Tangier

Christopher Chaffee, a discredited U.S. government official, arrives in Morocco in 1995 to search for his father. Long believed to have died in prison in Vichy, France, his father has resurfaced via a letter written from Tangier in 1940. Set mainly in Tangier and alternating between 1995 and 1940, the story traces the son’s efforts to find his father and his father’s attempt to reach Casablanca and join the French government in exile. Operating blindly to begin with, the younger man moves from contact to contact, learning little but always hopeful. The older man finds himself drawn into a web of wartime spies and adventurers as he tries to realize his objective. Both strands unwind slowly – life in Tangier, whether in 1940 or 1995, was evidently lived at a leisurely pace – but the plot is helped along nicely by some fine writing with evocative descriptions of the North African city in war and peace and a skillful use of metaphors. Intriguing and expanding links between the two periods also help, but the story’s conclusion, while perfectly acceptable, is neither exciting nor memorable. If you like mysteries set in exotic places with a historical dimension, you’ll find Tangier a satisfactory read.