Matt Rees's Blog – February 2009 Archive (5)

Israeli paper finds 'vivid picture of Palestinian life' in THE SAMARITAN'S SECRET

In the liberal Israeli daily Ha'aretz, Carol Novis reviews the third of my Palestinian crime novels THE SAMARITAN'S SECRET. I'm happy that she doesn't view my novel as coming down on one side or the other in the conflict here. I think of my novels as humanist, filtering out the politics that makes people see the Palestinians as stereotypes (either of terrorists or… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on February 25, 2009 at 5:18pm — No Comments

Reviews in Sussex, Abu Dhabi and...Loonland

In the lastest issue of the West Sussex County Times, my new Palestinian crime novel "The Samaritan's Secret" gets this lovely review:

"If you haven't yet entered the colourful, chaotic, tragi-comic world of amateur Palestinian detective Omar Yussef, then take a satisfying plunge with the third in this genre-busting crime series. With a race-against-time plot involving missing millions, a dying religious sect, fanatical political leaders and a corrupt police force, the real story turns out… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on February 21, 2009 at 10:48pm — No Comments

Global Post features me on my love for Nablus and the remants of the Samaritans

The new U.S. website Global Post, which aims to provide Americans with the foreign news that they're missing since their newspapers fired almost all their international correspondents, features a series of stories by me. They're intended as introductions to my new Palestinian crime novel, THE SAMARITAN'S SECRET -- colorful features about life for the Palestinians who appear in the book.… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on February 20, 2009 at 8:26pm — No Comments

Mysterious Reviews: The Samaritan's Secret "one of the best mysteries of the year"

The Mystery Books News blog has an advance notice of a great review of THE SAMARITAN'S SECRET, the third of my Palestinian crime novels, today. It'll be published in Mysterious Reviews and includes this:
"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."
Read a preview of the full review here.

Added by Matt Rees on February 18, 2009 at 8:02pm — No Comments

The most unlikely detective in modern whodunnits

There's a review of The Samaritan's Secret, the third of my Palestinian crime novels, in The Sowetan, South Africa, today by Nthabisang Moreosele. I'm rather delighted with it, as it sums up the ways in which I've tried to create a different kind of detective in my books.

"Omar Yussef is the most unlikely detective in modern whodunnits," the review states. "He does not study fingerprints, collect physical evidence or check alibis...He believes that one must intervene in… Continue

Added by Matt Rees on February 18, 2009 at 1:02am — No Comments