Better the Blood: A Hana Westerman Thriller
Better the Blood: A Hana Westerman Thriller
Better the Blood: A Hana Westerman Thriller
Description
Description
An absorbing, clever debut thriller that speaks to the longstanding injustices faced by New Zealand's indigenous peoples, by an acclaimed Māori screenwriter and directorA tenacious Māori detective, Hana Westerman juggles single motherhood, endemic prejudice, and the pressures of her career in Auckland CIB. Led to a crime scene by a mysterious video, she discovers a man ritualistically hanging in a secret room and a puzzling inward-curving inscription. Delving into the investigation after a second, apparently unrelated, death, she uncovers a chilling connection to an historic crime: 160 years before, during the brutal and bloody British colonization of New Zealand, a troop of colonial soldiers unjustly executed a Māori Chief.Hana realizes that the murders are utu--the Māori tradition of rebalancing for the crime committed eight generations ago. There were six soldiers in the British troop, and since descendants of two of the soldiers have been killed, four more potential murders remain. Hana is thus hunting New Zealand's first serial killer.The pursuit soon becomes frighteningly personal, recalling the painful event, two decades before, when Hana, then a new cop, was part of a police team sent to end by force a land rights occupation by indigenous peoples on the same ancestral mountain where the Chief was killed, calling once more into question her loyalty to her roots. Worse still, a genealogical link to the British soldiers brings the case terrifyingly close to Hana's own family. Twisty and thought-provoking, Better the Blood is the debut of a remarkable new talent in crime fiction.
About the Author
About the Author
Michael Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue) is an award-winning screenwriter, director, and author whose films have been selections at major festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and New York. His nonfiction book, In Dark Places, which explored an infamous miscarriage of justice, won awards, and his young adult graphic novel, Helen and the Go-Go Ninjas, was a finalist for the 2019 New Zealand Book Awards.
Critical Reviews
Critical Reviews
Praise for Better the
Blood: Winner of the Ngaio
Marsh First Novel AwardShortlisted for the Jann
Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, Ockham New Zealand Book
AwardsBarry Award Finalist for Best First Mystery
or Crime NovelLonglisted for the Crime Writers'
Association ILP John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger
Named
a Best Book of the Year by NPR and Deadly Pleasures Mystery
MagazineNamed a Best Book of the Month
by Amazon (Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense)
"Michael
Bennett's crime fiction debut explores themes of colonization and Indigenous
culture by way of New Zealand. A serial killer looking to avenge the
160-year-old murder of a Maori chief is pursued by police detective Hana
Westerman, whose Maori ancestry makes the case personal."--Christian
Science Monitor"Stunning . . . With an incisive
close third-person narration that digs into the thoughts and feelings of all of
the players, the story commands attention from start to spectacular
finish."--Oprah Daily"A stunning
and completely unique debut thriller . . . I cannot speak more highly of
Michael Bennett's ability as a writer to share his own heritage within the
guise of a page-turning thriller that will keep you guessing, along with
teaching you some little-known New Zealand history. I can only hope that this
is the start of a wonderful and long-running series."--Book
Reporter"A stunning debut . . . Written
with a sure hand . . . With perfect pacing and characters that gain detail and
focus, Better the Blood is an excellent read . . . The
beginning of a series to watch by a writer to savor."--Deadly
Pleasures Mystery Magazine"Thoroughly absorbing .
. . Bennett writes about Māori culture and history with generosity and care,
reflected in the final acknowledgments paid to those in his community who lent
him additional insights and guidance. He also crafts a compelling detective in
Hana Westerman . . . Under Bennett's strong command of tension in all
directions, Better the Blood is a magnificently arranged
confrontation with histories personal and public."--Shelf
Awareness"Better the Blood is
an astonishing debut novel, full of twists and vivid characters, but also with
much more on its mind. It is a deep exploration into cultural identity and
justice, into the unbreakable bonds between the present and the past. It
captures a voice like none you have read before, and it'll keep you thinking
even as you rapidly turn the pages to its devastating conclusion."--BookTrib"Extraordinary
. . . Outstanding . . . The characters are exceptional, their motives and
doubts all so magnificently drawn, so many of them strangers in a strange land
in their own land."--Nick Martin, Winnipeg Free
Press"A captivating crime story, an informative
exploration of Maori culture through their history and language, and a
pressurized (and very contemporary) family drama between mother and daughter."--ArtsFuse
"When
it comes to thrillers, I am hard to please. But Michael Bennett's new novel Better
the Blood amazed me. I cannot wait to read more . . . Captivating . .
. Stunningly good."--Ashley Riggleson, The Free
Lance-Star"A stellar series launch set
in contemporary New Zealand . . . The narrative moves at a quick pace. Immersed
in modern-day technologies and with a keen sensitivity to cultural issues, this
is a finely crafted page-turner. Bennett is a writer to watch."--Publishers
Weekly (starred review)"Bennett
establishes himself as an excellent storyteller . . . The book's immersion in
tribal culture and history makes the greatest impact, lending complexity and
sweep to the narrative . . . One can only hope this is the beginning of a
series. A striking debut and a significant addition to Indigenous literature."--Kirkus
Reviews (starred review)"Riveting . . .
Bennett deftly illuminates the plight of the Māori people and its continuing
effects in New Zealand. His action-packed narrative, blended with various
cultural references, recalls the novels of Tony and Anne Hillerman, Craig
Johnson, and William Kent Krueger."--Library
Journal"Bennett unflinchingly weaves
together layers of fallout from New Zealand's bloody colonization, enduring
Māori culture, and gripping procedural details. Hopefully this compelling debut
heralds the start of a long-running series."--Booklist"With
plenty of suspense, sympathetically drawn characters and crisp dialogue, Better
the Blood promises to be the start of a long and rewarding literary
career for Bennett."--BookPage"A
compelling, atmospheric page turner with an authentic insight into Māori
culture."--Val McDermid"Stunning.Better
the Bloodis a tremendous debut, and Hana
Westerman, the Māori detective at the center of the story, instantly becomes
one of the great characters in crime fiction on any continent. This novel has
it all: a gripping mystery, complex and memorable characters, and timely social
and cultural commentary. Don't miss it."--David Heska Wanbli Weiden,
author ofWinter Counts"Carefully
crafted and beautifully written, intelligent and insightful, Bennett opens a
unique window onto a fascinating Antipodean society as only world-class crime
fiction can. I devoured it. (And, as a South African, I found great pleasure in
the rugby references too.)"--Deon Meyer, author of The Dark
Flood"Better the Bloodtouches
on themes that have become increasingly urgent in recent years including the
far-reaching impacts of colonialism and the often uneasy integration of
identity and heritage into modern multicultural society. A tensely plotted,
gritty crime novel that has the courage to force us all to rethink our
relationship with the past."--Vaseem Khan"As
page-turning as it is eye-opening. An excitingly fresh perspective upon a world
you thought you knew."--Ambrose Parry
Blood: Winner of the Ngaio
Marsh First Novel AwardShortlisted for the Jann
Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, Ockham New Zealand Book
AwardsBarry Award Finalist for Best First Mystery
or Crime NovelLonglisted for the Crime Writers'
Association ILP John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger
Named
a Best Book of the Year by NPR and Deadly Pleasures Mystery
MagazineNamed a Best Book of the Month
by Amazon (Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense)
"Michael
Bennett's crime fiction debut explores themes of colonization and Indigenous
culture by way of New Zealand. A serial killer looking to avenge the
160-year-old murder of a Maori chief is pursued by police detective Hana
Westerman, whose Maori ancestry makes the case personal."--Christian
Science Monitor"Stunning . . . With an incisive
close third-person narration that digs into the thoughts and feelings of all of
the players, the story commands attention from start to spectacular
finish."--Oprah Daily"A stunning
and completely unique debut thriller . . . I cannot speak more highly of
Michael Bennett's ability as a writer to share his own heritage within the
guise of a page-turning thriller that will keep you guessing, along with
teaching you some little-known New Zealand history. I can only hope that this
is the start of a wonderful and long-running series."--Book
Reporter"A stunning debut . . . Written
with a sure hand . . . With perfect pacing and characters that gain detail and
focus, Better the Blood is an excellent read . . . The
beginning of a series to watch by a writer to savor."--Deadly
Pleasures Mystery Magazine"Thoroughly absorbing .
. . Bennett writes about Māori culture and history with generosity and care,
reflected in the final acknowledgments paid to those in his community who lent
him additional insights and guidance. He also crafts a compelling detective in
Hana Westerman . . . Under Bennett's strong command of tension in all
directions, Better the Blood is a magnificently arranged
confrontation with histories personal and public."--Shelf
Awareness"Better the Blood is
an astonishing debut novel, full of twists and vivid characters, but also with
much more on its mind. It is a deep exploration into cultural identity and
justice, into the unbreakable bonds between the present and the past. It
captures a voice like none you have read before, and it'll keep you thinking
even as you rapidly turn the pages to its devastating conclusion."--BookTrib"Extraordinary
. . . Outstanding . . . The characters are exceptional, their motives and
doubts all so magnificently drawn, so many of them strangers in a strange land
in their own land."--Nick Martin, Winnipeg Free
Press"A captivating crime story, an informative
exploration of Maori culture through their history and language, and a
pressurized (and very contemporary) family drama between mother and daughter."--ArtsFuse
"When
it comes to thrillers, I am hard to please. But Michael Bennett's new novel Better
the Blood amazed me. I cannot wait to read more . . . Captivating . .
. Stunningly good."--Ashley Riggleson, The Free
Lance-Star"A stellar series launch set
in contemporary New Zealand . . . The narrative moves at a quick pace. Immersed
in modern-day technologies and with a keen sensitivity to cultural issues, this
is a finely crafted page-turner. Bennett is a writer to watch."--Publishers
Weekly (starred review)"Bennett
establishes himself as an excellent storyteller . . . The book's immersion in
tribal culture and history makes the greatest impact, lending complexity and
sweep to the narrative . . . One can only hope this is the beginning of a
series. A striking debut and a significant addition to Indigenous literature."--Kirkus
Reviews (starred review)"Riveting . . .
Bennett deftly illuminates the plight of the Māori people and its continuing
effects in New Zealand. His action-packed narrative, blended with various
cultural references, recalls the novels of Tony and Anne Hillerman, Craig
Johnson, and William Kent Krueger."--Library
Journal"Bennett unflinchingly weaves
together layers of fallout from New Zealand's bloody colonization, enduring
Māori culture, and gripping procedural details. Hopefully this compelling debut
heralds the start of a long-running series."--Booklist"With
plenty of suspense, sympathetically drawn characters and crisp dialogue, Better
the Blood promises to be the start of a long and rewarding literary
career for Bennett."--BookPage"A
compelling, atmospheric page turner with an authentic insight into Māori
culture."--Val McDermid"Stunning.Better
the Bloodis a tremendous debut, and Hana
Westerman, the Māori detective at the center of the story, instantly becomes
one of the great characters in crime fiction on any continent. This novel has
it all: a gripping mystery, complex and memorable characters, and timely social
and cultural commentary. Don't miss it."--David Heska Wanbli Weiden,
author ofWinter Counts"Carefully
crafted and beautifully written, intelligent and insightful, Bennett opens a
unique window onto a fascinating Antipodean society as only world-class crime
fiction can. I devoured it. (And, as a South African, I found great pleasure in
the rugby references too.)"--Deon Meyer, author of The Dark
Flood"Better the Bloodtouches
on themes that have become increasingly urgent in recent years including the
far-reaching impacts of colonialism and the often uneasy integration of
identity and heritage into modern multicultural society. A tensely plotted,
gritty crime novel that has the courage to force us all to rethink our
relationship with the past."--Vaseem Khan"As
page-turning as it is eye-opening. An excitingly fresh perspective upon a world
you thought you knew."--Ambrose Parry
Publishing Information
Publishing Information
Publisher:
Grove Press
Pub date:
2024-01-09
Length:
336 pages
The Allstora Membership
Membership Perks:
- Save 30% on all online store purchases
- Exclusive access to author's content
- You pay less, but authors still earn double
Membership Terms:
First Month:
$0.00
Monthly price:
$5.00
- To access membership discount simply log in and add to cart, discount applied automatically.
- One month free trial, cancel anytime. Membership renews on the 15th of each month.