This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Such a unique and excellent piece of historical fiction. Absolutely adored it. Such an intriguing and effective read. Truly brilliant. Recommend!

A compelling and twisted novel, evocative of The Talented Mr Ripley, exploring the toxic undercurrents inherent in many friendships and relationships. Mangan does an amazing job of drawing her setting and her characters with deft strokes, weaving together a beguiling and beautifully written story.

What an explosive tale. This is a must read that needs to go on everybody's bookshelf. The setting was exquisite and the wide array of characters complemented the storyline perfectly. I loved it so much.

This is a cleverly plotted, character driven psychological drama in a vividly realised setting – a story of a toxic friendship and unspoken memories that plays out in Tangier. The comparisons – Patricia Highsmith, Daphne Du Maurier, Donna Tartt – are unrealistic but this is a compelling story and would be an very good holiday read.

Tangerine falls into a sort of niche sub-genre of Psychological Suspense, and I don't really know how to describe it other than Classic Noir, as it resonates so strongly with Film Noir. I'm a massive fan of all Crime Fiction, but what I really, really like, what makes my heart sing, is when I come across a book that is like a written version of an old Alfred Hitchcock black-and-white movie.

I completely sunk into Tangerine like sinking into a hot bubble bath after a long day. Tautly plotted and a purely character driven psychological drama, the setting could be counted as one of those characters. Haunting and highly engaging, this is the story of a toxic friendship playing out against the backdrop of Tangier in a time of turmoil..

The imagery in this novel is astounding – you really feel like you are walking the streets of Tangier with our main protagonists – but it is so simply done, with no need for exposition or endless descriptive passages, the place is just there, underneath the actions of the characters and you sense it on every page. Then we have Alice and Lucy – told in alternating chapters from their points of view, these girls met at Bennington, a finishing college and became close friends fast. But a tragedy separated them and put Alice into a dark place, from which it seems she has still not emerged. Lucy has followed her across continents, but is it loyalty or something more sinister? As their tales are told, there is a distinct and urgent sense of menace about it, the author drawing the reader into this vivid, vibrant world where there is danger at every turn..

Tangerine is unsettling, unexpected at times, plays on different versions of events but eventually the truth emerges – taking us into an ending that is razor sharp and emotionally disturbing. A clever, layered novel that will appeal to fans of the literary psychological thriller and readers like me who love a classic unreliable narrator done in old school style.

The plot is carefully thought out to the last detail and well crafted with a few shocking twists and turns – some I guessed, some I didn’t. The pace begins slow burning, picking up slightly about halfway through, then only when we get to the last quarter of the book it really cranks up a gear and begins to speed like a steam train. Even the pace draws parallels with classic film.

The prose is written in such a flawless, suspenseful way, I could not help but have a tight feeling of unease creep over me, feeling myself jumping at every little noise in the house. If you are feeling slightly nervous do not read this in the house alone. There is a black, menacing undercurrent flows throughout most of the book, becoming stronger until it reaches the final climax

Tangerine is a deliciously dark and unnerving thriller that I devoured in one day. I CANNOT wait to see what will be next from Christine Mangan.

I am an ardent fan of Patricia Highsmith, and I genuinely think that Christine Mangan, albeit with her own particular writing flair and style, has captured something of the atmosphere of the aforementioned doyenne of psychological crime. The book is an amalgamation of suffocating obsessive behaviour suffused with a location that also wields a suffocating atmosphere on the characters contained within. Alice Shipley is the timid little wife, wrestling with the demons of events some years previously during her residence at a college in Vermont, adrift in the stultifying domestic routine of her ill advised relocation to Tangier with her husband, John. Only thinking that she needs to conquer her increasingly isolated existence in this bustling, overwhelming and foreign environment along comes Lucy, a real blast from a not altogether pleasant past, and here is where the fun begins…

Written in alternating character viewpoints we bear witness to first, the hugely differing responses of the women to Tangier itself, with Alice resisting and Lucy embracing the idiosyncrasies of this city in the grip of political and social unrest. This theme expands to their different interactions with those around them, the ex-pats and the natives with both women again separated by their willingness to engage or ignore. At another level, the microscope is put on their relationship, defined by tragic past events, and an examination of the faltering steps to form some kind of relationship in the present, whilst simultaneously assimilating the truth from the fiction of what exactly happened back in Vermont. These are two women, on the surface completely divided by money, class, marital status and more, providing a strange dynamic in their relationship. What unfolds is a breathless, claustrophobic and deeply psychological story that reflects the tensions of all these facets of the narrative, with takes the reader to some dark and dangerous territory of both women’s psyches.

This book got its hooks into me from the very beginning, initially because of Mangan’s manipulation of location. I found it extremely clever how she managed to make both the locations of Vermont and Tangier a mirror of each other despite the obvious differences in climate and landscape. Both are claustrophobic, and both are extremely reflective of the psychological upheaval that Alice in particular experiences, The unrelenting cold of snowy Vermont is as palpable, as the sweltering confusion of Tangiers, and Mangan makes her descriptions of both sing from the pages. I was also fascinated by the shifting parameters of Alice and Lucy’s relationship as the book progresses, and the power that each wields over the other on different emotional levels. The shades of light and dark that colour their every interaction was brilliantly done, holding the reader’s attention, and also in a state of suspense for the eventual reckoning. This was the aspect of the book which was most Highsmithian in its rendition, and all leads to a truly dark denouement, which although a little drawn out towards the end, was incredibly satisfying. A clever, vibrant, suspenseful read.

Highly recommended.

A suspenseful and atmospheric historical thriller, Tangerine feels like a Hitchcock film, with its exploration of psychology and the ratcheting tension. I love an unreliable narrator so immediately adored Alice and her navigation of a toxic friendship. The setting of Tangier is almost a character itself and was beautifully evoked by the author. I would highly recommend this one to fans of literary psychological thrillers.

A literary thriller set in Morocco that tells the story of two college friends and a tragic secret that haunts them. Atmospheric and brooding, this is a slow burn of a novel let down by the ending.

Dripping with authentic atmosphere of the period, and feels Hitchcock-ian in nature. For fans of femmes fatale, and hot, smoky pulp fiction.

It all began that day... 1 star

Alice and Lucy were once best friends, students together at the expensive Bennington College in Vermont. Now Alice is in Tangier with her newish husband. He loves the life there, the seedy bars, the feeling of danger in the streets as Morocco demands its independence from its French colonisers. Alice hates it, scared to go out alone and miserable when she goes out with her overbearing and unsympathetic husband (mind you, he’s also pretty miserable at having to go out with the whining, pathetic Alice). Suddenly one day, out of the blue, Lucy turns up at their door. This is the first time Alice and Lucy have met since that day... but no, of course we don’t get told what happened that day. As Lucy and Alice take turns at the narration, carefully ensuring their voices are indistinguishable to add an element of confusion, they each dance round the subject of what happened that day while being very careful not to tell the poor put-upon reader.

I made it to the 25% mark before deciding I could take no more. I don’t want to be unfairly brutal – this is a début, and it shows some promise. I’ve spluttered with annoyance often over the whole “that day” faux-suspense thing that seems to be an essential part of so-called thrillers these days – presumably because the authors can’t actually think of anything thrilling to write about. So Mangan is merely following the herd, and sadly it’s a big herd, getting bigger by the day. I was sucked in by the great cover – had this had the ubiquitous girl in the red jacket on it I’d have known to avoid it like the plague.

Had it just been the “that day” tedium, I would probably have stuck with it, though. The picture Mangan gives of Tangier at this point in time (1956) is quite well done, bearing in mind that we see it solely through the eyes of white colonials. This means there are some rather demeaning depictions of the locals that smack a little of good old white superiority, but I felt that was appropriate to the time and social status of the main characters.

Unfortunately, however, I couldn’t tolerate the style of writing. Some people have praised it, so I’ll admit that’s a subjective thing. It’s well-written in a grammatical sense, and thankfully it’s in the past tense, except for the obligatory foreshadowing prologue. But it’s written in a kind of mock-Gothic manner, all overwrought and hyperventilating, that gradually began to drive me insane. I had company in my insanity however – in true Gothic fashion, both women have strange “nervous” conditions that cause them to have imaginary symptoms and so on, and we know from the prologue that at least one of them has totally lost her marbles by the time the story ends. It was at the point that one of them actually fainted – Mangan resisted the temptation to say “swooned” but I bet it was on the tip of her pen – that I gave up. I discovered when I looked at her author bio that Mangan did her PhD on 18th century Gothic literature, and was unsurprised. Nor was I astonished to learn she had then topped that off with a degree in creative writing...

I didn’t hate it and I don’t think it’s awful. It’s as good as most of these identikit “that day” thrillers and better written than many. It probably deserves three or even four stars. But it’s not for me, and since I couldn’t bring myself to continue reading, then I’m afraid one star it is. Oddly, I’ll still be intrigued to see how Mangan develops – if she can learn to match her style to her subject matter and free herself from the feeling that she must follow the herd, I feel she has the talent to evolve into an interesting writer. I wish her well in the attempt.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Little, Brown Book Group.

The wonderful cover photography of 'Tangerine' draw me in immediately to what proved to be a feast of a book. A slow burn of mounting tension, entwined relationships, engaging characters and clever plotline makes this compulsive reading. It is, initially, a little slow to start - but do not let this deter ypu, press on as this is worth the reading investment. Perfectly evokes the era. Recommended.

I don’t know whether it was Joyce Carol Oates’ cover quote which first put it in mind but Tangerine always feels as if it gives more than a nod to Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr Ripley. Their roles may differ but I couldn’t stop rhyming (Alice) Shipley with (Tom) Ripley while reading and then there’s the scene where Lucy tries on Alice’s clothes, resembling one where Tom dons Dickie Greenleaf’s. That said, this tale of toxic friendship is worth a read in its own right.

I enjoyed reading Tangerine for its Moroccan setting at a time when the country is on the verge of independence. You can sense change and uncertainty coming and Lucy seems a harbinger of this, not least for Alice whose brittle coping mechanisms are about to be tested.

It’s the relationship between Alice and Lucy which is pivotal to this book and all the more interesting once the backstory comes through and you find out what happened a year ago at Bennington and why it was of such importance and arguably life-changing for both women, albeit in different ways.

As for the other characters, Alice’s expat husband, John, seems insubstantial alongside the women but it’s telling that both he and Lucy are the ones who feel at home in Tangier. It instantly aligns the two of them, leaving Alice yet more isolated. And while I wasn’t ecstatic to see the main local character take a fairly stereotypical role, I understand why this was done.

In fact, the scenes where he and Lucy walk the city add depth to the story where they talk about the meaning of names, history and layering, and being at the crossroads where various things meet. It all feeds into what Lucy senses is happening between her and Alice, further encourages her to act and helps the reader see why she might be so bold here, far from home.

There were a couple of other niggles thanks to a rather contrived phone call and a relative who disappoints when she most needs to come through for someone. But, apart from those, this story of obsession, jealousy and thwarted plans is riveting and I read Tangerine with increasing horror and fascination, as the truth of the women’s friendship is revealed and their reunion becomes more and more fractious.

While I was reading Tangerine, I kept having to remind myself this was not written in the 1950s, it so perfectly captures that tone and atmosphere. It feels a little cliche to have a lesbian obsessive character who doesn't understand how to love but Mangan walks the line with this dense foreboding. It gets a bit muddled and the plot can feel anticlimactic but it remains compelling

I was intrigued by the comparisons to Highsmith and Tartt, but i felt that they were overplayed - plot beats are generously influenced by far superior source material, but the overall effect is underwhelming. The Gillian Flynn influence is also apparent - although i have to say that as i didnt enjoy gone girl i fear this didnt help my enjoyment. The twisty plotting was twist after twist for the sake of it, and i found myself increasingly irritated.
The Moroccan setting is evocative and a real sense of the time and place is brought out; it’s just unfortunate that the story failed to convince.

"And there she was: my past, made corporeal."

A lot of people have compared Tangerine to a Hitchcock film, and it definitely has the slow-burning suspense and underlying threat throughout that Hitckcock was famous for, plus the 1950s setting. However, it lacks something that makes Hitchcock the genius he was. There aren't that many surprises, and the ones that are in there are fairly obvious. But, this is a slow burning, atmospheric book that's an ideal beach or lazy day read, just the right amount of suspense without being too exhausting.

Mangan has really conjured up 1950s Morrocco, you can feel the heat, the history and the crowds as you read and it is cloying and overbearing at times, just the way the character of Alice experiences it. But you also see the beauty as well.
The sweltering and claustrophobic setting of Tangiers really works well in this book as Alice feels gradually more and more trapped, within her own mind, with Lucy and with her husband.

Tangerine is also a very visual book, not just with the setting but also with the fashion and culture of the time. This is another element that gives it a Hitchcockian feel and I've no doubt it will make a beautiful film (apparently Scarlett Johansson is going to star).

The central theme of the book is the relationship between the two women, Alice and Lucy. Intense and overbearing female relationships are pretty big in thrillers at the moment, and I think that's maybe why I found Tangerine a little predictable; there was nothing particularly new about the relationship between the two women and the questions on who to trust. However, Mangan still explores it well, with all the devotion, jealousies and questions that are thrown up throughout the novel.

Tangerine is an enthralling book that's full of suspense, yet it sometimes opts for style over substance.

My Rating: 3.5 Stars (rounded up to 4 stars for Goodreads etc)

I received a copy of Tangerine, via NetGalley, in return for an honest review. My thanks to the author and publisher.

A really good read tackling lots of issues and really strong characters. Set in Tangiers, America and England a really good look at the cultural differences

Recently married Alice has moved to Morocco alongside her husband but she has difficulty adjusting to ex-pat life in 1950s Tangiers. One day her old college roommate Lucy turns up for a visit. Alice and Lucy haven't seen each other since Alice's former fiancee was killed in an accident and Lucy disappeared shortly afterwards. As Lucy's stay lengthens, Alice becomes more and more unsettled until she realises that Lucy is more than a little obsessed with her. Finally Alice realises the lengths that Lucy will go to but by then it is too late.

This is a short and spare book which evokes the claustrophobic nature of the life of ex-pats in a foreign country. Written from the perspective of the two women it is fascinating to see the story develop and become more and more intense. The book has been compared to Patricia Highsmith and I can see this, Lucy is a Ripleyesque manipulator. The writing is crisp and tight, the plot clever (if predictable), the atmosphere hot and evocative - Mangan has produced a really excellent novel.

This was a very absorbing book and the setting of Tangier in the 1950's was very well described. I felt that I was surrounded by the colours, smells and tastes of Tangier and the characters were very well drawn and quite complex - the relationships were fascinating. I thoroughly recommend the book and thank Net Galley for an advance copy.

I can see this book being made into a wonderfully atmospheric film, with all the heat and colour of Morocco, the heightening tensions and the lurking dangers. I enjoyed it as a read but felt that at times I was dizzy from being spun from one narrative to another. Lucy became a bit of a pantomime villain - obsessive and ruthless - and Alice was too passive and fragile. But it is a book with great atmosphere and the tension is increased as the plot thickens. I liked the fact that we are never really sure what happened in some of the previous events - is Alice's imagination simply running riot? Enjoyable thriller but just not great for me.