The Collaborator of Bethlehem

by Matt Rees

Book Overview

The murder of a leader of the Palestinian Martyrs Brigade leads to the arrest of George Saba, a Palestinian Christian accused of collaborating with the Israelis. Omar Yussef, a modest history teacher... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618959653
• ISBN13: 9780618959655
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 0.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Hanging on to humanity

"The Collaborator of Bethlehem" is an astounding book in many ways. Above all, it's an insightful look at what happens to a society that has lost control of its daily life--when violent force becomes stronger than reason and order. Most people in this kind of situation hunker down and try to make themselves invisible until things get better. A few see opportunities in crisis to gain at the expense of others. Only a few refuse to surrender their humanity and morals and shun collaboration with disorder. Matt Beynon Rees' protagonist, Omar Yussef, is one of the rare breed in the third category. He is the anti-collaborationist, who lives in the Palestinian city of Bethlehem, where collaboration is seen by the population as a means of survival. For some it's collaboration with the Israelis to control Palestinian militants, for most others it's a collaboration of silence that allows corruption and violence to flourish in the name of Palestinian autonomy. Omar Yussef, a free-thinking Palestinian school teacher abhors all that has happened to his very oppressed people, but refuses to give up on hope for the future, and surprisingly, refuses to blame the Israelis for all Palestinian problems. Through his protagonist, the author also expounds convincingly on how the Israelis have condemned themselves to an unending conflict with their neighbors by continuously working to destabilize Palestinian community and family life which inevitably produces more violence directed against the Israelis themselves. On top of everything else, "The Collaborator of Bethlehem" is a genuinely good police mystery that holds the reader's attention from page one. This is a very intelligent book, clearly demonstrating Rees' understanding of the Middle East and the complexities the Palestinian/Israeli relationship. You have to wonder whether it would be possible for an Arab or an Israeli to have written such an honest and insightful book. We should all be happy that this is published as the first in a series of mysteries. Bring on number two.

A real view of a real place

In this first of what is hoped will be a long series of Omar Yusuf mysteries, Matt Beynon Rees has opened the fetid sewer of today's Bethlehem. I am someone who has lived and worked with both Christian and Muslim residents of Bethlehem in the period prior to the complete destruction of that society. I found the novel to be a real-life portrait of the city today as well as a wonderful piece of fiction. For the first time in a long while, I was unable to leave the book until I had finished the final pages. Not only is this a gripping detective mystery but it is a stunning portrait of a city that once was a model of Christian-Muslim cooperation and is now a victim of the lawlessness of the Palestinian Authority. He has shown us that the Christians of Bethlehem, the few moderate Muslims remaining and the Israelis are all caught a web of corruption and destruction that now traps them all.

Investigation of a murder in Bethlehem

I love Soho Crime, an imprint known for publishing mystery and suspense novels set in exotic locales foreign to most American readers. Unfortunately, they don't release titles every month, but their limited schedule does guarantee a commitment to quality. So we come to THE COLLABORATOR OF BETHLEHEM by Matt Beynon Rees, the first in a projected series of novels featuring Omar Yussef, a grade school history teacher in Bethlehem. Yussef has taught Muslim and Christian children in Bethlehem for over two decades. A Muslim himself, Yussef has remained above the violence and strife, treating his charges without differentiation even as the Christian minority has slowly disappeared. Yussef's teaching style --- which encourages his students to turn away from the concepts of violent martyrdom and the gangster-style leadership of the self-styled revolutionaries who rule the streets of his city --- has not endeared him to the Palestinian authorities, who regard him as an anachronism at best and dangerous at worst. Yussef immerses himself into new difficulties when George Saba, a Palestinian Christian and a beloved former student, is charged with collaborating with the Israelis in the execution of a Palestinian guerrilla. The accusation against Saba results in his arrest, with a mock trial and a brutal execution soon to follow. It is almost immediately evident that Saba is a scapegoat, but the Palestinians want vengeance and Saba is a warm body. Yussef feels compelled to investigate, even as he is warned away from the matter by everyone from the local police chief to his own son. His de facto investigation puts himself and his family in terrible danger, but he is nonetheless compelled by his own innate sense of justice and decency to pursue it, even as it slowly becomes clear to him that even the truth will ultimately make no difference in a time and place where lawlessness and insanity rules. As the result of his work as a Western journalist in Jerusalem, Matt Beynon Rees has a canny understanding of the chaotic street politics that rule the Palestinian territories. Rees brings a wondrous storytelling ability to this book, providing order to a complex and confusing tale and rendering it not only comprehensible but also compelling. He has created in Yussef a marvelous character, a flawed and damaged man constantly striving to do good and be better in a world where such efforts are both unappreciated and regarded as dangerous. THE COLLABORATOR OF BETHLEHEM is one of those rare debuts that hints at great potential and then not only delivers but also exceeds what is promised. --- Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

A different kind of mystery

This mystery is not just a mystery in that it gives the reader insight into a society often only encountered on news broadcasts. It also brings the reader into the streets and daily lives of the Palestinian living in Bethlehem to the point where the smells of the city almost feel like they are wafting off the pages. As the mystery unfolds, so does the understanding of the intricate, violent society many Palestinians must deal with.

An Excellent First Novel

In this first of the Omar Yusef mysteries, Matt Beynon Rees shows us life from the Palestinian side of things, a view not often seen. Omar Yusef, an aging history teacher, may have physical repercussions from drinking in his younger days. His mind, however, is still nimble as he pieces together the mystery he feels compelled to solve. The characters are people we recognize in our own lives; most wanting to live quiet, peaceful lives. They want to work and raise their children as best they can under difficult circumstances. The presence of a collaborator of the Israelis, disturbs the peace with deadly consequences for many. I very much enjoyed this author's first novel and look forward to many more.