The Collaborator of Bethlehem

An Omar Yussef Mystery

By: Matt Beynon Rees

Narrated by: Peter Ganim

The murder of a leader of the Palestinian Martyrs Brigade leads to the arrest of George Saba, a Palestinian Christian accused of collaborating with the Israelis. Omar Yussef, a modest history teacher at a United Nations school in the West Bank, is impelled to investigate the murder to exonerate his former pupil, who he knows is innocent. As he struggles to save George, Omar Yussef is drawn into a complex plot where it is impossible to tell friend from enemy.©2008 Matt Benyon Rees (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• 2008 Crime Writers’ Association Dagger Award
• 2008 Macavity Award nominee, Best First Novel

Makes me miss Palestine...

Any good story is about characters set in a location. Good Science Fiction is the same as good historical fiction or good fantasy. The story is important, the setting is simply a place where the story occurs. In very good fiction, the setting is as alive as the characters, but does not dominate the characters. This is the case with Omar Yusuf. The story is about an old, somewhat broken man, who still feels that justice matters. The setting is good enough to almost hear the adhan drift through your window, but it is not the focus of the story. Omar Yusuf is. The setting is good enough to feel the land around you, but it is the story that drives the book. I am through books 1 and 2, both are good. I will update on 3 and 4.

off-beat atmospheric mystery

This is not a formulaic blockbuster but a well-written and characterized STORY that situates the listener in a miasma of cross plots in one of the globe???s most victimized and misunderstood hotspots.

The "hero" is a doggedly determined human with no superhuman strengths, just great compassion after a mostly failed life - and as described, is a worn-down, middle-aged history teacher whose actions and decisons don't affect big picture history, but do offer small scale hope.

If you want a change from larger-than-life spies winning a "war on terror" and are tired of wise cracking, cliche spitting cops, you might want to try this.