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Matt Rees
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  • Israel
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Hometown:
Newport, Wales
About Me:
I'm an award-winning crime novelist who lives in Jerusalem. Major authors have compared my writing with the work of Graham Greene, John Le Carre, Georges Simenon and Henning Mankell. The French magazine L’Express called me “the Dashiell Hammett of Palestine.” The first of my Palestinian crime novels won the Crime Writers Association New Blood Dagger.
I Am A:
Writer
Website:
http://www.mattbeynonrees.com
Books And Authors I Like:
Chandler, Greene, Hammett, Simenon, Eco.

Matt Rees's Blog

Matt Rees

Jerusalem's a zoo

When foreign correspondents come to Jerusalem they often ask me for advice on stories and places from which to witness the various conflicts that play out in this city. Next time, I’m going to buy them a ticket to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo.

I go there every Saturday afternoon with my two-year-old son. But perhaps because our favorite animals (the cute little prairie dogs) have hibernated, I noticed that the zoo is a microcosm of all the things I covered here in a decade and a half as a journal… Continue

Posted on November 12, 2009 at 11:51pm —

Matt Rees

Huff Post on Crime Fiction: What do you think?

Huffington Post book blogger Jason Pinter has a column about "The State of the Crime Novel." It's a fairly Yankocentric appraisal of current crime writing by a series of top US reviewers. It includes this from veteran mystery columnist Oline H. Cogdill: "One of the main missions of crime novels is to paint a timely portrait of the issues in our times. This doesn't mean these novels have to hit you ov… Continue

Posted on November 7, 2009 at 1:54am — 13 Comments

Matt Rees

Looking for somewhere to kill someone: suggestions please

I’m always looking for a good spot in which to kill someone. Still, as a crime writer, I rarely have to ask about potential locations for a good murder. People are keen to suggest that the blood be spilled on their doorstep.

Most recently, it was a pastor and his wife.

To be fair, they actually said I ought to have my Palestinian detective Omar Yussef visit their church on the top of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, where I live. But when I noted admiringly that it’d be a great place for a mu… Continue

Posted on November 5, 2009 at 5:00pm —

Matt Rees

Review: The year's best Police procedural


Strange Things Happen: A Life with The Police… Continue

Posted on October 30, 2009 at 6:11pm —

Matt Rees

Jerusalem reading Nov. 16

I'll be talking about my Palestinian crime novels in Jerusalem on Monday, Nov. 16 at 10 a.m. The location is Beit Frankforter, 80 Bethlehem Road, in Baka. So call in sick (if you still have a job) and come along.

Posted on October 30, 2009 at 5:48pm —

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Latest Activity

Matt Rees added a blog post
When foreign correspondents come to Jerusalem they often ask me for advice on stories and places from which to witness the various conflicts that play out in this city. Next time, I’m going to buy them a ticket to the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo. I go...
6 hours ago
Who's wasting time? This place is good for the soul.
on Saturday
There are all sorts of chances. Sometimes (not very often) it works.
on Saturday
Yes, there might be a needle in the crimespace haystack. Only the needle knows...Oooooh...
on Saturday
There might even be someone taking those kinds of chances today ;) They might even be wasting their time on Crimespace!
on Friday
Liked the article. Few authors get such detailed reviews. I wasn't terribly overwhelmed with LUSH LIFE, though I grant you the fun dialogue. In the end, I didn't care that much about the characters.
on Friday
Someone needs to tel Codgill what "mainstream" means because if crime fiction doesn't count as mainstream, I don't know what does. The best was when they were asked how relevant the crime novel is today and Anderson said "At their best, highly re...
November 7
Wow! In the first place, Oline Cogdill is wrong. The crime novel is not social analysis. She frequently is wrong in her pronouncements. Sometimes you wonder where the hell the critics get their ideas. And sometimes you know. They'll say just about...
November 7
Well, sure, Jon, there are always exceptions. There might even be someone taking those kinds of chances today ;)
November 7
Kate Stine: I'm not sure how it has impacted the novel itself but it's certainly wasting a lot of writers' time. Most of the blogs appear to be about the publishing or promotion process which attracts would-be writers more than would-be readers. O...
November 7
Yeah, I saw the dis. A while ago someone said, "The internet is our Paris of the 20's." I'm still looking for the good wine and cheap food, but I do appreciate the meeting people. Sometimes I feel the need to defend literature. We often talk abou...
November 7
I did notice the diss, and thought it was a reach. I don't think an examination of society of required for crime fiction to be great, but it can ground the story better than a "pure" mystery. Character motivations are better defined and multiple ...
November 7
On one hand, while I could agree to the idea that a good crime novel is today's social novel, a part of me rebels at this idea. That part keeps asking me 'why are we imposing artificial beliefs on something that was written to entertain?' Do crim...
November 7
Just in case you didn't notice -- did you check out the Huff Post diss for Crimespace?
November 7
Matt Rees added a blog post
Huffington Post book blogger Jason Pinter has a column about "The State of the Crime Novel." It's a fairly Yankocentric appraisal of current crime writing by a series of top US reviewers. It includes this from veteran mystery columnist Oline H. Co...
November 7
Matt Rees added a blog post
I’m always looking for a good spot in which to kill someone. Still, as a crime writer, I rarely have to ask about potential locations for a good murder. People are keen to suggest that the blood be spilled on their doorstep. Most recently, it was...
November 5

Comment Wall (8 comments)

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At 12:02am on August 1, 2009, Libby Cudmore said…
Congrats on your novel doing so well . . . nice pic too
At 12:48am on June 21, 2009, Judith Levy said…
Matt, what a charming description of Raanana! I agree that Jane Marple might find it a congenial place -- although with the exception of the occasional gangster hit, it might be a little too placid for her tastes.

My mystery is set in New York City. (I've been in Israel eight years, but I'm still a New Yorker under the skin.) I'm hoping to have it finished by mid- to late summer.
At 4:41am on March 6, 2009, David L. Hoof said…
Thanks.
At 12:18am on March 6, 2009, Alison Bruce said…
Hi Matt,
thanks for the add, it's usually us girls with the best profile pics but yours gets a big thumbs up! See you around, Alison
At 6:01am on March 4, 2009, Christopher Valen said…
Matt,
Thank you for the friend invitation. I look forward to communicating with you.
Chris
At 5:27am on March 4, 2009, J. F. Juzwik said…
Thanks for the invitation. Glad to meet you. Joyce
At 2:45am on March 1, 2009, Mitzi Szereto said…
many thanks for the add, it's good to meet you!
At 2:06am on March 1, 2009, David L. Hoof said…
Welcome.
My wife is a nice Jewish girl and I love her beyond words. Of interest: when I try to find a map of Tel Aviv as it existed in 1952 for a neat story concept that I'd like to develop, I've had no luck. Any suggestions?

David
 
 

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