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 skinny
The skinny isn't ready yet — notes appear once the transcript is processed.