Better the Blood

Top of the Lake meets Val McDermid by way of Jane Harper in this brilliantly gripping debut by award-winning New Zealand screenwriter and director, Michael Bennett.

''A compelling, atmospheric page turner with an authentic insight into Māori culture'' Val McDermid A DETECTIVE IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH. A KILLER IN SEARCH OF RETRIBUTION. A CLASH BETWEEN CULTURE AND DUTY. THE PAST NEVER TRULY STAYS BURIED. 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. 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. When the pursuit becomes frighteningly personal, Hana realises that her heritage and knowledge are their only keys to finding the killer. 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. '' Better the Blood touches on themes that have become increasingly urgent in recent years including the far-reaching impacts of colonialism and the often uneasy integration of identity and heritage into modern multicultural society. A tensely plotted, gritty crime novel that has the courage to force us all to rethink our relationship with the past'' Vaseem Khan ‘As page-turning as it is eye-opening. An excitingly fresh perspective upon a world you thought you knew’ Ambrose Parry ‘Stunning. Better the Blood is a tremendous debut, and Hana Westerman, the Māori 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 ‘Packed with intricate detail about Maori history and culture, this tense and involving story ushers in a remarkable new detective’ Geoffrey Wansell, Daily Mail ‘This thought-provoking debut is a compelling, insightful and highly addictive read’ My Weekly ‘So chilling’ Crime Monthly ...

Auteur
Michael Bennett (Ngti Pikiao, Ngti Whakaue) is an award-winning screenwriter, director and author. His first book, a non-fiction work 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 second book, Helen and the Go-Go Ninjas, is a time-travel graphic novel co-authored with Ant Sang.Better the Blood, the first Hana Westerman thriller, was shortlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction/Ockham New Zealand Book Award, as well as being shortlisted for the Audio Book of the Year at the Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards. It was also longlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Debut Dagger and was a finalist for both Best First Novel and Best Novel at the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards. Michael's short and feature films have won awards internationally and have screened at numerous festivals, including Cannes, Toronto, Berlin, Locarno, New York, London and Melbourne. Michael is the 2020 recipient of the Te Aupounamu Mori Screen Excellence Award, in recognition of members of the Mori filmmaking community who have made high-level contributions to screen storytelling. He lives in Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand), with his partner Jane, and children Thema, Mhina and Matariki.

Texte du rabat

Top of the Lake meets Val McDermid by way of Jane Harper in this brilliantly gripping debut by award-winning New Zealand screenwriter and director, Michael Bennett.