Crime fiction set in WYOMING and MONTANA
Thriller set in Morocco (“…a country full of teaming, sometimes hostile life..”) PLUS author Q and A
16th June 2015
The Heat of Betrayal, by Douglas Kennedy, thriller set in Morocco.
American couple Paul and Robin fly to Morocco for a long holiday. Paul is a flighty artist, Robin is the Ying to his Yang, an accountant who watches the bottom line in more ways than one. They met when Paul went to her for financial advice, a man who liked to spend top dollar on wine and luxuries, but lacked the income to really sustain a lavish lifestyle.
At Paul’s behest they head for Essaouira (pronounced ess-weera in Arabic, apparently) in Morocco, a popular beach resort on the Atlantic coast, where he is intent on producing some new and inspired artwork. Robin sets her heart on learning French whilst he is occupied. And one of the main purposes of the trip is, to put it bluntly, inseminate Robin, who is desperate to become a Mother – after all, her biological time clock is ticking away as she is nearing 40. Mad, passionate scenes of lovemaking are interspersed with dreamy days overlooking the ocean and of romantic evenings watching the “red globular sun slowly liquidating into the a tranquil ocean“. They are mesmerised by the rich colours of the city, and learn to enjoy the city where “the kinetic madness of the life screaming around...” is omnipresent. But it all comes to a giddying halt when Robin discovers some information when she is tidying up Paul’s things. Stark reality hits her in the face and it is the manner of her response to this new information that is the key to the progression of the story.
This is not, however, Paul’s first time in the country, and as the book moves along, the mysteries unfurl, like the snakes rising for the snake charmer in Jemaa el-Fna, the waters getting ever murkier. Paul seems to disappear…. Robin is a resourceful woman, (considered as the main suspect in his disappearance by the police), and she is soon in hot pursuit, fighting her mounting anger at her new found knowledge, yet struggling all the while with the fact that Paul is her husband, a husband who seems to be under quite some mental strain. As her quest broadens, she is faced with adventures and encounters that see her careening around the country in search of answers and in search of Paul, from Tata, to Casablanca, across the Sahara, Ouarzazate and on to Marrakech… the thrilling speed of her adventures whips up a picture of a country full of teaming, sometimes hostile life, and above all colour and vibrancy.
The author explores a little of the couple dynamics: Robin, with an ordered lifestyle, is drawn to, well, feckless men. This tendency is probably attributable to her Father’s behaviour, essentially as he was a gambler and emotionally unavailable to her. And then he died on her. Paul is secretive yet has seductive and charming ways that totally hook Robin in… but is he a schemer or just hapless?
There is one pivotal event in Tata that serves to move the story on, when Robin morphs into an even more plucky and resourceful woman, with the creative means to overcome a given situation, but for me this was a little too heroic given the manner of the attack she had to face. A small point in a very readable book, written in the clear and strong style that makes Douglas Kennedy such a popular author. Enjoy.
And we are so pleased that Douglas Kennedy agreed to answer some of our questions:
TF: Morocco just comes alive in this novel. What prompted you to set this story in this country and how did you carry out your research?
DK: I have always been fascinated by the Arab world, having written my first book about Egypt, and having traveled in a half-dozen Arab countries. But Morocco has always remained a hugely compelling landscape for me – and one which I have visited a dozen times. How did I do my research for the novel. I knocked around Morocco with a notebook! And I ventured far away from the usual picture postcards.
TF: It is a very gripping storyline, dark yet quite real. The Morocco Tourist Board might at points not be overly enamoured by the portrayal (:))- but what are the aspects that have drawn you to the country and culture?
DK: Morocco is both modern and medieval; secular and Muslim; Arab, yet with deep European (notably French) influences. It has actual Alps (Les hautes Atlas), and an exceptional Atlantic coast, and a Mediterranean sensibility, and an evolved wine industry, and – of course – a desert called the Sahara. It is a country where you can see a businesswoman in Chanel and Manolo Blahnik next to a woman in Berber dress, her face behind a chador. All the manifold contrasts of Morocco were great fodder for the novel.
TF: In your books you are clearly interested in the relationship between men and women. To a large extent the portrayal of men in this book is rather bleak, contrasted with a strong female protagonist. Interesting dynamics, how did they come about?
DK: I have written six and a half books in the voice of a woman narrator. And yes, in this (and other of my novels) a man is the source of much grief and much cowardice. The dynamics of a couple always interest me. So too the lies we tell ourselves when we realize that, from the outset, we knew we were getting involved with someone who was too troubled for our own good. But when it comes to matters of the heart we are often so counter-intuitive.
TF: French words and phrases pepper the text, appropriate, as this is one of the languages of Morocco. As an American, how have you come to learn French and develop a clear fondness for France and things French? And what about your time in Berlin?
DK: I am a fluent French speaker. Fifteen years of having a pied-a-terre in Paris, eight years of private lessons four times a week, and a series of French girlfriends allowed me to crack the language. My German isn’t bad, but I am determined to get it where my French is – and that will mean extended time in Berlin (where I have an apartment).
TF: Where do you feel most at home nowadays? Where is “home”?
DK: In 2011, after thirty-four years away, I returned home to the States, where I have a house in Maine. In 2014 I moved into an apartment in New York. I jump back and forth across the Atlantic all the time. But I am very pleased that I reconnected with the US and moved back there. Your country is like your family: the perpetual dispute, but also your true roots.
TF: Any top tips for a trip to Morocco?
DK: Venture away from the obvious tourist traps. Avoid Agadir (it’s horrible). Venture to the smaller, more intriguing cities like Fez and Essaouira. And do cross the Atlas into the Sahara.
TF: What are you working on now and where will your next book be set?
DK: A new novel, set in New York. Beyond that… you’ll see!
TF: What kinds of books do you yourself like to read and what are you reading at the moment?
DK: I’ve just discovered a truly interesting English writer named Lawrence Osborne, who wrote a very skewed book about drinking his way across the Muslim world entitled ‘The Wet and the Dry’. A highly original piece of narrative travel writing.
Thank you to Douglas and you can follow him Facebook, Twitter and via his website. He also talks about the book, titled The Blue Hour in USA, plus Morocco as a location, in this fascinating video on his Facebook page.
Tina for the TripFiction team
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And for a list of Douglas Kennedy’s books, click here and for more books set in Morocco, click here
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And I’m eagerly looking forward in reading this book! 🙂