Better the Blood is a hard hitting contemporary crime novel set in Auckland, about the impact the 19th century colonisation of New Zealand has had on Māori many generations later, and one man’s horrific attempt to redress the balance. I’m from Britain originally, but have lived in NZ for over 21 years, so was intrigued to read a crime novel with a Māori perspective. This is a powerful story featuring an impressive heroine and an antagonist who is surprisingly sympathetic despite being a serial killer.

Senior Detective Sergeant Hana Westerman is a dedicated Māori policewoman from a poor background who has managed a successful career while raising her teenage daughter. An anonymous video, sent directly to her, leads to the discovery of a body hanging in an abandoned building, and then a second death follows, with no discernible link between the victims. How do these murders connect to an old daguerreotype from 1863 depicting a brutal execution?

“Better the blood of the innocent than no blood at all. And a debt doesn’t diminish with the passing of time. A debt disappears only when balance is finally restored.”

This was an excellent fiction debut by an established New Zealand screenwriter, which examines the injustices inflicted on the indigenous Māori tribes by British colonisers, their long term consequences. This remains a sensitive and very politicised issue here. The author uses frequent Māori words and phrases - many of which have come into mainstream use in recent years (to the dismay of some NZers who feel threatened by a resurgence of Māori culture) but there are translations for overseas readers. There’s an interesting subplot which highlights the way white privilege is still the norm here. The book is well written and paced, and not overly gory considering the subject matter. There’s no mention of the pandemic.

While I’ve been trying to avoid serial killer plot lines in the last few years, the relatively unique motive here made a refreshing change from the usual psychotic or sexually motivated killers common to this genre. Similarly, while many of the standard detective fiction tropes are there (protagonist with a troubled past, personal connection to the case, family threatened) Bennett doesn’t take the obvious route: Hana is refreshingly undamaged, has a good relationship with her ex, and Addison is an interesting character in her own right, not just there to be put at risk! Recommended to anyone interested in learning more about Aotearoa New Zealand’s history and culture while reading a gripping police procedural. 4.5 stars rounded down for the present tense. Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC. I am posting this honest review voluntarily. Better the Blood is published on January 10th.

Enjoy learning about the Māori people in this well-woven mystery. The ending is well earned. The racist micro and macro aggressions here are often angering.

Maori senior detective Hana Westerman has just been blindsided—she put a traumatized victim on the witness stand and secured a guilty verdict against a rapist, only to have the judge issue a sentence that amounts to a slap on the wrist for the criminal. Still reeling from this professional letdown and a subsequent confrontation in which the smug rapist threatens to go after her daughter, Hana begins receiving messages from an unknown number hinting at the reasons for a series of murders in retribution for the execution of a Maori chief by British colonists in the 1800s. Investigating these crimes will involve extensive dealings with Auckland's Maori community at its sacred ancestral mountain, a location that dredges up traumatic memories for Hana. 18 years earlier, when she was a new police officer too afraid to refuse, a horrified Hana was assigned with other Maori cops to the police squadron that forcibly evicted indigenous Maori from the mountain. This is a fantastic story, with personal complexities, conflicting loyalties, and fascinating cultural detail all wrapped up in a suspenseful police procedural with strong characters. The ending is thrilling and ties things up in a satisfying way.

Thanks to Netgalley and Grove Atlantic for a digital advance review copy.

Set in New Zealand, this wonderful debut blends police procedural, multiculturalism, and history. It stars Maori detective, Hana Westerman, a brown woman in a country literally named "the land of the long WHITE cloud," as is detailed in one of the copious footnotes that add authenticity and clarity to the many Maori words sprinkled throughout the text. I loved the characters, the plotting, and the smoothness and assuredness of the writing. The premise--a Maori man exacting revenge on the descendants of soldiers who'd harmed his people--is fresh and new. Hopefully, we will see more of Detective Hana Westerman in future installments.

This is a sensational read. Not only a marvelous police procedural, but a deep dive into the beautiful and meaningful culture of the Māori. As someone who has had the distinct pleasure of time in NZ,and was also welcomed into a Māori lodge with the Hanga this book resonates. May it be a huge hit, and another installment soon.

A great last book of the year!

3.75 stars

Impressive New Zealand setting and background. Senior Detective Hana Westerman is a cop and a Maori, a combination that has been troublesome. She was involved in a police action in a Maori community nearly 2 decades ago which she later came to regret. Her activist teenage daughter is appalled when she finds out Hana's role.

But Hana doesn't have much time for regrets. She is currently being targeted by an entitled young rapist who is convicted but then given a joke of a sentence. And, there is a murderer loose in Auckland. Hana and crew are able to trace the modern day killings back to past colonial injustices again the Maori.

This is a nuanced plot which does a great job of explaining some of the misdeeds of a century and a half ago and their consequences to the modern day indigenous people. There are a lot of coincidences, but overall the narrative is well-paced and keeps you turning the pages. There are some personal challenges Hana also faces -- she has the cop mentality and isn't so good at processing events which affect her. Her interactions with her rebellious daughter are nicely drawn. I could have lived without some of the angst with her ex-husband and hope this doesn't become a feature of what I hope will be a series. I would definitely like to spend more time with Hana.

Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I’ve haven’t read a lot of New Zealand murder mysteries, but I have enjoyed the ones that I have read, which is why I chose to read this one. I like the ones that include Maori history too. I especially liked how this book footnoted Maori words and phrases that provided definitions and explanations.

The book summary lays out the start of the story and introduces the two primary storylines: the investigations of several murders and Hana’s struggles with raising her teenage daughter, whose father, and Hana’s ex-husband, is also Hana’s chief. However, after a confrontation between Hana (a Māori cop) and a white rapist, that was basically set free after raping a Māori woman, Bennett reveals a potential villain to the readers. None of this is a spoiler since they were revealed in the first 20% of the story, and by about the 35% mark, the real killer is revealed.

As the murders mount in the first half of the story, Hana, and her investigation team, discover who the murderer is. So, rather than having to spend the rest of the story trying to figure out “whodunit”, the real mystery becomes “who will the next victim be”? The killer definitely has an agenda. As the book summary mentions, there is also a revelation that the murders are connected to an old (160yr old) Māori injustice that hits close to home for Hana. At this point, I began to suspect at least one more victim that the killer would target. I wasn’t wrong.

The ending was intense and scary, but also sad and haunting. A really great read that I finished in two sittings. This story has inspired me to learn some more about the Maori people and their history. I've enjoyed it in the past but there is so much more to learn about. I want to thank NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for sending me this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

@NetGalley @GroveAtlantic @BettertheBlood

⏳Gripping New Zealand thriller with strong cultural overtones🚨

4.5🌟 stars
Better the Blood has urgency, suspense and a great plot, highlighting the indigenous Maori cultural confrontation with British colonization continuing into present times. While the main criminal investigation centers on a killer with an agenda to redress historical violence against Maori activists going back to the 19th century, I was hooked by the modern trial of a privileged rapist of a young Maori woman at the novel's opening. Hana Westerman, the Auckland police detective main character, is a seasoned police officer who sees the division and inequity of society's treatment of her fellow Maori. She sees it and regrets how she's been a part of it at times. I found her a really relatable character with realistic, hard choices as she heads the hunt for the killer while he taunts her with clues.

The characters were well-drawn, the plot fast-moving and compelling. The text is interspersed with Maori phrases that seemed a natural part of the dialogue in this tale of two cultures clashing. I liked that the author supplied footnotes both for the English translation and to explain key principles and rituals of Maori tradition.

Well worth the read. Thanks to Grove Atlantic and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

Better the Blood is a story of the theft of New Zealand land and governance by the unapologetic British who advanced on a path of genocidal theft. A Māori man sets out to bring balance by killing the innocent offspring of British soldiers who captured, stripped, humiliated, and murdered by hanging his ancestor 160 years earlier. The story is moving and requires the reader to ponder whether there truly is a way to redress such historical inequities. At the same time it suffers somewhat from impracticalities/impossibilities in action and timing. But as long as the reader focuses more on the issues than the action, the story sings.

LOVE this book! Maybe it's because I just binged through 4 different new Zealand series on Acorn TV, but it was excellent timing, as I was aware of the issues brought up in this book. Hana is an excellent detective-she's human, caring, smart and troubled by her past. This is a book you can see as a television series as you're reading it, and the plot gives the reader a few red herrings to keep it interesting, as you come to the roller coaster ending. With an interesting blend of traditional culture and history thrown into a murder mystery, it gives you a new look at New Zealand. Don't miss this one if you're looking for something a bit different to read this holiday season!

The historical crime of a Maaori Chief hung in the 1860s still evokes anger in New Zealand’s present-day Maaori culture. Caught between two worlds is Hana Westerman who has a law enforcement career in Auckland but is accused of turning her back on the Maaori. A photograph of the 1860 hanging becomes a key component in solving a series of murders in Auckland and Hana realizes these are acts of Utu-a Maaori tradition of rebalancing wrongdoings. Bennett inserts many twists and some unexpected shocks yet sections read like an academic paper on Maaori culture and overall the storyland is cinematic. Still, the pages turn and Hana is a winning character who shows real courage.

3.5 stars. An eye opening tale of New Zealand told through a current day crime of revenge based on historical injustices done to the Māori people. Well developed characters along with many Māori customs and language made for an interesting, though somewhat slow going, story. More for readers interested in cultural issues rather than a suspenseful mystery.

Hana is caught between the blue world of being a police detective and the brown world of her Maori culture. When a body is found followed by a second one, could New Zealand have its first serial killer? As the bodies count increases and the investigation unfolds, there is an indication that there is a tie between the murders and an historic execution and Hana, her daughter and estranged husband may be in danger.

Over and above an engrossing, well written mystery with strong character development, this is an important story about how NZ (and most other countries) have treated and continue to treat their indigenous peoples. The reader is introduced to Maori customs and language, with well appreciated footnoted translations.

Very refreshing to read a drama outside of North America. While I have never traveled to New Zealand, it is a place I have always wanted to visit, and with police and crime books being one of my favorite genres, I was very excited to read Better the Blood. Learning about Māori culture and traditions was fascinating, and I am looking forward to learning more from other sources moving forward. I read this book in one sitting, and would recommend to anyone looking for a new book to read. Thank you NetGalley.

A gripping crime novel centered around the generational trauma and injustices experienced by the Maori at the hands of the colonizers. The main character Hana tries to balance her heritage along with being a detective, which to many are not compatible. as she tries to track down a serial killer and determines why they're murdering these specific people. Not an easy read in terms of content, by no means light-hearted. The inclusion of te reo, along with the footnotes giving the best approximation to a translation, really helped bring the story together.

An unusual crime thriller, Better The Blood is the debut novel by Michael Bennett, a New Zealand award-winning screenwriter. Hana Westerman is a Māori single mother and Detective Senior Sergeant in Auckland CIB. As she and her team investigate a number of unrelated murders, Hana’s own past and heritage become pivotal. Is the case part of the killer’s revenge agenda and what links it to the colonial past historic crime? A bloodied serial killer tale that links strongly to New Zealand history and the indigenous cultural treatment. An enjoyable enough tale with a three star rating, as it doesn’t satisfy either genre. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

A bit slow at times, but otherwise an incredible book. Fascinating story, characters, and history. I loved the mystery, though that's where it got a bit slow. I think the book needs some editing cuts to make it more powerful.

The introduction to Maori culture and the history of racial injustice was deftly woven in to the story, and I learned a lot.

Recommend!!

Extremely dark and emotionally intense, to be aware.

Although this is billed as a thriller, Better the Blood presents a deep dive into the infamous evils of colonialism, in this case, New Zealand, Auckland to be specific. As with any land where settlers swoop down and settle in places they have no legal claim to, there is displacement and disrespect for those already inhabiting that space, a marginalization of the people themselves and trashing of their cultures and histories. It's happened on every continent without fail.

The plot features a long-held search for atonement for a past atrocity, and the serial killer perp is revealed as a man with a purpose, garnering reluctant admiration but also understanding. At the core is Hana Westerman, a woman of Maori heritage who leaves her mountain for the city and a career as a Detective. As she gets zeros in on the answers of several seemingly unrelated murders, things get closer to home. All well and good as far as thrillers go, but it was the atmospheric portrait of Auckland, the portrayal of its people, the use of the te reo language throughout that enthralled me and kept the pages flying.

Gripping tale of a Mori Native New Zealander police detective who starts receiving anonymous video texts, which lead to oddly placed murder victims. With a serial killer in Auckland, a rapist who received a laughable sentence threatening her own teenage daughter, she pieces together the purpose and reasoning behind the series of killings, hoping to catch the murderer and protector herself, her family, and all those in her community. well written, this a page turner with true style!

This is an engrossing and well-written mystery. But what really sets it apart is the setting and the mystery's ties to New Zealand's colonial past. Not only was I captivated by the mystery but I appreciated learning a bit about New Zealand's past.