THE SALADIN MURDERS by Matt Rees is the second in a series featuring Palestinian teacher and sleuth, Omar Yussef. During this book Omar Yussef is away from his hometown, Bethlehem, to assist in a school inspection in the Gaza strip, together with a UN employee, Wallender. When it turns out that one of the teachers he was due to assess, Masharawi, has been arrested for daring to accuse the local university of corruption (selling degrees to army officers for money), Omar Yussef feels morally obliged to fight his corner. However he soon finds that he is treading into dangerous political territory by intervening in Masharawi's case, and becomes involved in a web of violence and corruption involving rival political factions, and a dangerous gang.

THE SALADIN MURDERS is a gripping read, adeptly combining the political themes of a thriller, with the touching family dynamics within Omar Yussef's family, and the Masharawi family. Matt Rees convincingly evokes the tense physical and political geography of a troubled region.

Laura Root, England
March 2008