An interesting look into Palestinian culture, Mideast politics, and a good mystery besides. I also think the characters are well-drawn and more complex than in many mysteries. ( )

Omar Yussef is the protagonist of Matt Rees’s detective stories set in the Palestinian territories. A school teacher and unwitting detective, he was used to Palestinian rioting and intrafighting. He is an excellent observer of what is happening to his people. Through him, we get a different perspective on what is going on and its causes than is reported in the mainstream media. At the end, we are left with more understanding, sadness, and frustration.
In DAMASCUS TRANCE during the Arab Spring, Yussef is attending a university reunion while there is rioting and gunfire outside his hotel. His friend, the Bethlehem police chief Khamis Zehdan, explained to him, “When the ruler comes from a minority like the Alawwi, any other group is a threat. Even if all they want to do is spin around in circles and recite poetry, like the Sufis.” Regarding the gun firing, Omar tells Laith al-Atrash, another university associate but who is also an informant, “The criminals are the ones opening fire on people who only want a better life.” As-Atrash recalls his earlier actions against Yussef explaining, “Since when does the truth have anything to do with Arab politics.”
Killing has a long history in this area. Yussef, looking at Mount Qasioun, observed that Moslems believe that is where Cain slew Abel, the place where murder was invented.
The Revolutionary Guards are everywhere. Zeydan explained, “Either they think they’re about to lose control or they’re about to remind us that such a thing is impossible” and refers to Hama, where President Assad’s father had killed twenty thousand Syrians to “discourage any further uprising.”
Amid the deaths and rioting, Yussef and his Zeydan decide to go to a dinner and dancing performance featuring twirling Sufi dancers. He wonders how his companions can ignore what is happening outside and decides “I always expected something better from the world around me than these men did. They’re content to prosper amid the imperfection.” He realizes he’s also closed his mind to the reality outside. That may be what people have to do to survive and maintain their sanity but what is the long-term effect.
I have read all of Matt Rees’s books because they are so well-written and informative. This short story is no exception.
This was an Amazon download. . ( )