Better the Blood: Volume 1
The past never truly stays buried. Welcome to the dark side of paradise.
Published on 18. August 2022
Book
Hardback
336 pages
978-1-3985-1221-4 (ISBN)
Description
'A compelling, atmospheric page turner with an authentic insight into Maori 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.
WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE OF PARADISE.
Detective Senior Sergeant Hana Westerman is a tenacious Maori 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 hidden room. With little to go on, Hana knows one thing: the killer is sending her a message.
As a Maori officer, there has always been a clash between duty and culture for Hana, but it is something that she's found a way to live with. Until now. When more murders follow, Hana realises that her heritage and past are the keys to finding the perpetrator.
Especially when the killer's agenda of revenge may include Hana - and her family . . .
'As page-turning as it is eye-opening' Ambrose Parry
'A remarkable new detective' Daily Mail
'[A] highly addictive read' My Weekly
'So chilling' Crime Monthly
'Opens a unique window onto a fascinating Antipodean society as only world-class crime fiction can' Deon Meyer
Winner of the Best First Novel Award at the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards
Finalist for Best Novel at the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards
?Shortlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, Ockham New Zealand Book Awards
Longlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger
Shortlisted for Audio Book of the Year at the Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards
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.
WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE OF PARADISE.
Detective Senior Sergeant Hana Westerman is a tenacious Maori 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 hidden room. With little to go on, Hana knows one thing: the killer is sending her a message.
As a Maori officer, there has always been a clash between duty and culture for Hana, but it is something that she's found a way to live with. Until now. When more murders follow, Hana realises that her heritage and past are the keys to finding the perpetrator.
Especially when the killer's agenda of revenge may include Hana - and her family . . .
'As page-turning as it is eye-opening' Ambrose Parry
'A remarkable new detective' Daily Mail
'[A] highly addictive read' My Weekly
'So chilling' Crime Monthly
'Opens a unique window onto a fascinating Antipodean society as only world-class crime fiction can' Deon Meyer
Winner of the Best First Novel Award at the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards
Finalist for Best Novel at the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards
?Shortlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction, Ockham New Zealand Book Awards
Longlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Dagger
Shortlisted for Audio Book of the Year at the Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards
Reviews / Votes
'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 '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
'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
'[A] stellar series launch . . . Immersed in modern-day technologies and with a keen sensitivity to cultural issues, this is a finely crafted page-turner. Bennett is a writer to watch' Publishers Weekly (starred review)
'Bennett unflinchingly weaves together layers of fallout from New Zealand's bloody colonization, enduring Maori culture, and gripping procedural details. Hopefully this compelling debut heralds the start of a long-running series' Booklist
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 238 mm
Width: 159 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
550 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-3985-1221-4 (9781398512214)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Michael Bennett
Better the Blood
The past never truly stays buried. Welcome to the dark side of paradise.
E-Book
08/2022
Simon + Schuster LLC
€7.73
Available for download
Person
Michael Bennett (Ngati Pikiao, Ngati 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 for the Audio Book of the Year at the Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards and Best First Mystery Novel at the Barry Awards. It was also longlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Debut Dagger and was a finalist for Best Novel at the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards, where it won the award for Best First Novel. Return to Blood, the second novel in the acclaimed series, won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel in 2025.
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 Maori Screen Excellence Award, in recognition of members of the Maori filmmaking community who have made high-level contributions to screen storytelling.
He lives in Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand), with his partner Jane, and children Tihema, Mahina and Matariki.
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 for the Audio Book of the Year at the Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards and Best First Mystery Novel at the Barry Awards. It was also longlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Debut Dagger and was a finalist for Best Novel at the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards, where it won the award for Best First Novel. Return to Blood, the second novel in the acclaimed series, won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel in 2025.
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 Maori Screen Excellence Award, in recognition of members of the Maori filmmaking community who have made high-level contributions to screen storytelling.
He lives in Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand), with his partner Jane, and children Tihema, Mahina and Matariki.