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Return to Blood
From the award-winning author of BETTER THE BLOOD comes the gripping new Hana Westerman thriller
Book #2 of Hana Westerman
Table of Contents
About The Book
PRE-ORDER CARVED IN BLOOD, THE BRAND NEW MICHAEL BENNETT NOVEL, COMING SPRING 2025.
FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF BETTER THE BLOOD COMES ANOTHER CASE FOR NEW ZEALAND'S BEST INVESTIGATOR, HANA WESTERMAN.
‘Another cracking, page-turning journey into another culture’ VAL McDERMID
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.
‘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
‘Evocative’ Crime Monthly
‘A confident, convincing work in a crowded genre’ NZ Listener
‘A powerful novel that stays in the mind long after it is finished’ Jeff Popple
FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF BETTER THE BLOOD COMES ANOTHER CASE FOR NEW ZEALAND'S BEST INVESTIGATOR, HANA WESTERMAN.
‘Another cracking, page-turning journey into another culture’ VAL McDERMID
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.
‘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
‘Evocative’ Crime Monthly
‘A confident, convincing work in a crowded genre’ NZ Listener
‘A powerful novel that stays in the mind long after it is finished’ Jeff Popple
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (March 5, 2025)
- Length: 336 pages
- ISBN13: 9781398512283
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Raves and Reviews
PRAISE FOR RETURN TO BLOOD:
‘His deep understanding of marginalised communities, family tensions and the travails of our justice system enrich the novel . . . Return to Blood shows a writer in full command of his material and which reaches deeper into our shared human experience. It also has a surprise ending few readers will be able to predict’ Greg Fleming
‘Even better (if possible!) than his searing debut – Michael Bennett’s latest, Return to Blood, had me moved to tears of empathy and rage within the first fifty pages. Richly evocative New Zealand detail, a take-no-prisoners female Maori detective and a riveting crime make for a sizzling and culturally important page-turner’ Alexandra Sokoloff
PRAISE FOR MICHAEL BENNETT:
'A cracking thriller; it also extends our sense of what crime fiction can do' Liam McIlvanney
'A tensely plotted, gritty crime novel that has the courage to force us all to rethink our relationship with the past' Vaseem Khan
'Stunning . . . a gripping mystery, complex and memorable characters, and timely social and cultural commentary. Don’t miss it' David Heska Wanbli Weiden
'As page-turning as it is eye-opening' Ambrose Parry
'Opens a unique window onto a fascinating Antipodean society as only world-class crime fiction can' Deon Meyer
'A striking debut and a significant addition to Indigenous literature' Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
'[A] stellar series launch. Bennett is a writer to watch' Publishers Weekly (starred review)
'A remarkable new detective' Daily Mail
'[A] highly addictive read' My Weekly
'So chilling' Crime Monthly
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Return to Blood Paperback 9781398512283
