I love a destination thriller, and The Surf House, set in Marrakesh and along Morocco’s windswept coastline, seemed to tick all the right boxes. The isolated surf house, set on a rugged and often dangerous section of the coast forms the ideal backdrop for a group of characters who all appear to be hiding something. 

The main character, model Bea, throws in her modelling career and, while exploring her new-found freedom in the alleyways of Marrakesh, is robbed of her passport and bag. When she is threatened by one of the thieves, a stranger, Marnie steps in to help. In the fight that follows, Bea kills one of the men to save Marnie’s life. To avoid the police, she accepts Marnie’s invitation to hide out at The Surf House until she can return home.

What should have been an idyllic escape turns into a nightmare as events surrounding a missing guest, Savannah, who disappeared the year before, begin to unfold. 

The Surf House may not have had the pace I enjoy in a thriller, but it had enough intrigue and mystery to keep me turning the pages. And while there were a few too many cutbacks, barrels, and close-outs for me, if you like your murder mystery with a side order of surfing, The Surf House could be the perfect read for you.