The crimes in this book are based on real events in Gaza. Although identities and circumstances have been changed, the killers truly killed this way, and those who died are dead the same way. Despite his frail appearance—years of alcoholism and smoking have eroded his health—Omar Yussef is not devoid of humor or pride. Much less a reluctant bravery that allows him to see through conspiracies and murders. He also has his vanities: expensive brown shoes and Mont Blanc pens. And he is a man with a past, a radical student at the University of Damascus, where he met Khamis Zeydan, the Bethlehem police chief who lost his life in a terrorist attack. The delightful character created by Matt Rees arrives on Record with A TOMB IN GAZA, his second adventure. Here, Omar became the director of the Girls' School in the Dehaisha Refugee Camp, a UN institution in Bethlehem. One of his duties is to travel with his new boss, a Swede named Magnus Wallender, to inspect other UN schools in the Gaza Strip. Upon arrival, the two meet James Cree, a UN security agent, who reports the arrest of one of the teachers for espionage. While trying to free the teacher and keep a potentially explosive political situation under control, the two end up entangled with government factions and local criminal gangs. To resolve this impasse, Omar must confront the Gaza underworld, with its murders, kidnappings, and bribery. Rich in detail, A TOMB IN GAZA captures the political and social upheavals of a world in complete transformation. An allegory of the current conflict between East and West, and, at the same time, a lyrical meditation on the contradictory desires of the human soul.
