A DETECTIVE IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH
Hana Westerman is a tenacious Māori 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 secret room. As Hana and her team work to track down the killer, other deaths lead her to think that they are searching for New Zealand’s first serial killer.
A KILLER IN SEARCH OF RETRIBUTION
With little to go on, Hana must use all her experience as a police officer to try and find a motive to these apparently unrelated murders. What she eventually discovers is a link to an historic crime that leads back to the brutal bloody colonisation of New Zealand.
A CLASH BETWEEN CULTURE AND DUTY
When the pursuit becomes frighteningly personal, Hana realises that her heritage and knowledge are their only keys to finding the killer.
THE PAST NEVER TRULY STAYS BURIED
But as the murders continue, it seems that the killer's agenda of revenge may include Hana – and her family...
WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE OF PARADISE.
I'm thrilled to be hosting the blog tour for Better the Blood today. Huge thanks to Michael Bennett, Simon & Schuster and Random Things Tours for inviting me and for sending me a copy of the novel.
Better the Blood is Michael Bennett's fiction debut and sees him join the flourishing Kiwi crime fiction scene with his hugely impressive novel that marries the sins of the past with life in contemporary Aotearoa (the Māori word for New Zealand) perfectly.
The opening chapter, entitled 'A Smudge On The Page Of History' takes place in 1863 and is a disturbing, ominous prelude to what will follow; while it's obvious from the start that the long-forgotten atrocity that takes place here will cast its shadow over modern-day events, it's how this ties in to the Māori concept of utu which is particularly intriguing. Hana Westerman's introduction, one hundred and sixty years later is fascinating too, especially a brief court scene, the fallout of which becomes an important subplot which helps to further develop her character. However, it's the video she's mysteriously sent while in court that signals the start of an investigation which shocks the country and will test Hana to her professional and personal limits.
Hana's family life plays a vital role in proceedings and I really enjoyed the relationship she has with her ex-husband, Jaye which makes for an interesting deviation from the more usual fractured relationships in crime fiction. It's her politicised student daughter, Addison who really makes an impression, however and I loved the scenes between her and her non-binary friend, PLUS 1. In a novel where the past is so integral to the plot, I thought the contemporary passion and anger of the young and the inevitable clashes with those in authority was portrayed beautifully, particularly given Hana's role as a Māori detective. As a younger police officer, Hana was forced into making a decision which has haunted her ever since and which becomes linked to the present-day search for a serial killer.
The nuanced, multi-layered characterisation is excellent throughout Better the Blood, with the depiction of the killer being a thoughtfully empathetic portrayal of a man whose crimes aren't those of a monster but of a man whose connection to the past has is as painful as the unhealed legacy of the brutal wounds of colonisation. The wrongs from history should never be forgotten and Michael Bennett's fictional Maunga Whakairoiro powerfully symbolises this bloody heritage and the terrible, shameful failure to restore lands to the tribes they were stolen from.
The beliefs, language and traditions of Māori culture are woven into the plot seamlessly, ensuring the book is as illuminating as it is exciting, and the footnote translations throughout the novel add to the sense of immersion. With both the long ago and more recent events so irrevocably connected to the current deaths, this suspenseful, complex mystery is raw, moving and utterly compelling from start to finish. Hana realises she has to confront her own mistakes and the correlation between the action she was forced to participate in and the cruel deeds of the British settlers long ago isn't just devastating, it's also an eloquent, convincing reminder that the consequences of our interwoven histories are as integral to the lives of people today as they ever have been. The nail-biting, shocking conclusion to Better the Blood conveys this perfectly and is as poignantly effective as any denouement I can recall reading.
Better the Blood has everything I look for in crime fiction - a tense, gritty, thought-provoking plot, top-notch characterisation and a fabulous sense of place. A cracking read!
Better the Blood is published in the UK by Simon & Schuster, purchasing links can be found here but please support independent bookshops whenever possible.
Follow the blog tour, details are below.
Michael Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue) is an award- winning screenwriter, director and author. His first book, a non-fiction novel 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 short films and feature films have won awards internationally, and have screened at numerous international 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.
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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