Synopsis (from
the publisher):
When Omar Yussef and his family arrive in Nablus for the wedding of a
friend, police officer Sami Jaffari, trouble begins. An ancient sacred
scroll has been stolen from the Samaritans, a tiny religions community
that has lived in Nablus for millennia. Because he knows Omar Yussef is
interested in history, Sami takes him along to investigate, but they
find that the scroll has been mysteriously returned.
Then the body of a young man is discovered on the peak of the mountain
where the Samaritans believe their ancient temple stood. The dead man,
it turns out, was not just any Samaritan. He worked for the former
Palestinian president and controlled hundreds of millions of dollars of
government money that is now missing. If the World Bank cannot locate
the money within the next several days, all its aid money to the
Palestinians will be cut off. The police are only willing to take their
investigation of this dangerous case so far, but Omar Yussef is
determined to solve the murder and locate the money. Unless he can find
it in time, all Palestinians will suffer.
— ◊ —
— ◊ —
The Samaritan's Secret
An Omar
Yussef Mystery
Matt
Beynon Rees
Soho Crime (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-56947-545-8 (1569475458)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-545-4 (9781569475454)
Publication Date: February 2009
List Price: $24.00
— ◊ —
Review: In
Nablus, the West Bank, to attend the wedding of a close friend, teacher
and historian Omar Yussef finds himself in the midst of a dangerous
murder investigation in The
Samaritan's Secret, the third mystery in this series by Matt
Beynon Rees.
Invited by his friend, Sami Jaffari, to accompany him on a routine
police matter, Omar Yussef is also present when the body of a young man
is found. Brutally beaten to death, the victim, Ishaq, was the son of a
Samaritan priest; coincidentally the same priest Sami Jaffari and Omar
Yussef had been visiting to discuss a stolen sacred scroll. Omar Yussef
learns Ishaq was a close associate of the former president of Palestine
and in charge of managing the vast sums of money that were in hidden
accounts around the world. A World Bank representative, in Nablus
searching for $300 million that is still missing following the death of
the president, had been scheduled to meet with Ishaq. But with his
death, and the dead end that results in the search for the money, the
World Bank has no choice but to cut off all aid to the Palestinian
people. The police seem uninterested, or fearful, to pursue the murder
investigation, leaving Omar Yussef determined to discover the truth.
The Samaritan's Secret
is another exceptional entry in this series, not quite as sharply
written as its predecessor, but outstanding nonetheless. Omar Yussef
tends to waver between two objectives here, resolving the murder of
Ishaq and not allowing the World Bank to cut off support of his people.
The two would seem to be related, but given the time frame involved,
just 3 days, he realizes he may have to compromise one investigation to
complete the other. This time element adds a subtle, yet incessant,
tension to the story. It also means Omar Yussef initially overlooks
some of the obvious, but highly improbable, solutions to the murder
mystery in favor of the more expedient, if less practical, ones.
Sharp-eyed readers will no doubt pick up on the identity of Ishaq's
killer and the motive behind it early on, but it's easy to see how Omar
Yussef, with the lack of a single purpose, misses all the clues laid
out before him.
Given the setting, politics and conflict, not unexpectedly, play a
significant role in The Samaritan's Secret. The politics of inclusion
and exclusion, half-truths and outright lies, honor and deception, are
evident on nearly every page. And the conflict between the various
Palestinian factions, Islamic purists and realists, the absurdly rich
and the desperately poor, and of course within families, drive much of
the plot. All this is wrapped in a dark, at times claustrophobic,
environment accompanied by the sights, smells, and sounds of what is to
many a forbidding, if not forbidden, place.
The intricate plot, memorable characters, expressive narrative, and
relentless pacing will no doubt cause The
Samaritan's Secret to be remembered as one of the best mysteries
of the year.
Special thanks to Soho Press for providing a copy of The Samaritan's Secret for this review.
Review Copyright © 2009 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
Have you read The Samaritan's Secret? How would you rate it?
Mysteries in this series …
The
Collaborator of Bethlehem
Soho Crime (Hardcover), February 2007
ISBN-10: 1-56947-442-7 (1569474427)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-442-6 (9781569474426)
A Grave in Gaza
Soho Crime (Hardcover), February 2008
ISBN-10: 1-56947-472-9 (1569474729)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-472-3 (9781569474723)
The Samaritan's Secret
Soho Crime (Hardcover), February 2009
ISBN-10: 1-56947-545-8 (1569475458)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-545-4 (9781569475454)
The Fourth Assassin
Soho Crime (Hardcover), February 2010
ISBN-10: 1-56947-619-5 (1569476195)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56947-619-2 (9781569476192)
Omnimystery keywords for The Samaritan's Secret ...
Location(s) referenced: West Bank, Israel.
