Christine Mangan Libros

With gorgeous prose, European glamour, and an expansive wanderlust, Christine Mangan's The Continental Affair is a fast-paced, Agatha Christie-esque caper packed full of romance and suspense.

Set in the days before and after the 1966 flood, the worst ever experienced by the city of Venice, Frances Croy is working to leave the previous year behind: another novel published to little success, a scathing review she can't quite manage to forget, and, most of all, the real reason behind her self-imposed exile from London: the incident at the Savoy. Sequestered within an aging palazzo, Frankie finds comfort in the emptiness of Venice in winter, in the absence of others. And then Gilly appears. A young woman claiming a connection from back home, one that Frankie can't quite seem to recall, Gilly seems determined for the two women to become fast friends. But there's something about her that continues to give Frankie pause, that makes her wonder just how much of what Gilly tells her is actually the truth.

“As if Donna Tartt, Gillian Flynn, and Patricia Highsmith had collaborated on a screenplay to be filmed by Hitchcock—suspenseful and atmospheric.” —Joyce Carol Oates, author of The Book of American Martyrs The last person Alice Shipley expected to see since arriving in Tangier with her new husband was Lucy Mason. After the accident at Bennington, the two friends—once inseparable roommates—haven’t spoken in over a year. But there Lucy was, trying to make things right and return to their old rhythms. Perhaps Alice should be happy. She has not adjusted to life in Morocco, too afraid to venture out into the bustling medinas and oppressive heat. Lucy—always fearless and independent—helps Alice emerge from her flat and explore the country. But soon a familiar feeling starts to overtake Alice—she feels controlled and stifled by Lucy at every turn. Then Alice’s husband, John, goes missing, and Alice starts to question everything around her: her relationship with her enigmatic friend, her decision to ever come to Tangier, and her very own state of mind. Tangerine is a sharp dagger of a book—a debut so tightly wound, so replete with exotic imagery and charm, so full of precise details and extraordinary craftsmanship, it will leave you absolutely breathless. Optioned for film by George Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures, with Scarlett Johansson to star

Tanger, 1956. Alice Shipley n’y arrive pas. Cette violence palpable, ces rues surpeuplées, cette chaleur constante : à croire que la ville la rejette, lui veut du mal. L’arrivée de son ancienne colocataire, Lucy, transforme son quotidien mortifère. Ses journées ne se résument plus à attendre le retour de son mari, John. Son amie lui donne la force d’affronter la ville, de sortir de son isolement. Puis advient ce glissement, lent, insidieux. La joie des retrouvailles fait place à une sensation d’étouffement, à la certitude d’être observée. La bienveillance de Lucy, sa propre lucidité, tout semble soudain si fragile... surtout quand John disparaît. Avec une Tanger envoûtante et sombre comme toile de fond, des personnages obsessionnels apprennent à leurs dépens la définition du mot doute.