Better the Blood
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A DETECTIVE IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH.
A KILLER IN SEARCH OF RETRIBUTION.
A CLASH BETWEEN CULTURE AND DUTY.
THE PAST NEVER TRULY STAYS BURIED.
WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE OF PARADISE.
Detective Senior Sergeant Hana Westerman is a tenacious Maori detective juggling single motherhood and the pressures of her career in Auckland's Central Investigation Branch. When she's led to a crime scene by a mysterious video, she discovers a man hanging in a hidden room. With little to go on, Hana knows one thing: the killer is sending her a message.
As a Maori officer, there has always been a clash between duty and culture for Hana, but it is something that she's found a way to live with. Until now. When more murders follow, Hana realises that her heritage and past are the keys to finding the perpetrator.
Especially when the killer's agenda of revenge may include Hana - and her family . . .
'As page-turning as it is eye-opening' Ambrose Parry
'A remarkable new detective' Daily Mail
'[A] highly addictive read' My Weekly
'So chilling' Crime Monthly
'Opens a unique window onto a fascinating Antipodean society as only world-class crime fiction can' Deon Meyer
'As page-turning as it is eye-opening. An excitingly fresh perspective upon a world you thought you knew' Ambrose Parry
'Packed with intricate detail about Maori history and culture, this tense and involving story ushers in a remarkable new detective' Geoffrey Wansell, Daily Mail
'This thought-provoking debut is a compelling, insightful and highly addictive read' My Weekly
'So chilling' Crime Monthly
'[A] stellar series launch . . . 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 unflinchingly weaves together layers of fallout from New Zealand's bloody colonization, enduring Maori culture, and gripping procedural details. Hopefully this compelling debut heralds the start of a long-running series' Booklist
This book is available in Audiobook format:
Audiobook narrator: Miriama McDowell
Length: 9h 11m
Author: Michael Bennett
ISBN: 9781398512245
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd
Published: 30/03/2023
Format: Paperback /softback - Also available as: Digital audio recording available both by download to the purchaser’s own device(s) and by online (eg streamed) access
About the Author
Michael Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue) is an award-winning screenwriter, director and author. His first book, a non-fiction work telling the true story of New Zealand’s worst miscarriage of justice, In Dark Places, won Best Non-Fiction Book at the 2017 Ngaio Marsh Awards. Michael's second book, Helen and the Go-Go Ninjas, is a time-travel graphic novel co-authored with Ant Sang. Better the Blood, the first Hana Westerman thriller, was shortlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction/Ockham New Zealand Book Award, as well as being shortlisted for the Audio Book of the Year at the Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards. It was also longlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Debut Dagger and was a finalist for both Best First Novel and Best Novel at the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards. Michael's short and feature films have won awards internationally and have screened at numerous festivals, including Cannes, Toronto, Berlin, Locarno, New York, London and Melbourne. Michael is the 2020 recipient of the Te Aupounamu Māori Screen Excellence Award, in recognition of members of the Māori filmmaking community who have made high-level contributions to screen storytelling. He lives in Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand), with his partner Jane, and children Tīhema, Māhina and Matariki.
