Ask a Bookseller: A fast-paced thriller dives into Indigenous history, culture

Kate Schlademan of the Learned Owl Bookshop in Hudson, Ohio, says the novel she recently couldn't put down was Michael Bennett's “Better the Blood.” It's a fast-paced thriller that delves into longstanding injustices against the Māori people in New Zealand.Bennett is of Māori descent, as is his protagonist, Auckland detective Hana Westerman. Hana follows the trail to a disturbing murder: a ritualist hanging whose motivation point toward the past. When a second, seemingly unrelated, murder crosses her path, Hana pieces together that the murders are utu, the Māori tradition of rebalancing for the crime committed eight generations ago. Soon she is delving into history and racing against time, trying to trace the bloodlines of those who committed the original crime to figure out who the next victim could be. Westerman balances her work with life as a single mom, raising a daughter who, herself, is trying to figure out her place in the world and her connection with her heritage. Schlademan enjoyed learning about New Zealand history and Indigenous land rights within the sweep of the page-turning mystery.

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