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  <title><![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem: An Omar Yussef Mystery]]></title>
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    <![CDATA[<p>&quot;Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.&quot; -David Baldacci, author of <em>The Camel Club</em></p>  		<p>&quot;A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.&quot; -Anne Perry, author of <em>Dark Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best-and the rarest-sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on the conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees's ability to blend the political and the emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.&quot; -David Liss, author of <em>The Ethical Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;Omar Yussef has everything I admire in a detective: humility, humanity, a great faith in the power of knowledge and a few bad habits too!&quot; -Barbara Nadel, author of <em>The Ottoman Cage</em></p>  		<p>For decades, Omar Yussef has been a teacher of history to the children of Bethlehem. When a favorite former pupil, George Saba, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla, Omar is sure he has been framed. If George is not cleared, he faces imminent execution.</p>  		<p>Then the wife of the dead man, also one of Omar Yussef's former pupils, is murdered, possibly raped. When he begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, Omar and his family are threatened. But as no one else is willing to stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades men, who hold the real power in the town, it is up to him to investigate.</p>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[Rees, Matt Beynon.  THE COLLABORATOR OF BETHLEHEM.  (2007).  ****.  This debut novel introduces Omar Yussef, a teacher of history at a UN-supported school in the city of Bethlehem, on the West Bank.  Omar, also known as Abu Ramiz, has been a teacher for many, many years.  He is 57-years old, and has...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/46398720">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the riveting first novel in a new mystery series set in the heart of the Middle East.  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 at a United Nations school in the West Bank, is impelled to investigate the murder to exonerate his former pupil, whom he knows is innocent. As he struggles to save his friend, Omar Yussef is drawn into a tangled plot where it is impossible to tell friend from enemy. Matt Beynon Rees has written a richly detailed, absorbing mystery that illuminates the Palestinian conflict and its political complexities from within. The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the first in a series of mysteries featuring Omar Yussef. The second book, A Grave in Gaza, will be published in hardcover by Soho Press in February 2008.]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem, isn't a mystery in the traditional sense, but is of a genre of new books in which the mystery is secondary to the characters development and the time and place that the story evolves in. I loved it! If you enjoy this type of story, and not the more formulaic mystery, t...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75274709">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the riveting first novel in a new mystery series set in the heart of the Middle East.  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 at a United Nations school in the West Bank, is impelled to investigate the murder to exonerate his former pupil, whom he knows is innocent. As he struggles to save his friend, Omar Yussef is drawn into a tangled plot where it is impossible to tell friend from enemy. Matt Beynon Rees has written a richly detailed, absorbing mystery that illuminates the Palestinian conflict and its political complexities from within. The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the first in a series of mysteries featuring Omar Yussef. The second book, A Grave in Gaza, will be published in hardcover by Soho Press in February 2008.]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[#1 Omar Yussef mystery set in Bethlehem, Israel. Omar Yussef is a fifty-six-year-old history teacher, an alcoholic who's been dry for ten years. Obviously not a devout Muslim, he does the best he can in an ever-changing, violent world to teach his students right from wrong and respect for all. When ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69726973">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the riveting first novel in a new mystery series set in the heart of the Middle East.  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 at a United Nations school in the West Bank, is impelled to investigate the murder to exonerate his former pupil, whom he knows is innocent. As he struggles to save his friend, Omar Yussef is drawn into a tangled plot where it is impossible to tell friend from enemy. Matt Beynon Rees has written a richly detailed, absorbing mystery that illuminates the Palestinian conflict and its political complexities from within. The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the first in a series of mysteries featuring Omar Yussef. The second book, A Grave in Gaza, will be published in hardcover by Soho Press in February 2008.]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[Omar Yussef, a crusty grandfather, refuses to mind his own business. Friends run into trouble in Dehaisha, a refugee camp on the outskirts of Bethlehem, and he looks into the void.<br/><br/>This book is overwhelming in its pathos, and terrifying in its implications. This old schoolmaster, Omar Yus...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/47337628">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[<p>&quot;Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.&quot; -David Baldacci, author of <em>The Camel Club</em></p>  		<p>&quot;A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.&quot; -Anne Perry, author of <em>Dark Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best-and the rarest-sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on the conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees's ability to blend the political and the emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.&quot; -David Liss, author of <em>The Ethical Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;Omar Yussef has everything I admire in a detective: humility, humanity, a great faith in the power of knowledge and a few bad habits too!&quot; -Barbara Nadel, author of <em>The Ottoman Cage</em></p>  		<p>For decades, Omar Yussef has been a teacher of history to the children of Bethlehem. When a favorite former pupil, George Saba, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla, Omar is sure he has been framed. If George is not cleared, he faces imminent execution.</p>  		<p>Then the wife of the dead man, also one of Omar Yussef's former pupils, is murdered, possibly raped. When he begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, Omar and his family are threatened. But as no one else is willing to stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades men, who hold the real power in the town, it is up to him to investigate.</p>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[Omar Yussef is a teacher, and a good one.  When one of his students from the past is arrested as a collaborator for the Israeli's Omar decides to try and clear him of suspicion by finding the true collaborator.<br/>Thus begins the twist and turns that make this a wonderful read.<br/>It is fast pac...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39589424">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[<p>&quot;Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.&quot; -David Baldacci, author of <em>The Camel Club</em></p>  		<p>&quot;A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.&quot; -Anne Perry, author of <em>Dark Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best-and the rarest-sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on the conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees's ability to blend the political and the emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.&quot; -David Liss, author of <em>The Ethical Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;Omar Yussef has everything I admire in a detective: humility, humanity, a great faith in the power of knowledge and a few bad habits too!&quot; -Barbara Nadel, author of <em>The Ottoman Cage</em></p>  		<p>For decades, Omar Yussef has been a teacher of history to the children of Bethlehem. When a favorite former pupil, George Saba, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla, Omar is sure he has been framed. If George is not cleared, he faces imminent execution.</p>  		<p>Then the wife of the dead man, also one of Omar Yussef's former pupils, is murdered, possibly raped. When he begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, Omar and his family are threatened. But as no one else is willing to stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades men, who hold the real power in the town, it is up to him to investigate.</p>]]>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Feb 09 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Feb 09 13:11:32 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Feb 09 13:24:29 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is a solid story but the real attraction is the insights it gives into daily life in the Middle East amidst conflicts between Israeli troops, Palestinian militias, terrorists, gangsters and ordinary people. <br/><br/>The main character, Omar Yussef, is a school teacher reluctantly drawn into ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45851757">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45851757]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45851757]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>72937901</id>
    <user>
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    <name><![CDATA[Sylvie]]></name>
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  <isbn>1569474427</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569474426</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">50</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166509946m/12794.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>172</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>&quot;Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.&quot; -David Baldacci, author of <em>The Camel Club</em></p>  		<p>&quot;A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.&quot; -Anne Perry, author of <em>Dark Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best-and the rarest-sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on the conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees's ability to blend the political and the emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.&quot; -David Liss, author of <em>The Ethical Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;Omar Yussef has everything I admire in a detective: humility, humanity, a great faith in the power of knowledge and a few bad habits too!&quot; -Barbara Nadel, author of <em>The Ottoman Cage</em></p>  		<p>For decades, Omar Yussef has been a teacher of history to the children of Bethlehem. When a favorite former pupil, George Saba, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla, Omar is sure he has been framed. If George is not cleared, he faces imminent execution.</p>  		<p>Then the wife of the dead man, also one of Omar Yussef's former pupils, is murdered, possibly raped. When he begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, Omar and his family are threatened. But as no one else is willing to stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades men, who hold the real power in the town, it is up to him to investigate.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Fri Sep 25 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Sep 29 17:02:02 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Sep 29 17:09:27 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I had great expectation for the book ... from my score ... well yes I was a bit disappointed. It is not the story per se that I did not like, but I had a hard time sometimes to follow.<br/>It would have been much easier for me if I had had access to a glossary. I know, I know it is basic terms that...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72937901">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72937901]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72937901]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>36095843</id>
    <user>
    <id>1652278</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Susan]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Houston, TX]]></location>
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  <isbn>1569474427</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569474426</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">50</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166509946m/12794.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>172</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>&quot;Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.&quot; -David Baldacci, author of <em>The Camel Club</em></p>  		<p>&quot;A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.&quot; -Anne Perry, author of <em>Dark Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best-and the rarest-sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on the conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees's ability to blend the political and the emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.&quot; -David Liss, author of <em>The Ethical Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;Omar Yussef has everything I admire in a detective: humility, humanity, a great faith in the power of knowledge and a few bad habits too!&quot; -Barbara Nadel, author of <em>The Ottoman Cage</em></p>  		<p>For decades, Omar Yussef has been a teacher of history to the children of Bethlehem. When a favorite former pupil, George Saba, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla, Omar is sure he has been framed. If George is not cleared, he faces imminent execution.</p>  		<p>Then the wife of the dead man, also one of Omar Yussef's former pupils, is murdered, possibly raped. When he begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, Omar and his family are threatened. But as no one else is willing to stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades men, who hold the real power in the town, it is up to him to investigate.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Oct 24 08:07:02 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Oct 24 08:07:32 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I first heard of this book from an NPR series on writers who set mysteries in particular cities. I liked the idea of a mystery series set on the West Bank. The author is a Welshman who’s been a journalist in the Middle East. This is the first novel in what’s meant to be a series.<br/>I both lik...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36095843">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36095843]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/36095843]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>30151665</id>
    <user>
    <id>366067</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Nic]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Milwaukee, WI]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/366067-nic]]></link>
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  <id type="integer">12794</id>
  <isbn>1569474427</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569474426</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">50</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166509946m/12794.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166509946s/12794.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12794.The_Collaborator_of_Bethlehem</link>
  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>172</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>&quot;Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.&quot; -David Baldacci, author of <em>The Camel Club</em></p>  		<p>&quot;A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.&quot; -Anne Perry, author of <em>Dark Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best-and the rarest-sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on the conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees's ability to blend the political and the emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.&quot; -David Liss, author of <em>The Ethical Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;Omar Yussef has everything I admire in a detective: humility, humanity, a great faith in the power of knowledge and a few bad habits too!&quot; -Barbara Nadel, author of <em>The Ottoman Cage</em></p>  		<p>For decades, Omar Yussef has been a teacher of history to the children of Bethlehem. When a favorite former pupil, George Saba, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla, Omar is sure he has been framed. If George is not cleared, he faces imminent execution.</p>  		<p>Then the wife of the dead man, also one of Omar Yussef's former pupils, is murdered, possibly raped. When he begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, Omar and his family are threatened. But as no one else is willing to stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades men, who hold the real power in the town, it is up to him to investigate.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[mystery fans, middle east fans]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[npr]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Aug 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Aug 14 12:08:36 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Aug 24 11:24:07 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I heard an interview with Matt Beynon Rees on NPR the other day and I am intrigued by his Palestinian detective, Omar Yussef.  I like to read well written books about places I may never see.  The Yacobian Building was a favorite of mine (and a fave film, too).  I look forward to getting to this book...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30151665">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30151665]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30151665]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>28960501</id>
    <user>
    <id>1386971</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Marieke]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
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  <isbn>1569474427</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569474426</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">50</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166509946m/12794.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166509946s/12794.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>172</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>&quot;Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.&quot; -David Baldacci, author of <em>The Camel Club</em></p>  		<p>&quot;A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.&quot; -Anne Perry, author of <em>Dark Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best-and the rarest-sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on the conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees's ability to blend the political and the emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.&quot; -David Liss, author of <em>The Ethical Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;Omar Yussef has everything I admire in a detective: humility, humanity, a great faith in the power of knowledge and a few bad habits too!&quot; -Barbara Nadel, author of <em>The Ottoman Cage</em></p>  		<p>For decades, Omar Yussef has been a teacher of history to the children of Bethlehem. When a favorite former pupil, George Saba, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla, Omar is sure he has been framed. If George is not cleared, he faces imminent execution.</p>  		<p>Then the wife of the dead man, also one of Omar Yussef's former pupils, is murdered, possibly raped. When he begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, Omar and his family are threatened. But as no one else is willing to stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades men, who hold the real power in the town, it is up to him to investigate.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="fiction" />
        <shelf name="palestine-israel" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[random find in a bookstore.]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sun Aug 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Aug 01 03:41:34 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Aug 03 08:05:47 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[i don't like reviewing books and plenty of other people reviewed it. i'll just say: i liked it and i'll definitely read the series. i was impressed with how the author handled the complexities of palestinian history and life as an occupied people...i'm wondering what palestinians would make of it bu...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28960501">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28960501]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/28960501]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>24196134</id>
    <user>
    <id>630056</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Bernadette]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Adelaide, Australia]]></location>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">1352751</id>
  <isbn>0618959653</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780618959655</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">9</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem: An Omar Yussef Mystery]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255929054m/1352751.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255929054s/1352751.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1352751.The_Collaborator_of_Bethlehem_An_Omar_Yussef_Mystery</link>
  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>172</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the riveting first novel in a new mystery series set in the heart of the Middle East.  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 at a United Nations school in the West Bank, is impelled to investigate the murder to exonerate his former pupil, whom he knows is innocent. As he struggles to save his friend, Omar Yussef is drawn into a tangled plot where it is impossible to tell friend from enemy. Matt Beynon Rees has written a richly detailed, absorbing mystery that illuminates the Palestinian conflict and its political complexities from within. The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the first in a series of mysteries featuring Omar Yussef. The second book, A Grave in Gaza, will be published in hardcover by Soho Press in February 2008.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="crime-fiction" />
        <shelf name="desert-island-books" />
        <shelf name="middle-east" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Thu Sep 11 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jun 10 19:59:08 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Sep 13 00:51:48 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Although the setting of this book may be unfamiliar it’s still got most of the elements of a traditional whodunit. There’s a murder, then another one, an amateur detective attempting to clear a friend’s name, a plethora of corrupt or incompetent officials and a gang of thugs (masquerading as f...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24196134">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24196134]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24196134]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>66343741</id>
    <user>
    <id>2303296</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Kim]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Allston, MA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2303296-kim]]></link>
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  <isbn>1569474427</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569474426</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">50</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166509946m/12794.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166509946s/12794.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12794.The_Collaborator_of_Bethlehem</link>
  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>172</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>&quot;Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.&quot; -David Baldacci, author of <em>The Camel Club</em></p>  		<p>&quot;A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.&quot; -Anne Perry, author of <em>Dark Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best-and the rarest-sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on the conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees's ability to blend the political and the emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.&quot; -David Liss, author of <em>The Ethical Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;Omar Yussef has everything I admire in a detective: humility, humanity, a great faith in the power of knowledge and a few bad habits too!&quot; -Barbara Nadel, author of <em>The Ottoman Cage</em></p>  		<p>For decades, Omar Yussef has been a teacher of history to the children of Bethlehem. When a favorite former pupil, George Saba, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla, Omar is sure he has been framed. If George is not cleared, he faces imminent execution.</p>  		<p>Then the wife of the dead man, also one of Omar Yussef's former pupils, is murdered, possibly raped. When he begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, Omar and his family are threatened. But as no one else is willing to stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades men, who hold the real power in the town, it is up to him to investigate.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
  <shelves>
        <shelf name="read" />
            <shelf name="mysteries--general-" />
      </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Aug 05 15:33:49 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Aug 06 23:35:21 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Wow. Amazing view of what it's really like to live in modern Palestine, full of the conflicted loyalties and increasingly entrenched beliefs vs constant questions and everyday horrors... but also full of everyday, real believable people. I could wish the only American in the book wasn't quite such a...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66343741">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66343741]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/66343741]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>81572038</id>
    <user>
    <id>1542730</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Ingeborg]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p>&quot;Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.&quot; -David Baldacci, author of <em>The Camel Club</em></p>  		<p>&quot;A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.&quot; -Anne Perry, author of <em>Dark Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best-and the rarest-sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on the conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees's ability to blend the political and the emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.&quot; -David Liss, author of <em>The Ethical Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;Omar Yussef has everything I admire in a detective: humility, humanity, a great faith in the power of knowledge and a few bad habits too!&quot; -Barbara Nadel, author of <em>The Ottoman Cage</em></p>  		<p>For decades, Omar Yussef has been a teacher of history to the children of Bethlehem. When a favorite former pupil, George Saba, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla, Omar is sure he has been framed. If George is not cleared, he faces imminent execution.</p>  		<p>Then the wife of the dead man, also one of Omar Yussef's former pupils, is murdered, possibly raped. When he begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, Omar and his family are threatened. But as no one else is willing to stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades men, who hold the real power in the town, it is up to him to investigate.</p>]]>
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  <published>2007</published>
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  <read_at>Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[Rees understands the complexity of the &quot;Palestinian Question&quot; as no other writer I've read. He tells the story of the political tumult of present day Palestinian Territories through complex characters who become real to the reader - and he avoids the stereotypes (mostly - he's pretty harsh...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81572038">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p>&quot;Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.&quot; -David Baldacci, author of <em>The Camel Club</em></p>  		<p>&quot;A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.&quot; -Anne Perry, author of <em>Dark Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best-and the rarest-sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on the conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees's ability to blend the political and the emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.&quot; -David Liss, author of <em>The Ethical Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;Omar Yussef has everything I admire in a detective: humility, humanity, a great faith in the power of knowledge and a few bad habits too!&quot; -Barbara Nadel, author of <em>The Ottoman Cage</em></p>  		<p>For decades, Omar Yussef has been a teacher of history to the children of Bethlehem. When a favorite former pupil, George Saba, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla, Omar is sure he has been framed. If George is not cleared, he faces imminent execution.</p>  		<p>Then the wife of the dead man, also one of Omar Yussef's former pupils, is murdered, possibly raped. When he begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, Omar and his family are threatened. But as no one else is willing to stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades men, who hold the real power in the town, it is up to him to investigate.</p>]]>
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    <body><![CDATA[More than a little grueling to read the descriptions of internecine politics and life in the Palestinian refugee camps -- not sure when I've more vividly felt the protagonist's physical pain. (Omar Yussef is the counter-argument to Sean Connery et al: 55-year olds are not meant to take a lickin' and...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42027071">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p>&quot;Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.&quot; -David Baldacci, author of <em>The Camel Club</em></p>  		<p>&quot;A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.&quot; -Anne Perry, author of <em>Dark Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best-and the rarest-sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on the conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees's ability to blend the political and the emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.&quot; -David Liss, author of <em>The Ethical Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;Omar Yussef has everything I admire in a detective: humility, humanity, a great faith in the power of knowledge and a few bad habits too!&quot; -Barbara Nadel, author of <em>The Ottoman Cage</em></p>  		<p>For decades, Omar Yussef has been a teacher of history to the children of Bethlehem. When a favorite former pupil, George Saba, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla, Omar is sure he has been framed. If George is not cleared, he faces imminent execution.</p>  		<p>Then the wife of the dead man, also one of Omar Yussef's former pupils, is murdered, possibly raped. When he begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, Omar and his family are threatened. But as no one else is willing to stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades men, who hold the real power in the town, it is up to him to investigate.</p>]]>
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  <read_at>Fri Feb 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Tue Feb 05 08:15:27 -0800 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Fascinating, even heart-breaking, background of day-to-day life in Palestinian Bethlehem, where increased Muslim nationalism and militarism have driven the Christians into a despised underground minority, thugs and soldiers fighting it out in the streets is a daily occurrence, and the people who are...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/14616496">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem: An Omar Yussef Mystery]]>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>172</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the riveting first novel in a new mystery series set in the heart of the Middle East.  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 at a United Nations school in the West Bank, is impelled to investigate the murder to exonerate his former pupil, whom he knows is innocent. As he struggles to save his friend, Omar Yussef is drawn into a tangled plot where it is impossible to tell friend from enemy. Matt Beynon Rees has written a richly detailed, absorbing mystery that illuminates the Palestinian conflict and its political complexities from within. The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the first in a series of mysteries featuring Omar Yussef. The second book, A Grave in Gaza, will be published in hardcover by Soho Press in February 2008.]]>
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  <read_at>Sun Mar 30 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Sat Apr 05 22:07:34 -0700 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Omar Yussef, a somewhat irrascible Arab history teacher at a UN school in the West Bank, finds himself trying to vindicate a Christian friend and former student who has been framed as a collaborator with Israeli security forces in the killing of a Palestinian militant.  Welsh author Rees, former Jer...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18390199">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem]]>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[<p>&quot;Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.&quot; -David Baldacci, author of <em>The Camel Club</em></p>  		<p>&quot;A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.&quot; -Anne Perry, author of <em>Dark Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best-and the rarest-sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on the conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees's ability to blend the political and the emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.&quot; -David Liss, author of <em>The Ethical Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;Omar Yussef has everything I admire in a detective: humility, humanity, a great faith in the power of knowledge and a few bad habits too!&quot; -Barbara Nadel, author of <em>The Ottoman Cage</em></p>  		<p>For decades, Omar Yussef has been a teacher of history to the children of Bethlehem. When a favorite former pupil, George Saba, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla, Omar is sure he has been framed. If George is not cleared, he faces imminent execution.</p>  		<p>Then the wife of the dead man, also one of Omar Yussef's former pupils, is murdered, possibly raped. When he begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, Omar and his family are threatened. But as no one else is willing to stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades men, who hold the real power in the town, it is up to him to investigate.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Dec 09 08:51:45 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Dec 09 08:54:27 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I read this one when I was in Israel and the descriptions of Bethlehem were perfect--I even recognized places I'd been. The story is a good mystery. I'd give 5 stars except the author makes some annoying writing mistakes that should have been caught by an editor. Still, anyone interested in the Pale...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39687026">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p>&quot;Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.&quot; -David Baldacci, author of <em>The Camel Club</em></p>  		<p>&quot;A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.&quot; -Anne Perry, author of <em>Dark Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best-and the rarest-sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on the conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees's ability to blend the political and the emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.&quot; -David Liss, author of <em>The Ethical Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;Omar Yussef has everything I admire in a detective: humility, humanity, a great faith in the power of knowledge and a few bad habits too!&quot; -Barbara Nadel, author of <em>The Ottoman Cage</em></p>  		<p>For decades, Omar Yussef has been a teacher of history to the children of Bethlehem. When a favorite former pupil, George Saba, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla, Omar is sure he has been framed. If George is not cleared, he faces imminent execution.</p>  		<p>Then the wife of the dead man, also one of Omar Yussef's former pupils, is murdered, possibly raped. When he begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, Omar and his family are threatened. But as no one else is willing to stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades men, who hold the real power in the town, it is up to him to investigate.</p>]]>
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  <read_at>Tue Dec 18 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Apr 19 12:18:16 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Apr 19 12:24:44 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Drew me in and made me feel I was there -- in strife-torn Bethlehem with the displaced Palestinians. Gives a glimpse to those of us curious about what daily life would be with tanks rolling past your home and gunfire on rooftops. This is a mystery but that aspect is flawed -- the killer was obvious ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/20531594">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem: An Omar Yussef Mystery]]>
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    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the riveting first novel in a new mystery series set in the heart of the Middle East.  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 at a United Nations school in the West Bank, is impelled to investigate the murder to exonerate his former pupil, whom he knows is innocent. As he struggles to save his friend, Omar Yussef is drawn into a tangled plot where it is impossible to tell friend from enemy. Matt Beynon Rees has written a richly detailed, absorbing mystery that illuminates the Palestinian conflict and its political complexities from within. The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the first in a series of mysteries featuring Omar Yussef. The second book, A Grave in Gaza, will be published in hardcover by Soho Press in February 2008.]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Mon Jun 23 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jun 05 09:29:58 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jun 23 11:46:28 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[<em>The Collaborator of Bethlehem</em> is the first in a series set in Palestine featuring a school teacher, Omar Yussef Sirhan, who becomes embroiled in the nasty politics of occupied Palestine. A former student, a Christian, has been accused of collaborating with the Israelis in the assassination of a memb...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23769832">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>58507439</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Lshapiro]]></name>
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    <book>
  <id type="integer">12794</id>
  <isbn>1569474427</isbn>
  <isbn13>9781569474426</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">50</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[The Collaborator of Bethlehem]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>3.72</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>172</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[<p>&quot;Matt Beynon Rees has taken a complex world of culture clash and suspicion and placed upon it humanity.&quot; -David Baldacci, author of <em>The Camel Club</em></p>  		<p>&quot;A beautifully written story. I have walked the streets of Bethlehem with Omar Yussef, smelled the dust and the fear, tasted his food, shared his anger and his hope. His decency is a light in the gloom. I shall not forget him.&quot; -Anne Perry, author of <em>Dark Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;The Collaborator of Bethlehem is the best-and the rarest-sort of mystery: exciting and compelling, but it is also a deeply moving story that will, for many readers, shed much needed light on the conditions in the Palestinian territories. Matt Beynon Rees's ability to blend the political and the emotional is reminiscent of Graham Greene.&quot; -David Liss, author of <em>The Ethical Assassin</em></p>  		<p>&quot;Omar Yussef has everything I admire in a detective: humility, humanity, a great faith in the power of knowledge and a few bad habits too!&quot; -Barbara Nadel, author of <em>The Ottoman Cage</em></p>  		<p>For decades, Omar Yussef has been a teacher of history to the children of Bethlehem. When a favorite former pupil, George Saba, a member of the Palestinian Christian minority, is arrested for collaborating with the Israelis in the killing of a Palestinian guerrilla, Omar is sure he has been framed. If George is not cleared, he faces imminent execution.</p>  		<p>Then the wife of the dead man, also one of Omar Yussef's former pupils, is murdered, possibly raped. When he begins to suspect the head of the Bethlehem al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades is the true collaborator, Omar and his family are threatened. But as no one else is willing to stand up to the violent Martyrs Brigades men, who hold the real power in the town, it is up to him to investigate.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2007</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <read_at>Tue Jun 09 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jun 04 23:14:57 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jun 09 16:17:45 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[First of 3 (to date) books about Omar Yussef, a Christian in the West Bank. Omar Yussef is a teacher whose life changes when several people close to him get involved in seemingly unrelated violent crimes. It's a great look at the Palestinian culture, and an interesting mystery, but things sure are g...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/58507439">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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