Morrocan Traffic by Dorothy Dunnett

In Moroccan Traffic, which is set in the late 1980s, Dorothy Dunnett transports her readers to Marrakesh after dramatic events in London. Wendy Helmann, a clever, ambitious executive secretary, is persuaded to take her perfectly healthy mother for a ‘rest cure’ in Morocco. In fact, this is a cover for a mission she has been asked to carry out for her boss, the Chairman of Kingsley Conglomerates, who is involved in morally questionable takeover negotiations. Morocco is a romantic place, and a handsome Irishman is keen on Wendy, but she is distracted from his charms by the antics of sparky businesswoman Rita Geddes. When she finds herself surrounded by kidnapping, explosions, industrial espionage, murder and car chases across the High Atlas mountains, Wendy realises that only portrait painter and secret agent Johnson Johnson and his yacht Dolly can save the day – but will they?

Reading and reviewing the seven humorous crime novels in Dunnett’s ‘Dolly’ series has given me great pleasure. Dunnett’s use of the same plot model for all of them pulls the series together brilliantly. Certain familiar and likeable characters, including Dolly the yacht, appear in each novel. This reunites the reader with old friends, while allowing for lots of variety in the story lines. As a bonus, Rita Geddes, who is one of the main characters in Moroccan Traffic, was the narrator of the first in the series, Tropical Issue. I was fascinated to learn how her career has developed.

The things I like best about Dunnett’s novels are dry humour, fun, sharp wit, exotic locations, glamorous lifestyles, beautiful clothes, thrilling descriptions of life at sea, devious red herrings, twisty plots which keep me guessing and the complete absence of personal tech such as mobile phones. I highly recommend every book in the series.

Many thanks to @farragobooks and @RandomTTours who gave me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.