Palestinian history teacher Omar Yussef travels from the West Bank to Gaza to track a colleague’s kidnapping, and he becomes entangled in Gaza’s deadly rivalries, uncovering a murderous plot to smuggle missiles.

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Rights Sold:

USA, Soho Press; UK, Atlantic Books; France, Albin Michel, Italy, Cairo Publishers; Germany, Beck Verlag; Spain, Ediciones B; Holland, Ambo/Anthos; Poland, Bertelsmann; Denmark, Gyldendal, Norway, Pressforlaget; Romania, Niculescu; Indonesia, Diomedia; Brazil, Record Publishing

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Reviews:

“If Simenon gives you canal-side France and Henning Mankell a desolating Sweden, then Rees wants you to experience the West Bank in all its complexity and despair. The story of Omar Yussef, an elderly teacher fighting to maintain his own idea of integrity while solving a brutal murder, restores detective fiction to its most powerful origins: the lone moral hero in the chaos of the world.” – Sir David Hare, The Guardian

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“A frightening and mighty thriller about an infamous corner of reality which still burns as I write this.” – Politiken, Denmark

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“A cracking, atmospheric read. Rees depicts a lawless land, riven with internecine feuding, smugglers and corrupt politicians. Perfect, then, for a crime novel.” – The Bookseller

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“Rees has created a stunning sense of place and memorable characters for his impassioned story.” – The Sunday Telegraph

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“In its vivid portrayal of the violence and degradation of the Palestinian enclave of Gaza, Matt Rees’s second book, “The Saladin Murders”, is outstanding.” – The Economist

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“Omar Yussef returns. Here is the Hercule Poirot of the Near East immersed in the Gaza Strip. With this second volume in the Omar saga, Matt Rees confirms his mastery of the genre. We await the third with impatience. Insh’allah!” – Le Figaro

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“Gripping… Excellent – not least because based on real events. “The killers really killed this way,” Matt Rees prefaces his two Omar Yussef novels, “and those who died are dead just the same.” – The Independent

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 “A beautifully written work; full of humanity; miraculously devoid of bitterness; Yussef is a splendid creation.” – Colin Dexter, author of the Inspector Morse Mysteries

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“Rees combines solid mystery plotting with a literary novelist’s emphasis on character and the small human dramas that happen within the broader sociopoltical landscape. And, unlike many crime writers, he writes with great power, style, and emotion.” – Bill Ott, Booklist