awebofstories's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Grade: A
It's been a while since I read a strong, true Thriller and this book quenched that thirst perfectly.
I was drawn to this book by the Māori point of view. Hana Westerman is an Auckland detective who straddles both the white world and her native Māori world. Not only did I find her inner conflict believable, but I appreciated how Bennett revealed it to the reader. While Hana may fall under the umbrella of a "hardened detective with their own baggage," it is easy to understand and even sympathize with her baggage.
Around Hana, we have some more strong characters. Her boss just happens to be her ex-husband. While they are on amicable terms, they can never quite get away from their relationship. Then there is their 17-year-old daughter, who is--a 17-year-old with her own sense of how the world should be. Finally, there is Stan, Hana's young and sweet professional partner for whom she serves as a mentor. I found all the relationships Hana has with these characters appropriately interesting and they all played into the plot. There were a few times when these characters made some predictable steps, but that is my only quibble with this book.
This book is a thriller, not a mystery. The point of this book is not to figure out who the culprit is, but to stop the culprit. And the culprit here is entrancing. This person is a product of events that stretch back a century and is concocted by running tradition up against generational trauma. They are fascinating and, in my opinion, on the same plane as the likes of Hannibal Lector (while there are some trigger warnings here, I can assure you that cannibalism is not one of them).
It appears that this is the start of a new series and I will jump on the next book as soon as it is released. Better the Blood has the best of the thriller genre and a unique voice of its own.
It's been a while since I read a strong, true Thriller and this book quenched that thirst perfectly.
I was drawn to this book by the Māori point of view. Hana Westerman is an Auckland detective who straddles both the white world and her native Māori world. Not only did I find her inner conflict believable, but I appreciated how Bennett revealed it to the reader. While Hana may fall under the umbrella of a "hardened detective with their own baggage," it is easy to understand and even sympathize with her baggage.
Around Hana, we have some more strong characters. Her boss just happens to be her ex-husband. While they are on amicable terms, they can never quite get away from their relationship. Then there is their 17-year-old daughter, who is--a 17-year-old with her own sense of how the world should be. Finally, there is Stan, Hana's young and sweet professional partner for whom she serves as a mentor. I found all the relationships Hana has with these characters appropriately interesting and they all played into the plot. There were a few times when these characters made some predictable steps, but that is my only quibble with this book.
This book is a thriller, not a mystery. The point of this book is not to figure out who the culprit is, but to stop the culprit. And the culprit here is entrancing. This person is a product of events that stretch back a century and is concocted by running tradition up against generational trauma. They are fascinating and, in my opinion, on the same plane as the likes of Hannibal Lector (while there are some trigger warnings here, I can assure you that cannibalism is not one of them).
It appears that this is the start of a new series and I will jump on the next book as soon as it is released. Better the Blood has the best of the thriller genre and a unique voice of its own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Murder, Drug use, Colonisation, and Kidnapping
Minor: Vomit and Excrement
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