The Moroccan Girl

At the start of this uneven spy novel from bestseller Cumming (The Trinity Six), thriller writer Kit Carradine is accosted on a London street by Robert Mantis, who claims to be a big fan of his books. Mantis, whose card identifies him as a British government “operational control center specialist,” persuades Carradine to do some spying for the U.K. in Morocco, where he’s to attend a literary event. His tasks: carry some cash to one of Mantis’s associates and keep an eye out for a “remarkable young woman, cunning and unpredictable.” In Morocco, Carradine succeeds in identifying the girl of the title: Lara Bartok, the former girlfriend of Ivan Simakov, the leader of a revolutionary group that’s been kidnapping right-wing journalists. The Russian government wants to stop Simakov; the American government may also be involved. Cumming is a terrific stylist with a great sense of place, but the convoluted plot becomes tiresome. Readers will struggle to care about Carradine, a romantic dreaming of glory, who’s more sad sack than hero. Agent: Luke Janklow, Janklow & Nesbit. (Feb.)