Thriller set on the ESSEX Coast
Ten Great Books set in NORTH AFRICA
10th April 2026
Ten great books set in North Africa. North Africa is a region of striking environmental and cultural contrasts, serving as the gateway between the African continent and the Mediterranean world. It is primarily defined by the vast Sahara Desert, the rugged Atlas Mountains, and the fertile Nile River Valley, which birthed one of history’s greatest civilisations.
The region’s identity is a rich tapestry woven from indigenous Berber (Amazigh) roots and centuries of Arab-Islamic influence. Today, nations like Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt act as a geopolitical bridge. Despite the arid climate, North Africa remains a vital hub for global trade, energy, and ancient history.
Here are ten of our favourite books set in the Region.
Assembly of the Dead by Saeida Rouass – MARRAKECH
Morocco, 1906. The country is caught between growing European influence and domestic instability. As young women disappear from the alleyways of Marrakesh, Farook Al-Alami, a detective from Tangier, is summoned to solve the case of the apparent abductions. Investigating crimes in a country without a police force, Farook enters Marrakesh on the orders of the Sultan. But, in a city under siege from famine and death, he must rely on his own intuition and skill to uncover the mystery of the women s fate. Will anything halt the spate of disappearances until then? And can a single, criminal pair of hands lie behind events? As the story of the missing women becomes increasingly treacherous, the tension escalates around Jemma el-Fna, where the dead assemble.
Palace Walk by Naguib Mahfouz – CAIRO
A sweeping and evocative portrait of both a family and a country struggling to move toward independence in a society that has resisted change for centuries. Set against the backdrop of Britain’s occupation of Egypt immediately after World War I, Palace Walk introduces us to the Al Jawad family.
Ahmad, a middle-class shopkeeper runs his household strictly according to the Qur’an while at night he explores the pleasures of Cairo. A tyrant at home, Ahmad forces his gentle, oppressed wife and two daughters to live cloistered lives behind the house’s latticed windows, while his three very different sons live in fear of his harsh will.
Tangerine by Christine Mangan – TANGIER
The last person Alice Shipley expected to see since arriving in Tangier with her new husband was Lucy Mason. After the horrific accident at Bennington, the two friends – once inseparable roommates – haven’t spoken in over a year. But Lucy is standing there, trying to make things right.
Perhaps Alice should be happy. She has not adjusted to life in Morocco, too afraid to venture out into the bustling medinas and oppressive heat. Lucy, always fearless and independent, helps Alice emerge from her flat and explore the country.
But soon a familiar feeling starts to overtake Alice – she feels controlled and stifled by Lucy at every turn. Then Alice’s husband, John, goes missing, and Alice starts to question everything around her: her relationship with her enigmatic friend, her decision to ever come to Tangier, and her very own state of mind.
Tangerine is an extraordinary debut, so tightly wound, so evocative of 1950s Tangier, and so cleverly plotted that it will leave you absolutely breathless.
The Black Crescent by Jane Johnson – CASABLANCA
Bringing 1950s Morocco vividly to life, Jane Johnson’s masterful new novel, The Black Crescent, is a gripping story of murder, magic and divided loyalties…
Hamou Badi is born in a mountain village with the magical signs of the zouhry on his hands. In Morocco, the zouhry is a figure of legend, a child of both humans and djinns, capable of finding all manner of treasure: lost objects, hidden water.
But instead, Hamou finds a body.
This unsolved murder instils in Hamou a deep desire for order and justice: he trains as an officer of the law, working for the French in Casablanca. But the city is trapped in the turmoil of the nationalist uprising, and soon he will be forced to choose between all he knows and all he loves…
Disappearance of a Scribe by Dana Stabenow – ALEXANDRIA
Alexandria, 47BC. Cleopatra – seventh of her name, avatar of the goddess Isis, ruler of the Kingdom of Egypt – watches over her city. The war is over, but Alexandria, that once great beacon of learning and commerce, has suffered in its wake. Caesar has returned to Rome, and the queen must restore her city and her kingdom to their former greatness.
But now a body has been found floating upright at the bottom of the sea, anchored in place by a cement weight around its feet. It’s the second corpse to be found this way in two years, and the queen is concerned.
With a city to rebuild and a kingdom to keep in line, Cleopatra cannot allow any more murders to interfere. So she sets Tetisheri – her Eye, her closest confidant and personal investigator – to make things right. As she delves deeper into the mystery, Tetisheri will discover secrets, conspiracy and danger far beyond her ken…
Dune Song by Anissa M Bouziane – MOROCCO
‘I came to the Sahara to be buried.’
After witnessing the collapse of the World Trade Centre, Jeehan Nathaar leaves her New York life with her sense of identity fractured and her American dream destroyed. She returns to Morocco to make her home with a family that’s not her own. Healed by their kindness but caught up in their troubles, Jeehan struggles to move beyond the pain and confusion of September 11th.
On this desiccated landscape, thousands of miles from Ground Zero, the Dune sings of death, love, and forgiveness.
The Moroccan Daughter by Deborah Rodriguez – FEZ
In Morocco, behind the ancient walls of the medina, secrets will be revealed . . .
Amina Bennis has come back to her childhood home in Morocco to attend her sister’s wedding. The time has come for her to confront her strict, traditionalist father with the secret she has kept for more than a year – her American husband Max.
Amina’s best friend Charlie, and Charlie’s feisty grandmother Bea, have come along for moral support, staying with Amina and her family in their palatial riad in Fès, and enjoying all that the city has to offer. But Charlie is also hiding someone from her past – a mystery man from Casablanca.
And then there’s Samira, the Bennis’s devoted housekeeper for many decades. Hers is the biggest secret of all – and the one that strikes at the very heart of the family.
Bedouin by Alan Keohane – SAHARA
Bedouin is a unique and beautiful portrait of the Arab nomad’s life, rich in colour and culture. It uncovers the mystery that surrounds an ancient tribe and their struggle to survive in hostile conditions, barren lands and the threat of westernisation. Bedouin depicts everything from their everyday chores of cooking and collecting water to the more exotic tasks of weaving, moving camp and preparing celebratory feasts. This is a deeply moving portrait, captured exquisitely through stunning photography, of an ancient tribe struggling for transition from a well-rooted traditional culture to the modern society. With first-hand accounts of the individuals that make up these tribes, Bedouin is an eye-opening portrayal of a people whose life is rich in colour and culture. Its testimony will ensure that the Bedu and their ancient, determined lifestyle are not forgotten.
Cairo Gambit by S W Perry – EGYPT, PALESTINE
In the heat of the desert, will the trail go cold?
Cairo, 1938
Archie Nevenden is many things: amateur archaeologist; theatre impresario; absent father; potential defector. And now, he’s a missing person.
His daughter, Prim, hasn’t seen him for nearly fifteen years. But she’s never given up on him, and now she’s on her way to Cairo to assist in the search.
Harry Taverner claims to work for the British Council, but Prim knows there’s more to it. He clearly has a theory about what happened to Archie, one she’s not going to like.
As Prim and Harry uncover the layers of Archie’s existence in Cairo, they find themselves drawn in to more than one conspiracy. And soon they’ll discover that Archie may not be the only one in danger…
The Heat of Betrayal by Douglas Kennedy – MOROCCO
In the heady strangeness of Morocco, he is everything she wants him to be – passionate, talented, knowledgeable. She is convinced that it is here she will finally become pregnant.
But when Paul suddenly disappears, and Robin finds herself the prime suspect in the police inquiry, everything changes.
As her understanding of the truth starts to unravel, Robin lurches from the crumbling art deco of Casablanca to the daunting Sahara, caught in an increasingly terrifying spiral from which there is no easy escape.
With his acclaimed ability to write page-turners that also make you think, Douglas Kennedy takes the reader on a roller-coaster journey into a heart of darkness that asks the question: what would you do if your life depended on it?
Enjoy our selection of books set in North Africa!
Tony for the TripFiction team
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