Tangier by Stephen Holgate - 4 stars

[Joy D]

I quite enjoyed this combination of mystery, espionage, and journey to self-discovery set in Morocco. It employs a dual timeline narrative, one set in WWII where a French diplomat has fled to Tangier to avoid becoming part of the Vichy government, and the other set in 1995 in which a son searches for the father he has never known. It is evenly paced, where pieces of the puzzle are gradually revealed within each story, and they eventually converge into a satisfying conclusion.
Holgate captures the flavor of the Tangier, its customs, cultures, architecture, vistas, and histories. It is filled with spies, smugglers, con artists, and colorful characters. Protagonist Christopher Chaffee starts off as a pretty unlikeable guy, but over the course of his time in Morocco, he experiences a personal awakening, inspired by his interactions with people who are very different from him, especially in their ways of thinking about what is important in life.

The writing is evocative:
“After the relentless gloom of France, the streets of Tangier looked like a street carnival. The Mediterranean sun saturated every corner of the noisy, crowded markets and bustling streets—the reds and blues, greens and whites of the djellabas, the striped awnings of shaded doorways, the painted polyglot signs above the shops and restaurants. Even in the shadowed lanes of the medina, the sun suffused the soft greens and blues that trimmed the whitewashed walls.”

The storyline seems plausible, without any over-the-top components that often mar a book of this type. It will appeal to readers that enjoy historical mysteries set in exotic places.