The Samaritan's Secret: An Omar Yussef Mystery

by Matt Rees

Book Overview

" In Nablus, there were centuries of wickedness for him to uncover beneath every ancient stone ." Omar Yussef journeys to Nablus with his family for the wedding of his policeman friend Sami Jaffari.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0547254725
• ISBN13: 9780547254722
• Release Date: February 2010
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Length: 310 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.1"

Customer Reviews

"No one has more reason to weep than a hard man"

The third book in the Omar Yussef mysteries and the best one so far. Author Matt Beynon Rees certainly knows background material - I cannot remember how many times while reading this book that I felt I was right there, with Omar, hurrying through narrow little alleyways or crouching behind broken walls. Superbly written - the tone and the pacing are perfect (I finished this in one day - it was near impossible to put down). This book sees Omar Yussef inadvertently caught up in the power struggles between different Palestinian factions. The small Samaritan community (only about 600 people) is the scene of a brutal torture and murder (Omar does not witness the torture or murder so, thankfully, neither does the reader). When Omar's friend, a Palestinian detective, tries to investigate, he is beaten brutally for his efforts. Omar and his wife are also threatened. And these actions, Omar cannot countenance. And thus book is off to the races. As I read the book, I found myself admiring Omar for his clear frustration that the Palestinian factions, rather than working together to better the Palestinians, are jostling for power and money. Other groups in the book - the U.N. and the World Bank - at first seem hopelessly naive, but as the book progresses, it becomes clear that while they do not understand the very complicated dynamics in Palestinian society, they are far from naive. And in this, I think that Rees has painted an accurate a picture of the tragedies and challenges of the contemporary Palestinian landscape. There are multiple sets of tensions interwoven throughout the book - the theft of an ancient scroll, a murder mystery, and then the Palestinian power struggles - which keeps the pace intense and the reader on his/her toes. This is not a murder mystery in the typical police procedural vein or the Agatha Christie genre - this is more like a police procedural, political thriller, spy mystery, and Middle Eastern tragedy all wrapped into one. A perfect match for a reader interested in smart mysteries. Get this book - you won't be disappointed.

Intriguing and Wonderful Read

I'm a great fan of Omar Yussif (Abu Ramiz) and the whole cast of characters that Beynon Rees brings to the page along with his gritty portrayal of life under the Palestinian Authority. This time out the mystery involve the Samaritans, a small sect of about 600 people, half of whom live in the West Bank near Nablus and half who live near Holon in Israel. They are an offshoot of Judaism maintaining a highly similar Torah scroll (the book cites 7000 differences however the actual number is about 6000). The point of differentiation was the Babylonian exile (600 BC) and the return 60 years later. Apparently they were not carried off and did not accept the Babylonian Talmud. They do not identify themselves as part of modern Judaism but it is permitted for the men to marry Jewish women. They are a fascinating subject in their own right. Beynon Rees' writing flows easily. Aside from Omar Yussif brushing the thin hairs of his bald head a few times too often the elements of the plot weave with a constant rhythm and I was unable to put it down from start to finish. The McGuffins are huge, the primary sacred scroll of the Samaritans, a billion dollars that was hidden by Yassir Arafat (always referred to as "The President" and not by name) that the World Bank is trying to recover along with proof that the late Chairman died of AIDS. The character of Amin Kanaan seems to be loosely based on Palestinian billionaire Munib Al Masri. The Casbah of Nablus too emerges as a character and one can almost smell the qanifa and humous emerging from the alleyways. And while I noticed the various clues along the way I found the final solutions to be a bit unexpected and quite satisfying. These are things I look for in a mystery. I can hardly wait for the next book in the series, The Fourth Assassin: An Omar Yussef Mystery due in Feb. Perhaps it will center around the upcoming wedding of Omar Yussif's son, Zuheir. Highly Recommended. Excels in plot, characterization and description.

Even better

As I read The Samaritan's Secret it just got better and better. I loved Rees's first two Omar Yussef books but I really think this is in a different league. The plotting is perfect: at one point I was turning back to see what one of the main characters had said earlier in the book, looking for traces of guilt in his dialogue. This is exactly what I think the author of any crime novel wants the reader to be doing, trying to work it out for themselves, but then being surprised by the ending. There were last-minute twists that took me by surprise - hugely satisfying touches. I also liked that the mystery was spun out within the framework of actually very few main characters, and yet I was kept guessing. I love it when a crime novel has only a limited cast because you really get a sense of each character and yet you're still confounded as to what's really going on. And finally, the sense of place was great, even better than in Rees's earlier books set in Bethlehem and Gaza. Long live Omar!

Rees Does It Again

If you enjoyed Matt Benyon Rees' first two Omar Yussef novels, you want to buy this one. It is another page turner, this time exploring the interplay between Hamas and Fatah in the West Bank town of Nablus as Omar Yussef is driven to solve the murder of the son of the religious leader of the small Samaritan tribe. If you want to learn about Palestine and its people, these novels are as good a place as any to start-- and you get some great detective stories too. Omar Yussef mysteries give a reader much more than a crime and its solution. They put human faces on Palestinians living in a limbo between occupation and statehood, with their own law enforcement agencies working under the shadow (or, if you prefer, watchful eye) of the Israelis. The stories though are all about the Palestinians. There is not a word of dialog or even a name put to any Israeli, allowing the characters to show the diversity in Palestinians' opinions, outlook and standards of living. Rees is a former Middle East reporter with great powers of observation, and his novels, through the words and descriptions of the characters, give their readers a better education about the problems of Palestine than a month of 90 second reports on cable news about the day to day events there. No one will be offended by anything in these books, and everyone will be informed. I have heard that Rees' books are to be translated into Hebrew. I hope they are on sale in Israel soon, and that they will also be available in Arabic. These books deserve far more attention than they have received.