"The Collaborator of Bethlehem"

New this month from Soho Press: Matt Beynon Rees' The Collaborator of Bethlehem.

A synopsis, from the publisher:

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.

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.

Watch a brief video of Matt introducing the world of Omar Yussef from the streets of Bethlehem.

Matt applied The Page 69 Test to his book: the results will be posted soon.