A review by relf
Better the Blood by Michael Bennett

challenging dark informative mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Hana Westerman is a police detective in Auckland, New Zealand, a role which challenges her as a Māori working inside the inequitable, white colonialist system. When she is called to a series of murders, sees the connections among them, and as she identifies and tracks the killer, she is challenged to prevent the next murder and to protect her own family. Set in modern-day Auckland, the story illuminates New Zealand's colonial history and the systemic racial problems that persist today. It's quite a gripping story, and I appreciated the Māori point of view it provided and listening to the narrators of the audiobook speak the Te Reo passages. For me, though, a few too many coincidences and close connections in the plot made it feel as if New Zealand's population must be 5,000 or 500, not 5 million--I couldn't quite buy it.
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