The situation is horrible – a garrotted woman in a rubbish tip masquerading as a Northland house – but Detective Nyree Bradshaw is in her element: marshalling uniformed officers, forensics, and detectives as they begin the laborious process of gathering evidence, searching for clues, and interviewing witnesses in hopes of finding a trail that leads to the killer. Frankly, for Nyree, as much empathy as she feels for the victim and as tricky as the crime scene is with its rotting planks, towers of mouldy newspapers and dirty dishes, fly-infested rooms, and overwhelming stench, it hasn’t even been the most challenging part of her day.

Not after her son Tony, in prison for murder, had dropped a life-altering bombshell.

After several mystery and thriller novels featuring American and British settings and protagonists, including a popular trilogy starring socialite-turned-sleuth Elizabeth McClaine, Kerikeri author Catherine Lea ‘came home’ in 2022 with The Water’s Dead, her first book featuring tough, middle-aged investigator DI Nyree Bradshaw of the Far North CIB. That engaging series-starter is now joined by a very good sequel. Better Left Dead continues the dastardly deeds and puzzling investigations, with Nyree and her team coming face-to-face with the poverty and problems lurking beneath Northland’s picture-postcard landscapes.

The garrotted victim, Lizzy Bean, was a loner and hoarder who apparently provoked complaints to the local council from her frustrated neighbours. But as Nyree and her team pick their way through the detritus of Lizzy Bean’s property – they discover more about a troubled life that brought Lizzy to that point, hoarding and hiding away.

And they also discover another body inside Lizzy’s house. What does a list of names of former foster kids have to do with the murder/s? Who would want to kill a troubled woman in such brutal fashion? Are the neighbours telling the whole truth about Lizzy Bean’s life?

While investigating the murders and trying to find a killer, Nyree must juggle not only her makeshift team and the usual investigative frustrations, wrong turns, and dead ends (not to mention being under-resourced as other police colleagues are focused on trying to find Chelsea Westerley, the missing daughter of a Far North councillor), but the urgent, life-changing news her son Tony casually dropped on her during a prison visit. Nyree is grandmother to Ellie, an eight-year-old whose mother recently died and who is destined for foster care herself if Nyree can’t rearrange her hard-working, solo life to take Ellie in.

Already carrying guilt for failing her son, Nyree is now faced with failing a grandchild.

While crime fiction is often thought of in terms of puzzling plotlines or thrilling events, character is a key reason readers will follow a detective series over many books. In Better Left Dead Catherine Lea shows her great touch for character, from DI Nyree Bradshaw and key colleagues like Detective Sergeant Callaghan and newly minted, keen-as-mustard Detective Alana Bowman to a range of personalities who’ve made their lives in Northland.

While we care about finding the killer, Lea cajoles us to care about the people in the story, raising the stakes emotionally. Lea also brings the Northland setting to vivid life, digging beneath the beautiful-on-the-surface landscapes to showcase many of the issues facing local communities, from methamphetamine and mental health, to gangs, to property development.

Lea has crafted a very good page-turner, entertaining and engaging on many levels. Better Left Dead is the kind of tale that sucks you in and glues you to your chair, the pages melting by, while throwing in a few swerves along the journey. DI Nyree Bradshaw is a fabulous creation, and several of the supporting cast show great potential too. It’ll be interesting to see how the series evolves, because this is a heroine, cast, and setting that deserves a long series.

A very good read from an experienced storyteller who’s really hitting her stride.

Craig Sisterson is a lawyer turned features writer, reviewer, and editor. He is founder of the Ngaio Marsh Awards and series editor of the Dark Deeds Down Under crime and thriller anthologies. Craig grew up in Te Tau Ihu o Te Waka a Māui/The Top of the South, and currently lives in London.