The Samaritan's Secret (Omar Yussef Mysteries) - Hardcover

Rees, Matt Beynon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1569475458 ISBN 13: 9781569475454

Publisher: Soho Crime, 2009

Synopsis

Praise for the Omar Yussef series:

“Astonishing.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

“Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.”—David Baldacci

“Omar’s probe of a West Bank ruled by political intrigue, religious hatred, and militia thugs lets ex-Time Jerusalem bureau chief Rees make the Mideast conflict personal.”—Entertainment Weekly

“Exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story.”—David Liss

“Offers a vivid portrait of Palestinian life today.”—The Washington Post

“A beautifully written story.”—Anne Perry

“An evocative, compassionate tale.”—San Francisco Chronicle

A member of the tiny but ancient Samaritan community has been murdered. The dead man controlled hundreds of millions of dollars of government money. If the World Bank cannot locate it within the next several days, all aid money to the Palestinians will be cut off. Visiting Nablus, Omar Yussef must solve the murder and find the money, or all Palestinians will suffer.

Matt Beynon Rees was born in South Wales. He has covered the Middle East as a journalist for over a decade and was TIME magazine’s Jerusalem bureau chief from 2000 to 2006. He is the author of the nonfiction work Cain’s Field: Faith, Fratricide and Fear in the Middle East and two previous mysteries in the Omar Yussef series.

About this title

About the Author

Matt Beynon Rees was born in South Wales. He has covered the Middle East as a journalist for over a decade, including five years as Time magazine's Jerusalem bureau chief. He is the author of the nonfiction work Cain's Field: Faith, Fratricide, and Fear in the Middle East, and three previous mysteries in the Omar Yussef series.

Reviews

No crime, whether a theft or murder, is an isolated event in Palestine; it's an intersection of religious, cultural and political issues, as shown in Rees's absorbing third Omar Yussef mystery (after 2008's A Grave in Gaza). Omar Yussef, a 57-year-old history teacher, becomes immersed in finding who killed Ishaq, a member of the tiny, ancient Samaritan community on the outskirts of Nablus. While his fellow Samaritans didn't respect Ishaq, he controlled millions of dollars of government money through his job at the Palestinian Authority—money that's now missing. Unless the funds can be found, the World Bank will cut off all financial aid to Palestine. If the quiet Yussef stretches believability as a sleuth, Rees excels in capturing the essence of Palestine, from the claustrophobic casbah with its myriad scents to the harsh beauty of the countryside. Rees vividly illustrates daily Palestinian life, where violence is a constant threat and religious attitudes permeate each decision. (Feb.)
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*Starred Review* Rees makes it three for three with his latest Omar Yussef mystery. This time the Bethlehem history teacher is in strife-torn Nablus to attend the wedding of a family friend. Nablus is home to the small Samaritan community, which follows its ancient traditions in the midst of the ongoing violence between Palestinians and Israelis. Yussef, ever the historian, jumps at the chance to visit the Samaritan synagogue and learn more about their beliefs, but he is quickly engulfed in a murder investigation. One of the Samaritans, a young man who worked for Arafat (“the old president”) and controlled millions of the leader’s under-the-table money, has been murdered, and the funds are missing. Yussef throws himself into the daunting task of following the money and thus stopping the World Bank from cutting off aid to Palestine. As in The Collaborator of Bethlehem (2007) and A Grave in Gaza (2008), Rees not only offers a perceptive look at complex international political issues but also help us to understand those issues in the context of everyday lives—of Palestinians attempting to dodge bullets coming in all directions (from Israelis but also from rival factions within their own country) and carry on with the business of falling in love, marrying, raising children. Constantly at risk from all manner of idealists with guns, Yussef soldiers on, his concern for individual human lives standing in stark contrast to the world around him. --Bill Ott

Edition details

• Publisher: Soho Crime
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1569475458
• ISBN 13: 9781569475454
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 288