Rees uses real incidents as well as his knowledge and understanding of Palestinian society to craft a highly original and dark crime thriller, set in Bethlehem. His hero, Omar Yussef, a schoolteacher, is forced by his stubborn commitment to moral principle to weave a dangerous path through the corruption of his own community’s leaders. With THE COLLABORATOR OF BETHLEHEM Rees has created the first Palestinian detective.

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Rights Sold:

Brazil, Planeta; Czech Republic, Euromedia; Denmark, Gyldendal; France, Albin Michel;  Germany, Beck Verlag; Greece, Kastaniotis; Holland, Ambo/Anthos; Iceland, Skuggi; Indonesia, Diomedia; Israel, Keter; Italy, Cairo Publishers; Japan: Random House Kodansha;Norway, Pressforlaget; Poland, Bertelsmann; Portugal, Gotica; Romania, Nicolescu; Spain, Ediciones B; Sweden, Alfabeta; UK, Atlantic Books; USA, Soho Press

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Reviews:

“Matt Beynon Rees takes a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and places upon it humanity.” – David Baldacci

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“The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best – and the rarest – sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees’s ability to blend the political and emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.” – David Liss

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“Rees is a terrific journalist who really knows the Middle East and, more important, really knows how to get to the emotional heart of the matter.” –  Joe Klein, author of Primary Colors

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“A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.” – Anne Perry, author of Dark Assassin.

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“[A]n astonishing first novel” – New York Times Book Review

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“Rees tells this grim story with skill, specificity and richly detailed descriptions of people and places… The Collaborator of Bethlehem is readable and literate, and offers a vivid portrait of Palestinian life today.” – Washington Post