Atlantic Monthly Press
Atlantic Monthly Press
Atlantic Monthly Press
Shortlisted for the 2025 Ned Kelly Award for Best International Crime Fiction
From the Barry Award nominee and Ngaio Marsh Award winner, a new thriller bringing danger ever closer to Hana Westerman
When Detective Inspector Jaye Hamilton stops at an Auckland liquor store for a bottle of champagne, it is supposed to be celebratory: his daughter Addison has just gotten engaged. Instead, he is suddenly gunned down at the register by a balaclava-clad assailant in what appears at first to be a random act. The getaway car is quickly recovered, containing the cell phone of a young Māori man, Toa Davis, who is immediately the object of an all-out police search.
Jaye’s ex-wife, former Māori detective Hana Westerman, asks in on the investigation. Her instincts suggest that the vehicle was meant to be found, and that Jaye had been targeted. The gun used in the assault is distinctive, and she learns that a local gang leader, Erwin Rendall—who had threatened Hana in the past—owns such a weapon. When Davis turns up dead, the hunt for Rendall is on. Yet when Rendall slips through the dragnet and escapes the country, and in the wake of Jaye’s death, Hana decides to rejoin the force, acknowledging that she now has unfinished business.
Skillfully plotted, inviting readers ever further into the appreciation of Māori culture, and with vibrant characters determined to overcome tragedy with resolve, Carved in Blood takes Michael Bennett’s highly-praised series to new heights.
Shortlisted for the 2025 Ned Kelly Award for Best International Crime Fiction
A Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine Most Anticipated Mystery of 2025
“Straightforward in both style and substance . . . Each plot turn is convincing and each character fully rounded in a setting that Mr. Bennett obviously loves but also sees clearly.”—Anna Mundow, Wall Street Journal
“Superb . . . It’s a whodunit, and indeed a terrific one, but Bennett’s books are much more powerfully about race in New Zealand, about how Indigenous people and especially young men are incarcerated at a rate triple their share of the population, about how Indigenous people achieving in the white world face discrimination every day of their lives.”—Nick Martin, Winnipeg Free Press
“Māori former detective Hana Westerman returns to her police-department stamping grounds when her ex-husband is gunned down during a robbery. The investigation’s focus ranges from Chinese casinos to the Māori community itself, testing Westerman’s community ties, love life, and familial loyalties.”—Daneet Steffens, Boston Globe
“Family, history, and the traditions and language of the Māori people are always at the center of Michael Bennett’s excellent Hana Westerman series.”—Yvonne Zipp, Christian Science Monitor
“They just keep getting better and better . . . What’s distinctive and wonderful about these books is the deep ever-present appreciation of Māori culture.”—Amy Zimmerman on WAMC, The Roundtable
“Māori ex-cop Hana Westerman confronts hard truths about family, love, and identity . . . lending a heartfelt twist to sharp social commentary. Another winner for this stellar series.”—Christine Tran, Booklist
“Solid . . . Bennett smoothly weaves depictions of Māori customs and ingrained racism in New Zealand society into a propulsive and intriguing whodunit.”—Publishers Weekly
“Michael Bennett’s distinctive New Zealand-set series featuring Māori detective Hana Westerman continues with the pungent Return to Blood . . . The vivid picture of ethnic cultural life alone marks out the book as special, but it’s Bennett’s control of a tense narrative that is key.”—Financial Times
“A great second novel by Bennett. The plotting is clever, and the characters are fully fleshed out and interesting . . . The cultural commentary and reflections on modern society are fascinating . . . A powerful novel that stays in the mind long after it is finished.”—Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine
“Boasting a multilayered protagonist, this sequel to Bennett’s debut, Better the Blood, immerses itself in Māori culture, ranging from mysticism to the ‘unavoidable tension’ between traditional and modern lawmaking in New Zealand . . . Smart, beguiling, and ultimately surprising . . . A skillfully rendered Māori crime story.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Michael Bennett’s crime fiction debut explores themes of colonization and Indigenous culture by way of New Zealand. A serial killer looking to avenge the 160-year-old murder of a Maori chief is pursued by police detective Hana Westerman, whose Maori ancestry makes the case personal.”—Christian Science Monitor
“Stunning . . . With an incisive close third-person narration that digs into the thoughts and feelings of all of the players, the story commands attention from start to spectacular finish.”—Oprah Daily
“A stunning and completely unique debut thriller . . . I can only hope that this is the start of a wonderful and long-running series.”—Book Reporter
“Thoroughly absorbing . . . Bennett writes about Māori culture and history with generosity and care, reflected in the final acknowledgments paid to those in his community who lent him additional insights and guidance. He also crafts a compelling detective in Hana Westerman.”—Shelf Awareness
“Better the Blood is an astonishing debut novel, full of twists and vivid characters, but also with much more on its mind. It is a deep exploration into cultural identity and justice, into the unbreakable bonds between the present and the past. It captures a voice like none you have read before, and it’ll keep you thinking even as you rapidly turn the pages to its devastating conclusion.”—BookTrib
“Extraordinary . . . Outstanding . . . The characters are exceptional, their motives and doubts all so magnificently drawn, so many of them strangers in a strange land in their own land.”— Winnipeg Free Press
“A stellar series launch set in contemporary New Zealand . . . Bennett is a writer to watch.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Bennett establishes himself as an excellent storyteller . . . One can only hope this is the beginning of a series. A striking debut and a significant addition to Indigenous literature.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“Riveting . . . Bennett deftly illuminates the plight of the Māori people and its continuing effects in New Zealand. His action-packed narrative, blended with various cultural references, recalls the novels of Tony and Anne Hillerman, Craig Johnson, and William Kent Krueger.”—Library Journal
“Bennett unflinchingly weaves together layers of fallout from New Zealand’s bloody colonization, enduring Māori culture, and gripping procedural details. Hopefully this compelling debut heralds the start of a long-running series.”—Booklist
“With plenty of suspense, sympathetically drawn characters and crisp dialogue, Better the Blood promises to be the start of a long and rewarding literary career for Bennett.”—BookPage
“A compelling, atmospheric page turner with an authentic insight into Māori culture.”—Val McDermid
“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
“Carefully crafted and beautifully written, intelligent and insightful, Bennett opens a unique window onto a fascinating Antipodean society as only world-class crime fiction can. I devoured it. (And, as a South African, I found great pleasure in the rugby references too.)”—Deon Meyer, author of The Dark Flood
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