interrupting paragraphs and lines forced breaking in the middle of sentences. It really needs a good proofing. That being said, the story was decent and was as much a love story as a spy tale. It had plenty of action, but there seemed to be no reason for anything that happened. I liked the Moroccan Girl character and the effect she had on so many men. Carradine seemed to be a bit naive and operated out of curiosity rather than a real desire to serve his country. You're never quite sure if he's being conned or if he's being asked to do a real mission or if they're just involving him in order to use him in the future. In the end, I enjoyed the read but did not feel the story had a real beginning, middle, and end. Nothing was resolved. Kind of leaves you scratching your head and asking, "What did I just read?".It did not make me want to read the next book, if there is one.

I enjoyed this spy novel from Charles Cumming - a new author to me.
There was less action in this book than a typical spy novel - as the main character in the book is more of an accidental spy rather than a professional James Bond type spy. As the story is told through the eyes of an author who stumbles into the world of spying, the story doesn't have as much technical depth to it as you would expect from an actual spy viewpoint.
There are several twists in the book to keep you entertained and guessing over who is really working for which side in the constant fight between the allies and the russians.

There are a lot of mentions of current events, technology, music stars etc which makes me wonder just how well the book will last the test of time.

Without giving anything away, the last couple of pages are also open ended enough to leave us with a chance that there may well be some more books in this series which I am looking forward to reading.

Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this ARC version of the book that will be available in February 2019.

The author wants to be a spy- with all the agencies, all the double dealing and travel. Exotic locations, urgent and critical goals and targets, there is action to spare.

Things are never as they seem, the beautiful woman carries desperate secrets. Some of the spy stuff is a little expected but others are surprising.
The action is consistent and the ending did work for me.

Pretty fun read.

Take a trip through the looking glass into the Moroccan Girl, Charles Cumming’s
wonderful tale of a writer drawn into the world of espionage and mirrors from London to Casablanca, Marrakesh and beyond. With a plot drawn from the headlines, and the usual suspects of CIA, MI6, SVR agents and double agents, Cummings keeps us rapt and constantly guessing who the good guys and bad guys are. It’s a wonderful read.

Entertaining, but at times predictable, although with enough surprises thrown in to make it a page-turning and fun read.

Espionage novel writer and wannabe spy is both clueless and clever in this unusual diversion from Cumming's previous, more sophisticated work. Hard to tell if this is a parody, a spoof or a satire on spy novelists or aspiring spies.

I love this book, the characters were well developed. The plot had many twist and turns. Great read., cannot wait for the next book..

Another gripping novel from Cumming. The Moroccan Girl is a superb thriller by this gifted author. Well worth the read!

The author cam write. However there are 2 big problems with the book. By 25% of the way through very little has happened; the plot is thin and so are the characters. And then, the author makes his case that equates left wing radicals with jihadists. "And Americans have learned to adjust to this, just as we are slowly learning to adjust to the threat from suicide bombers, from jihadists, from left-wing radicals." What a crock. The so-called left wing is not doing any of this stuff. It is a fabrication suited for Trump, Le Pen, and Pro-Brexit. Enough. Garbage!

5*****!

I DEVOURED this book. It is a top-notch spy thriller.

".....His novels occupied a literary space equidistant between Ludlum's kiss-kiss-bang-bang and the slow-burn chess game of Le Carré."

So says Kit Carradine, Cumming's lead character, a writer, who in this book is describing his own work. The same statement couldn't be more accurate of Cumming's own work, which appears to be at least semi-autobiographical - it does feel like a truly contemporary Le Carré - less action than a Ludlum and more cerebral.

I also loved the direct mention of The Man Who Knew Too Much, as it came strongly to mind with the setting and circumstances and similarly Highsmith's thriller writing was also evoked.

I found myself muttering "No!" at Carradine when he made a poor decision (regularly) and was utterly gripped in the pursuit sequences. The characters were believable, the places felt authentic and the writing was solid. It is an incredibly fast-paced read and I flew through it, only to be disappointed that I had no more of it left to read at the finish. The exciting thing is that Cumming has written more books and I'm grateful to have been introduced to his oeuvre.

Please note that this book is titled "The Man Between" in the UK, but I actually think this is a catchier title...

Many thanks to NetGalley, St Martin's Press and Charles Cumming for a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review.