Thrillers aren’t usually my cup of tea, even when I enjoy them, they tend to give me a brief high while I get caught up in the suspense but are ultimately forgettable in the long-term. Regardless, I can honestly say that at least while I was reading it, this book wheedled its way into my brain and refused to be put down.

Tangerine follows the story of Alice Shipley who has moved to Tangier with her new husband as an escape from a single, terrible and tragic night. When her old college roommate appears unexpectedly on her doorstep, the events that Alice has fought to forget are slowly drawn back into focus.

The true strength of this novel lies in its hypnotic setting. I’ve never been been to Morocco but Christine Mangan paints such a vivid picture of the hustle and bustle, the underlying tensions, the markets, the noises, the smells... that I felt that I was walking there beside them, feeling a dash of Alice’s unease but a considerable amount of Lucy’s awe and sense of adventure.

The story is a gripping unravelling of obsession and manipulation that had me frantically turning pages and, once or twice, gave me actual goosebumps. It wasn’t quite powerful enough to sell me on thrillers as a whole and I did find it a fairly predictable, but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride regardless. A highly atmospheric read, well written and full of page turning suspense.

A big thank you to Little, Brown for this copy of Waterstone’s book of the month!