The Samaritan’s Secret by Matt Rees

The Samaritan’s Secret by Matt Rees (2009)

Read: August 2011

I think I first heard about Matt Rees and the Omar Yussef detective/crime novels from a newspaper review, and after reading the first in the series I made sure I had the full set. I don’t like to rush the things that I love, so have been spreading the reading of his books out over as long as I can stand. Getting back to Egypt last week I wanted to get back into Middle East mode, but with something good to read, not too hard or potentially rubbish (!) so I dived into the third Omar Yussef book and finished it in a matter of days.

I really loved this book as we saw (a little) more of Omar Yussef’s granddaughter (who is his favourite and the one who encourages him on his detective adventures) and his family. The book also expanded beyond Bethlehem and Gaza now to Jerusalem and introduces the Samaritans as the new source of mystery when one of their members is found murdered. It’s interesting to read about the small community of the Samaritans and their teetering presence on the edge of society. The other divide here is between the ins and the outs, as we find out that the deceased was an adviser to the Old Man and is suspected of remaining in control of not only his money, but money donated by the UN. The story is twisted, as these things are in the Middle East, by corruption and (a new slant I haven’t seen in Rees’ books before) homosexuality.

Again a really great book that tells a compelling story in a setting that I find real to life and fascinating. There’s only one book of the series left..how long can I wait?