Description: Two murders. Two decades apart.
One chance to get justice.

Hana Westerman has left Auckland and her career as a detective behind her. Settled in a quiet coastal town, all she wants is a fresh start.

The discovery of a skeleton in the dunes near her house changes everything. The remains are those of a young Maori woman who went missing four years before, and Hana has a connection to the case. Twenty years ago, a schoolfriend of hers was found buried in the exact same spot. Her killer died in prison, but did the police get the wrong man? And if he was innocent, then why did he plead guilty?

No longer part of the Criminal Investigation Branch, Hana turns to her ex-husband Jaye, a high-flying Detective Inspector, for help. But when he cuts her out of the investigation, she realises that she will have to find the answers she needs on her own.

But in digging deeper, she sets herself on a potentially fatal collision course with a killer.


PRAISE FOR BETTER THE BLOOD:

'A compelling, atmospheric page turner with an authentic insight into Maori culture' Val McDermid

'A tensely plotted, gritty crime novel that has the courage to force us all to rethink our relationship with the past' Vaseem Khan

'Stunning . . . a gripping mystery, complex and memorable characters, and timely social and cultural commentary. Don't miss it' David Heska Wanbli Weiden

'As page-turning as it is eye-opening' Ambrose Parry

'Opens a unique window onto a fascinating Antipodean society as only world-class crime fiction can' Deon Meyer

'A striking debut and a significant addition to Indigenous literature' Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

'[A] stellar series launch. Bennett is a writer to watch' Publishers Weekly (starred review)

'A remarkable new detective' Daily Mail

'[A] highly addictive read' My Weekly

'So chilling' Crime Monthly

Review: 'Even better (if possible!) than his searing debut - Michael Bennett's latest, Return to Blood, had me moved to tears of empathy and rage within the first fifty pages. Richly evocative New Zealand detail, a take-no-prisoners female Maori detective and a riveting crime make for a sizzling and culturally important page-turner' -- Alexandra Sokoloff