Michael Bennett (17) (1964–)

This is a pacy crime thriller that doesn't let up. Set in contemporary Auckland Detective Senior Sargeant Hana Westerman is on the trail of a serial killer. There appears to be no connection between the victims and then the connection is revealed. It relates to the historic murder of a Maori warrior in the 1860's. A modern day descendant is seeking 'utu' meaning revenge or balance. There are more victims to come and the race is on to prevent more deaths.
DSS Westerman soon realises their is show more a personal connection to the perpetrator, her beloved daughter and ex-husband.
My only reservation is that I felt, at times, that I was being brow beaten as New Zealander of European descent. The ending showed more balance however. show less

As in the first book, Better the Blood, Michael Bennett continues to immerse readers in Māori culture through his strong mysteries and compelling characters. In Return to Blood, Hana Westerman proves that, although she may have left the Auckland Police Force, she certainly hasn't stopped being a detective dedicated to the pursuit of true justice.

Helping her father teach local youth how to pass their driving tests is an important step to a brighter future for these young people, but it's not show more enough to keep Hana focused when a body is found on the beach. When the recent discovery is added to an old crime in which a man was unjustly convicted, there's no stopping her. Hana is one of those characters I can't resist cheering for even though her single-mindedness often puts herself and others in dangerous situations.

The occasional chapter in the voice of a young Māori woman named Kiri adds poignancy to the story as she tells us of her life gone wrong. Another thing that I admire about the hardcover edition of Return to Blood is the fact that the Māori words Bennett uses are explained right on the same page. I appreciated not having to flip back and forth to the back of the book to learn what the words meant.

There are many things to learn in Return to Blood. Hana's relationships with her father, daughter, and cousin. Her daughter's relationship with her best friend. Hana's true calling as a police officer. Then there's the mouth-watering mention of Samoan coconut cream doughnuts and Bennett's often lyrical language: "A kilometre further north along the coast the big trees start, their early morning silhouettes like a line of old men marching along in arthritic pain, vertebrae twisted and hunched by the centuries of wind." Story, setting, culture, character... I can't wait for the next book in this series. Whatever you do, don't deny yourself the pleasure of meeting Hana Westerman. show less

Set in present-day New Zealand, Return to Blood is worth reading, not just for its plot and characters, but for its depiction of a society that has embraced indigenous culture. Maybe "embraced" is too generous a word, but the interactions, the inclusion of ritual and community structures are genuine.

Return to Blood is a two-timeline mystery. Hana Westerman, a Maori and a former member of the Auckland Criminal Investigation Bureau, has resigned from law enforcement and moved back to the small show more coastal village where she was raised. When a young woman's skeletonized remains are discovered in the dunes by Hana's daughter, Hana can't help but want to pursue the case, even though she shouldn't be. Hana's desire to investigate is inspired not only by her daughter's discovery of the remains, but also by a similar case more than twenty years ago in the same location. Someone was tried and convicted for that murder, but the new discovery opens up the possibility that the wrong man was convicted and that there may be more remains waiting to be discovered.

The plotting is excellent—and the characters are every bit as satisfying. Besides Hana, readers meet her former colleagues, who are understandably uncomfortable with her interest in the case; Hana's daughter Addison and Addison's nonbinary house mate (and perhaps partner) PLUS1, an aspiring rap/turntable duo; Eru, Hana's father, who has strong memories of the first murder and who is convinced the wrong man was convicted; a cousin bitter that Hana has returned and her son who desperately wants to move on to a life more glamorous and wealthy than anything that's possible at home.

I hadn't realized when I began this book that it was the second in a series. I am very much hoping there will be a third, and a fourth, and a fifth, and.... I had no trouble following Return to Blood because Bennett is deft at providing contextual information without beating readers over the head with it. Muticulturalism, a complex plot, and characters a reader is eager to meet—all of these mean I'm looking forward to more. I also want to say that, if you're a reader of mysteries and don't know this series, you're in for a treat. Get going!

I received a free elevtronic review copy of this title from the publisher via NetGalley; the opinions are my own. show less

"Better the Blood," by Michael Bennett, is a violent and intense thriller set in Auckland, New Zealand. Detective Senior Sergeant Hana Westerman, who is of Maori ancestry, is ashamed of her actions eighteen years earlier, when she was a junior officer on the force. Her superiors ordered her to arrest men and women who were peacefully protesting the confiscation of their land by the British colonizers. Hana dragged a Maori woman off the sacred mountain where she had been standing vigil. To show more this day, Hana's people consider her a traitor. Now Hana becomes the center of a new investigation when a serial killer sends her videos with clues concerning his crimes. He picks off his victims while Hana, her estranged husband Detective Inspector Jaye Hamilton, and their colleagues try to identify this merciless and methodical predator and apprehend him before he strikes again.

This is not a conventional mystery, since Bennett identifies the villain long before the book's finale. Instead, it is a multilayered and poignant novel that explores the competing interests of indigenous people and the colonizers who believe they have the right to uproot them. This book is suffused with the history of the Maori and is enriched by Bennett's use of the Maori language. Furthermore, there are heartrending scenes in which Hana clashes with her fiery and unconventional daughter, Addison, a seventeen-year-old who is furious at her mother's for betraying her heritage. Hana is an intelligent, intuitive, and stubborn protagonist who faces challenging situations head-on.

Bennett's powerful debut has a beautifully descriptive setting, sharply written dialogue, fascinating and varied characters, and a well-constructed plot. Hana's career is in jeopardy thanks to a felon who claims she attacked him physically. In addition, she decides to revisit her past and make amends for what she now perceives as grievous mistakes. In "Better than Blood," Michael Bennett insightfully explores the desire of native inhabitants to be treated fairly and with dignity. He also poses the question of whether it is more satisfying to strike out against one's oppressors or choose a path of non-violence. The finale leaves us eager to read the next installment in what promises to be an outstanding series. show less