In his debut novel, Better the Blood, New Zealand crime author Michael Bennett explored the wounds and after effects of colonialism and picked up the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best First Novel. In this sequel, Hana Westerman, a Māori detective in the Auckland Crime Investigation Branch, returns to take on both her own and society’s challenges.

Link to rest of review: https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2024/05/08/return-to-blood-michael-bennett/

An excellent sequel to Better than Blood which really needs to be read first. An interesting insight into Māori culture. Very much recommended

Michael Bennett follows Better the Blood with this sequel, featuring his Maori detective Hana Westerman, after leaving Auckland Criminal Investigation Bureau at the end of the last book, she now has moved back home to Tata Bay, living with her father, Eru. Her daughter, Addison, now lives in her Auckland home with her friend, the non-binary Plus 1, along with their puppy Boca. On a walk. it is Addison who makes the traumatic discovery of human bones in what looks like a clear case of murder. The victim is later identified as Kiri Thomas, a young Māori woman who disappeared four years earlier, battling years of drug addiction, who attended the gym, and the Youth at Risk Group.

This meant that she was known to Hana's ex-police colleague, Senior Sergeant Lorraine Delaney, active in the Youth at Risk group, who investigates the case with Jaye Hamilton, now with Marissa. 21 years ago in Tata Bay, the body of Paige Meadows was discovered, Tama Hall confessed to the killing, and died in prison. Is there any connection with the present day murder? Hana's father, Eru, never believed that Tama was guilty. Hana's current life largely consists of long runs, overseeing driving lesson classes for young Maoris who need a licence to be able to travel to work, and it is essential factor for any sort off meaningful Maori life, and doing some insurance work for a private agency run by a former colleague. She cannot help but get involved in the old murder, and that of Kiri's death, which Addison can't let go of either.

Bennett intersperses the novel with Maori vocabulary, providing translations, along with the culture, mythology, history, lives and concepts, which make this a wonderfully informative, fascinating, and educational series. It is this that makes this such a marvellous New Zealand series, the mystery of the murders plays second fiddle in comparison, we learn of the details of Kiri's life, that is interesting, particularly compelling are the twists and turns that accompany the 2 murders. Recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.

An interesting read with lots of Māori culture involved and explained. Hana the main character recently retired from the police gets involved when her daughter discovers bones on a beach where a previous murder occurred some 21 years ago. An old Māori man had confessed to that crime but the new discovery is only 4 years old. The same perpetrator or a copycat? The story is told from both Hana’s and the victims perspective which works well. There’s a bit of gender identity thrown in for some obscure reason but overall a good tale.

This is a good thriller, set in New Zealand. It features Hana, a former detective now returned home to her Maori family. The characterisation is a bit undeveloped and patchy with some characters but I liked the character of Hana. I really liked the insight into Maori culture, although the crime story itself failed to grip me as it was lacking in pace. A good mix of family drama and police procedural. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

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.

After a previous case simply became too much for her, Hana Westerman left her career as a detective with Auckland CIB. She is back in her small home town, Tātā Bay, and living with her father, Eru. Even here there are memories of the past around. A girl she was at school with 20 years earlier was murdered and her body buried in the dunes there. A Māori man was found guilty of the crime however Hana discovers that her father never thought he was guilty of it. Her daughter Addison finds another body in the dunes. This seems to be Kiri Thomas, a Māori woman, who had a record of crime and drug abuse. Mother and daughter both find they cannot leave this story alone and investigate in their own ways.

This is the second book about Hana (and I didn't read the first one) and it follows the story of the investigations both by the police and Hana and her daughter. The two murder cases are followed and it seems possible that there is a connection between them. In addition to the crime side of this story there are insights into Māori culture and way of life. There are also personal interactions from Hana and her family more widely which add a dimension to this crime novel. There are twists and turns here which were generally quite good fun. It is fair to say that Hana isn't that happy with the police investigation however the police may feel the same about Hana's work!

Personally I didn't find the crime aspect of this story particularly compelling. It was OK however quite a bit of it was obvious from quite early on in the book. It wasn't bad however on its own it may well not have held me. However, the human interactions in this story did work well for me in the main. I'm from the northern hemisphere so my Māori knowledge is sadly lacking but for me it felt well crafted. I enjoyed discovering a little about the culture and environment. There are a number of Māori words used but fortunately translations are provided. Hana as a character did work well for me and I really enjoyed her interactions with family, close and more distant. In the end it was this more personal aspect of this book that kept me reading. I think this can be read as a standalone novel but I'm sure reading the first book would add some depth to this one too. 3.5/5

Return to Blood is the second book in Michael Bennett's excellent Hana Westerman series.
After the trauma of events while tracking down New Zealand's first serial killer, as told in the previous book ,Better the Blood,Hana has left the Police,and Auckland, returning to her small coastal hometown for a quieter life. Fate has other ideas and the remains of a young woman, a Maori like Hana, is found in the local sand dunes. This reminds Hana of the murder of a schoolfriend whose body was found in the same place 20 years previously,an event that inspired her to join the Police.

This is a fast moving story that sees Hana needing to be reminded by former colleagues that she's no longer a Police officer as she decides to investigate herself, putting herself both in danger and her former employer's bad books. It's also a great look into contemporary New Zealand,the gangs,the mass Asian migration and the Maori Culture. The latter plays a big part in Hana's life and the series as a whole, with useful notes and translations for those who might otherwise struggle.

This is an excellent read,with some good twists and excellent characterisation and the ending, and an unresolved minor plot line suggest there's plenty more to come from Hana Westerman.