Francis Bacon seems an unusual main character for a
suspense novel. I had to take a look. "Francis Bacon (28
October 1909 -- 28 April 1992) was an Irish-born British
figurative painter known for his bold, graphic and
emotionally raw imagery." - Wikipedia. Bacon was also fond
of good living and unapologetically gay.
By this stage Bacon has starred in two previous books,
beginning with 'Fires of London' about his life during the
Blitz. After the war the artist is behind on his work and
has a new show in hand for a gallery. But his on and off
lover David sends a telegram inviting him to Tangier, where
the living is cheap, so the artist is unable to resist
sticking his brushes in a jar and heading to Morocco.
MOON OVER TANGIER loses no time in immersing us in Bacon's
thoughts and the atmosphere on the hot shore of North
Africa. Local people dislike 'Nazarenes' - Christians, and
foreigners or 'Romans'. Evidently they have long memories.
Bacon is merely being a Good Samaritan when he helps a
Berber tribesman who was beaten up, but he earns the man's
thanks, while David is swanking it up in ex-pat high
society. David is out of money however, and the police
everywhere dislike gay men. Bacon is asked to examine
possibly forged paintings and his friend's continued
freedom is used to twist his arm. In the aftermath of WW2,
European artwork has been dispersed all over the world. A
police chief tells him to befriend a dodgy art dealer, and
next thing Bacon is asked to forge a Picasso. The English
legation agent is watching from the shadowy streets. One
Spaniard has already died over this matter - can our hero
avoid being next on the list?
Complex, yes, but Bacon is presented as a complex character
who indulges in exotic surroundings just as writer DH
Lawrence did in Mexico. Nobody will reveal plans to a
security risk; painters haven't been judged reliable since
the days of Rubens and Velasquez, says our friend with
typical self-deprecation. He makes a tolerable James Bond
of the day, chatting to a Scottish journalist, dodging
unpleasant visitors, enjoying spiced local foods. Morocco
has its own hurly-burly politics, with an exiled king, a
local independence movement and interest from many national
influences. I enjoyed the mix and open allusions to exiled
gay society at a time when this life was not legal in
Britain. Artists should be delighted with this lively
account while those looking for an unusual thriller or
murder tale will find plenty to admire in Janice Law's MOON
OVER TANGIER.
In colonial Morocco, a painter navigates a conspiracy of
forgery, corruption, and murder
For Francis, life with David grows more dangerous by the
day. When sober, he is charming, but when he drinks, he is
violent, slashing Francis’s paintings and threatening to gut
the painter, too. When David leaves London for Morocco,
Francis cannot help but follow this man whom he loves but
can no longer trust. In Tangier, they find a thriving
community of expats who guzzle champagne while
revolutionaries gather in the desert. But in Morocco’s
International Zone, death does not wait for rebellion.
After Francis identifies a friend’s Picasso as a fake, the
police call him in to investigate the forger’s demise. If he
refuses, they will throw David in jail, where inmates and
the DTs will kill him within the week. Between the bustle of
the city and the emptiness of the desert, Francis finds that
in Morocco, even the fakes can be worth killing for.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy