Authors
Matt Beynon Rees
Matt Beynon Rees is the creator of the critically acclaimed series of mysteries featuring Palestinian detective Omar Yussef. The first novel in the series, THE COLLABORATOR OF BETHLEHEM (published in the UK as THE BETHLEHEM MURDERS), is one of the most lauded novels of the year. It won the British Crime Writers Association's John Creasey "New Blood" Dagger Award for Best First Novel; in the US, it was one of five finalists for the 2007 Quill Award for Best Suspense novel, and it was cited by both Publishers Weekly and Booklist as a Best Mystery of 2007. It is also a finalist for both the Barry and the Macavity Awards for Best First Novel. It has been translated into over a dozen languages.
The new Omar Yussef novel, A GRAVE IN GAZA, was published in early 2008. Booklist, in a starred review, called it "every bit as good as its predecessor" and Library Journal raves: "exceptionally fine... This novel is truly excellent popular fiction." His next novel, THE SAMARITAN'S SECRET, will be published in 2009.
Matt is the former Jerusalem bureau chief for Time Magazine and a current contributor. His first book was the non-fiction work, CAIN'S FIELD: FAITH, FRATRICIDE AND FEAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST.
