The novel is set in Bethlehem, West Bank, against the backdrop of the Palestinian intifada and involves the gangs of gunmen operating in the town and the situation of the Christian Palestinian minority. It won the prestigious Crime Writers Association John Creasey New Blood Dagger in 2008, and was also nominated for the Barry First Novel Award, the Macavity First Mystery Award, and the Quill Best Mystery Award. The New York Times called it “an astonishing first novel.” It was named one of the Top 10 Mysteries of the Year by Booklist and, in the UK Sir David Hare made it his Book of the Year in The Guardian. Colin Dexter, author of the Inspector Morse novels, called Rees’s Palestinian sleuth Omar Yussef “a splendid creation.” Omar was called “Philip Marlowe fed on hummus” by one reviewer and “Yasser Arafat meets Miss Marple” by another.