The fourth in the Omar Yussef series, Israeli’s historian-cum-sleuth who here comes to New York, ill equipped for so cold a winter, to give a lecture to the UN on conditions of refugee camps in Israel. His son is in New York sharing a flat with some pretty dubious characters, and he is in big trouble. Yussef is not the greatest sleuth but he is an interesting character, happy to discuss his religion, teachings and background for our added enjoyment.
When Omar Yussef travels to New York for a UN conference, he is eager to see his youngest son, Ala. But the discovery of a decapitated corpse in his son's empty apartment lands him in the midst of a police enquiry riddled with contradictions. Desperate to clear Ala's name, Omar's investigation to uncover the murderer leads him towards a deadly international conspiracy...
Matt Rees was born and raised in South Wales. He has covered the Middle East as a journalist for a decade, including six years as Time magazine's Jerusalem bureau chief. He is author of the non-fiction work Cain's Field: Faith, Fratricide, and Fear in the Middle East. The Bethlehem Murders is his first novel. His second Omar Yussef novel, The Saladin Murders, is published by Atlantic books in 2008.
