Dirt Files

This “absorbing” murder mystery “vividly illustrates daily Palestinian life” (Publishers Weekly). A member of the tiny but ancient Samaritan community has been murdered. The dead man controlled hundreds of millions of dollars of government money. And if the World Bank cannot locate it within the next several days, all aid money to the Palestinians will be cut off. Visiting Nablus, history teacher-turned-sleuth Omar Yussef must solve the murder and find the money, or all of his community will suffer . . . “Yussef, ever the historian, jumps at the chance to visit the Samaritan synagogue and learn more about their beliefs, but he is quickly engulfed in a murder investigation . . . As in The Collaborator of Bethlehem and A Grave in Gaza, Rees not only offers a perceptive look at complex international political issues but also helps us to understand those issues in the context of everyday lives—of Palestinians attempting to dodge bullets coming in all directions (from Israelis but also from rival factions within their own country) and carry on with the business of falling in love, marrying, raising children.”—Booklist, starred review