Author(s): Michael Bennett

Novel | Aotearoa Fiction | Crime and Thriller | 2023 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards | 2023 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards short lists

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 is their only key 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.

Review: 'Stunning. Better the Blood is a tremendous debut, and Hana Westerman, the Maori detective at the center of the story, instantly becomes one of the great characters in crime fiction on any continent. This novel has it all: a gripping mystery, complex and memorable characters, and timely social and cultural commentary. Don't miss it' -- David Heska Wanbli Weiden, author of Winter Counts