Michael Bennett

Two murders. Two decades apart.
One chance to get justice.
 
Hana Westerman has left Auckland and her career as a detective behind her. Settled in a quiet coastal town, all she wants is a fresh start.

The discovery of a skeleton in the dunes near her house changes everything. The remains are those of a young Māori woman who went missing four years before, and Hana has a connection to the case. Twenty years ago, a schoolfriend of hers was found buried in the exact same spot. Her killer died in prison, but did the police get the wrong man? And if he was innocent, then why did he plead guilty?

No longer part of the Criminal Investigation Branch, Hana turns to her ex-husband Jaye, a high-flying Detective Inspector, for help. But when he cuts her out of the investigation, she realises that she will have to find the answers she needs on her own.
 
But in digging deeper, she sets herself on a potentially fatal collision course with a killer.

Return to blood

A thriller set in rural New Zealand Tātā Bay two hours from Auckland, we follow three + timelines.

The first takes place about 5 years before the current one and follows Kiri, a girl who gets caught up in drugs and is murdered.

In the other we follow Hana, a former detective, mother to 18 year old Addison and close with her dad, Eru.

When she was young, a young girl Paige Meadows was murdered.

On a walk her daughter finds a dead body (Kiri), and Hana gets sucked back into trying to help solve the crime.

All three are Māori, there are Māori words and terms interspersed (with a translation), which really adds to the authenticity of the story and the setting.

I think going to deeper into the Māori world and practices is really what makes this book shine.

I really appreciate the well balanced non-binary character PLUS 1, who is Addisons friend.

The book is mostly narrated by Hana and Kiri (which makes sense), and interspersed with Addison, but then sometimes we get small bits written from other characters which feels messy. Some characters aren’t as well developed unfortunately.

The murder investigation isn’t as well paced and the end feels rushed.

I would read another book by the author that wasn’t a thriller.

Suzanne

A thriller set in rural New Zealand Tātā Bay two hours from Auckland, we follow three + timelines.

The first takes place about 5 years before the current one and follows Kiri, a girl who gets caught up in drugs and is murdered.

In the other we follow Hana, a former detective, mother to 18 year old Addison and close with her dad, Eru.

When she was young, a young girl Paige Meadows was murdered.

On a walk her daughter finds a dead body (Kiri), and Hana gets sucked back into trying to help solve the crime.

All three are Māori, there are Māori words and terms interspersed (with a translation), which really adds to the authenticity of the story and the setting.

I think going to deeper into the Māori world and practices is really what makes this book shine.

I really appreciate the well balanced non-binary character PLUS 1, who is Addisons friend.

The book is mostly narrated by Hana and Kiri (which makes sense), and interspersed with Addison, but then sometimes we get small bits written from other characters which feels messy. Some characters aren’t as well developed unfortunately.

The murder investigation isn’t as well paced and the end feels rushed.

I would read another book by the author that wasn’t a thriller.

Return to blood

Reviews