Carved in Blood - (Hana Westerman Thriller) by Michael Bennett (Hardcover)

About the Book

"From the Barry Award nominee and Ngaio Marsh Award winner of Better the Blood, 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 Måaori man, Toa Davis, who is immediately the object of an all-out police search. Jaye's ex-wife, former Måaori 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 Måaori culture, and with vibrant characters determined to overcome tragedy with resolve, Carved in Blood takes Michael Bennett's highly praised series to new heights"--

Book Synopsis

From the Barry Award nominee and Ngaio Marsh Award winner of Better the Blood, 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. After Davis turns up dead, the hunt for Rendall is on. When he 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.

Review Quotes

Praise for Carved in Blood:

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

Praise for Michael Bennett and the Hana Westerman Series:

"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

About the Author

MICHAEL BENNETT (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti Whakaue) is an award-winning screenwriter, director, and author whose films have been selections at major festivals, including Cannes, Berlin, Toronto, and New York. He is the author of the crime novels Better the Blood and Return to Blood, the nonfiction book In Dark Places, and the young adult graphic novel Helen and the Go-Go Ninjas, which was a finalist for the 2019 New Zealand Book Awards. He lives in Auckland.