I love a good mystery series. I like returning to familiar characters to see what’s new in their lives and what challenges they will face in the latest case. Michael Bennett’s Hana Westerman series set in New Zealand offers all that, plus insight into Maori life.

The latest installment, “Carved in Blood,” does not disappoint. Hana’s daughter, Addison, is engaged. Stan, Hana’s former partner on the force, is preparing to re-take the police exams as an amputee. All is going well, when Jaye, Hana’s ex-husband and Senior Detective, is shot during a seemingly random liquor store robbery. The story includes two sets of bad guys and the reader isn’t sure who or what is behind the shooting. I especially like the larger role that Addison plays in this book. A new detective, Elisa Williams from Samoa, joins the force while Jaye is on medical leave.

“Carved in Blood” leaves some loose ends warranting a fourth book in the series. I am here for it.

What I’m most excited for is that we’re set up for more books!

What really didn’t work for me was how much of the story is totally given away by the synopsis. Events that are laid out in the synopsis either don’t happen until very late in the book, specifically cut the tension of the story (because you know the investigators are wrong about something), or undercut a more emotionally charged reveal.

I really enjoyed the roles Stan and Sebastian played in this one, and I was very happy to see Hana pulling away from her moral (read: rule following) rigidity as situations got more and more complicated. There were quite a few loose ends left at the end, but I think the next book (whenever it comes) will tie much more closely to this one to resolve those things.

Carved in Blood is the third book in the Hana Westerman series and is just as good as its predecessors. After Hana's daughter Addison announces her engagement to PLUS 1, Jaye (Addison's dad and Hana's ex) goes to his local bottle store to buy some celebratory champagne. While he is deciding which brand to purchase, the shop is held up, and Jaye is shot and seriously injured. Hana has to find out who shot Jaye and temporarily rejoins the police to help in the investigation. Once again, the plot showcases some of the darker sides of New Zealand life, including the impact of Asian organised crime. It's got plenty of twists and turns and some fast-paced and tension filled scenes. But these are well balanced with quieter, slower scenes centred on Hana's personal life, particularly her relationships with Jaye, with her father, and with her former work partner. I appreciated seeing multiple facets of Hana, not just as a police officer but as a daughter, a mother, a friend, and a lover. Other aspects of Bennett's excellent storytelling that stood out were the use of Hana's encounter with a mako shark and some chilling sections from the perspective of a clearly psychopathic individual as a form of foreshadowing and a way of increasing tension. The writing is cinematic, reflecting Bennett's background in the film industry, and it shows through strongly in the action scenes and in the scenic descriptions. The setting and the action played vividly in my mind as I read, a private movie screening if you will. Indigenous Māori culture continues to feature prominently. This story is set around the time of Matariki, the beginning of the new year in the Māori lunar calendar, Bennett incorporates te reo (translations helpfully provided in this edition for readers outside Aotearoa) and this edition features illustrations reminiscent of Māori whakairo and Ta Moko (carving and tattoos) on the cover, at the start of each chapter and to separate sections. I also appreciated the way the novel showcases the issue of racial profiling and other ways Māori are disadvantaged and discriminated against by the police, justice system, and society more generally. This book could be read as a standalone, but readers would miss out on some background knowledge and plot and character development from the previous two books. While this book doesn't end on a cliff hangar, there are a few loose ends and plenty of scope for a a continuation of the series, possibly even a sequel. I'm glad not to be farewelling Hana just yet and look forward, albeit with some trepidation, to what Bennett has in store for her, her family and colleagues, in future books.

Another incredible read by an incredible storyteller, this latest instalment in the Hana Westerman series might just be my fave to date! Set in the cold of winter at the cusp of Matariki rising, it’s the perfect book to read during this time of year.

Following on from the events of the previous book, there’s good news on the horizon, the whānau having much cause to celebrate. But there’s no good without the bad and soon enough a shocking crime compels Hana to return to the blue line, at least until this case is resolved and justice is served.

As is the way, it’s best to go into this not knowing too much but I will say that Michael Bennett has delivered a novel crackling with tension, intrigue, joy, and heartbreak; the stuff of life. And at the very centre is the bonds of love and whānau, the ties that anchor us to this life and make it worth living. It’s precisely what makes him such a great storyteller, not just his ability to cast a spell on the reader (could not put this down till I was done!) but that he honours the characters peopling his story in a way that feels emotionally true. It’s honestly a joy and an agony as a reader because you *know* he’s the kind of writer who’s not afraid to hurt his darlings, and that just amps up the tension all the more!

This is the third novel in the Hana Westerman series, and I love these overarching narratives that allow for more organic character development and emotional investment, but there’s also enough of a recap that it would be fine to read this as a stand-alone. As with the previous two, it reads like it’s geared for both local and international audiences, with brief footnotes to translate words in te reo Māori. Set in Auckland’s underbelly, the novel examines generational trauma and violence as they intersect with the criminal justice system. It also unwittingly contributed to continuing conversations lingering on my mind with regards to the psychology of evil, what it might look like and what it could even mean to confront it. People aren’t always who you think they are, and perhaps part of life is the terror of coming to *know* deep in our bones that the capacity for good and evil exists in all of us.

Highly recommend, and already cannot wait for the next book!! ❤️‍🔥

Michael Bennett has quickly developed a strong following as the result of his first two novels about Auckland Māori detective Hana Westerman, Better The Blood and Return To Blood, and seems set to cement his reputation with Carved in Blood.

When Hana’s ex-husband, a high flying Detective Inspector, is shot in an apparent random hold-up, Hana offers to return to the police force to help with the investigation. An early lead indicates that the crime is linked to a Chinese crime syndicate, but that is thrown into doubt when an anonymous caller suggests that it was a set-up.

Carved In Blood is a superior piece of crime fiction with gritty characters, vivid locations, astute plotting and a strong sense of culture. In particular, it really shines through its depiction of life and culture in present day Auckland. The characters are richly developed and give a good sense of the diversity of modern Māori culture. I thought that the plotting was not as complex as in Better The Blood, but it certainly held attention and the final chapters nicely set up the series for future episodes. The Acknowledgements is also quite moving and interesting.

In all, a very good crime novel.

Carved in Blood by Michael Bennett. Firstly, I love the title so much, because when it is mentioned in the book I realised it has such a special meaning. I had a feeling this book, the third in the Hana Westerman series, was going to break my heart a little, and yes, it did. Just like Better the Blood and Return to Blood, you get sucked into the story straight away. I actually read it in a day, I literally couldn’t leave it alone. I love Hana Westerman, a tough Māori ex Detective Senior Sergeant, who rejoins the force temporarily to see justice is done when someone close to her is hurt. The author describes everything so well, the book was tense and thrilling.
It’s an easy 5 ⭐️ for me! Highly recommend.
Thankyou NetGalley, Michael Bennett and the publishers for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Third in a wonderful series that focuses on the Maori population of New Zealand. Hana Westerman had quit her job with the Aukland police in order to return to her home, but re-enlists when her former husband is shot in what appears to be a random shooting at a minimart. Her daughter, Addison, provides a character completely of today's world but still respectful of her Maori roots. As in the previous installments, I love the incorporation of the language, the traditions and mythologies inherent to the story. Michael Bennett, keep them coming.

I’ve read all the books in this series so far and really am enjoying it. The series follows Hana Westerman, a Māori police officer and her struggle to balance her love for her job with her awakening need to explore and embrace her Māori heritage.
In this book, Hana’s ex husband Jay, also a detective, is shot in what looks to be a random robbery. Hana temporarily rejoins the police to help catch the shooter , which turns out to be more complicated than it first seems.
One of the things I really like about these books is that Māori history, culture and language is embedded into the story. I am Canadian and I see a lot of parallels between Māori and Canadian Indigenous people, so that adds more interest to me. I also feel Michael Bennett is skilled at bringing the characters and relationships between them to life. A very good read.

Carved in Blood is the third book in the Hana Westerman series by Kiwi screenwriter Michael Bennett. As with Better the Blood and Return to Blood, the novel explores the Māori experience and culture in present day New Zealand through crime fiction as Westerman is Māori and a former police detective.

The novel opens rather ominously. Hana describes a frightening close encounter with a deadly mako shark, which circles her during her morning swim. It fixes its cold and emotionless eyes. No doubt Hana encountered criminals with similar intimidating stares before she left the police force in Auckland but fortunately this dangerous creature turns and swims away. The encounter foreshadows danger.

The characters all appear to be in a good place. Hana and Eru, her father, have arranged for a testing officer to formally assess their group of student drivers. A driving license offers more opportunities for the youth in their small community of Tātā Bay. Hana’s daughter Addison and her partner, PLUS 1, are there in anticipation of a celebration. Addison has invited her dad, Jaye, along with his wife, Marissa and her two daughters.

All the students successfully pass and the group and their families gather on the beach to celebrate. The party is joyful and Hana’s family hears some major news. Addison and PLUS 1 announce their engagement. They wish to celebrate their good news in a couple of weeks under the Matariki constellation which the Māori believe are sacred stars.

Jaye is still buzzing with excitement over the happy news after his family returns to Auckland. He decides to buy some champagne to continue the celebration but in the store witnesses a vicious attack on the clerk by a man wearing a balaclava. Jaye attempts to stop the attack and things things go from bad to worse in a matter of seconds. The man in the balaclava pulls out a gun and shoots Jaye twice.

Jaye is put into a medically induced coma at the hospital. One of his colleagues, Elisa Williams, has been assigned to lead the investigation on the robbery and attempt on Jaye’s life. You will need to suspend your disbelief at this moment. Elisa agrees to Hana’s request to work on Jaye’s case. It is unlikely that anyone close to a victim would ever be assigned to a case like this.

The story unfolds from multiple perspectives. There is an unknown narrator who shares part of his history. The things that he chooses to share about his past are chilling. The more he shares about himself, the clearer it is that he is a damaged individual with an antisocial personality disorder. Like the mako shark, he is a deadly killer. He feels no remorse for those he kills.

In addition to the multiple character perspectives, there are several sub-plots. It seems like everyone in Hana’s circle wants to help track down Jaye’s attacker. The different threads about the personal lives of the characters, as well as their attempts to track down the man who put Jaye in the hospital, will pull you into this book.

One of the sub-plots involves a young Māori man called Toa Davis. From her experience in law enforcement, Hana is aware of the damage done by racial profiling. As a Māori woman, she is familiar with the little indignities that individuals with a darker shade of skin encounter in their daily lives. As a police officer, Hana knows that the chances that Toa will end up arrested and convicted are much greater than those of white people in the same circumstances. The stats provided by Bennett show that justice is not blind for young Māori males.

To discover the identity of Jaye’s attacker, you will need to read Carved in Blood. The title refers to traditional Māori tattooing, called Tā moko. Bennett has written some beautiful and moving passages describing how the lines carved in the skin represent your whakapapa (genealogy) and identity. They are a tribute carved in blood to those whose connected by blood.

I loved the first book of his with these characters, book number 2, i gave it a 4.5. So was looking forward to reading this but somehow it didn't work for me, it lacked the depth of the other book and while it was nice to check back in with the characters and their evolution, it didn't grab me. I will try his other books 3.5

I recently finished Carved in Blood by Michael Bennett, and it was a gripping, fast-paced thriller that I couldn’t put down. The story follows Detective Jack Frost as he investigates a series of gruesome murders, each one seemingly tied to ancient rituals. As the investigation deepens, Frost uncovers connections that go far beyond what he initially thought, leading him down a dangerous path that forces him to confront his own past.

What I really enjoyed about this book was the way Bennett blended traditional detective work with elements of dark folklore and mystery. The pacing was spot-on, with just the right amount of tension building as the investigation unfolded. The murders were chilling, and the mystery kept me guessing until the very end.

Jack Frost is a fascinating character—flawed, determined, and haunted by his own demons. His struggles made him feel real and relatable, and I found myself rooting for him every step of the way. The other characters were equally well-developed, and their interactions with Frost added complexity to the story.

My first Bennett book, but hopefully not my last! I didn't realize this was part of a series so I desperately want to go find the others to read. A fun little thriller/mystery, but I was particularly enraptured by all the references to Maori culture, which I know very little about. Ended up zooming through this book, heavily recommend it to mystery fans!

BOOK REVIEW 📚✨️

Carved in Blood - Michael Bennett

*This is actually the 3rd book in the Hana Westerman series, however having not read the first two I was still able to enjoy this book as a standalone.

The story itself is set in New Zealand and showcases mãori traditions, words and phrases throughout the prose which was a nice touch and not something I had read before.

Fans of shows and books such as Line of Duty, or police thrillers would enjoy this one - a story of a police officer who is gunned down in a grocery store at point blank range and the challenege and mystery to uncover who did it, or who didnt do it. Could this be connected to undercover work he did years ago, or was it just a bad timed coincidence?

The story itself was told over multiple points of view which was quite of a whirlwind at times are you tried to keep up with the plot and subplot, however this did add lots of layers to the story which later paid off.
The story is left of a cliffhanger which i think will bridge very nicely into the next installment within the series and I will definitely make time to go read the first two.

3.5⭐️

une in New Zealand means a chilly winter. But it also marks the rising of the sacred stars known as the Matarike, launching the start of the Māori New Year. “When Matarike rises, it is a time for remembering the dead; a time for saying goodbye. And it is also a time for starting anew.” Like the sacred Matarike celebrations, Bennett’s emotionally charged third Hana Westerman mystery (after Better the Blood and Return to Blood) revolves around a series of transitions, in which beloved characters say goodbye to loved ones and embark on new directions in their lives. Returning from festivities in his ex-wife Hana’s hometown, Detective Inspector Jaye Hamilton stops at an Auckland convenience store to pick up champagne to celebrate his daughter’s engagement when he is shot and seriously wounded by a balaclava-wearing assailant. The getaway car is quickly found and a young Māori man, Toa Davis, is implicated in the crime. But Hana, who has asked to join the investigation as a temporary constable, soon suspects that this was no random assault but a targeted attack. Could it be connected to Jaye’s work as an undercover cop years ago? Māori author Bennett delves deeper into New Zealand’s aboriginal culture (with helpful footnotes translating Māori words) while exploring the deeply embedded racism the country’s first peoples face. An open-ended conclusion will have fans eagerly awaiting the next installment.

This was an enjoyable detective story/thriller with a few extra elements. The main 'extra' was that the reader gets to learn (or at least read, if your memory is like mine) a whole load of Maori words and also some customs. That made it more interesting and added some depth, as did the issue of racism.
The book was easy to read and after a while turned into a real page turner; I really wanted to know what happened next.
There were a couple of less good points, at least in my opinion. How likely is it that someone would accidentally come across someone's search history? Why didn't the divers use drysuits (which are much warmer)? The incident with the magpie was a little too predictable. What was the point of the first arrest?
Nevertheless, those were minor points and I enjoyed reading the book.

I really enjoyed the first two Hana Westerman books and while I enjoyed reading more about the Māori culture and getting to know more about Hana’s friends and family I felt Like Carved in Blood was lacking in anything very exciting or thrilling and was more of a filler piece to give Hana a reason to rejoin the force so she could once again be the center of something dangerous and exciting. I will definitely be reading the next Hana Westerman because I really enjoy Bennett’s writing, and I am hoping for more of a police procedural than a family saga.

I love this book. From a UK perspective if you like any of the police crime series like Line of Duty or perhaps even some of the Harlen Coben books, then you will enjoy Carved in Blood. It twists and turns with the characters lives interweaving in a way that at times is predictable but at others you least expect. I really appreciated how the females in the storyline came together despite the complexity of their situation.

An intense, elaborate and brutal continuation of the Hana Westerman Thriller series. I would recommend reading this book without reading the synopsis, but as to be expected with Michael Benett’s books, the allure to his work isn’t necessarily who commits these crimes, but <i>why</i>.

I requested an ARC of this in exchange for review, so thank you Grove Atlantic for providing me with a copy of this through Net Galley.

The third instalment in this series follows Hana alongside the characters we’ve all grown to love over the course of the other books, along with some new and well-written additions to the whānau. As to be expected, Hana is dragged straight back out of her happy place and somewhat episodic peaceful life to pursue justice.

Bennett returns by reminding readers of his background as a screenwriter, crafting each chapter as a vivid scene from an episode with rich imagery, compelling twists and turns, complex characters and an addictive pace that kept me both eager and hungry to turn the page.

As a wahine Māori, I’m always so enamoured by how Bennett includes Te Ao Māori in his work. This entire series delves into this nuanced and well-written conflict Hana, a wahine Māori faces as a former police officer despite her understanding of the injustices many Māori have with the justice system. We also see different elements of her life intertwined with Te Ao Māori, like being back on her papakāinga, her pā, and with her hapū and wider community. Matariki, tā moko and kirituhi were beautifully handled in inviting readers into those experiences, and I hope those not familiar with Te Ao Māori can come to appreciate them without feeling overwhelmed.

I think my favourite element of this book was its exploration into the characters, as it often is with Bennett’s work. He has this extraordinary ability to shape such complex, multifaceted characters who feel so deeply human, flawed and real – then fully embraces it.

I know this hasn’t released at the time I post this, but hooked and eagerly anticipating the next instalment.

4.5

(2.5 stars)
Carved in Blood is the second book I have read by Michael Bennett. Initially I was drawn in by the Māori culture threaded through the books, with lots of in-language words that are explained in the text: Pāua are large, edible sea snails, known elsewhere as abalone. They're a protected species... The best divers call pāua 'black gold'". This time I found the writing clunky rather than atmospheric: "Everyone knows what a visit to the Desert Road means. The Desert Road is an area in the central plateau of the North Island that's as bleak and barren as the name suggests."

This book definitely requires you to have read the preceding book(s) in the Hana Westerman series to understand the relationships and why the shooting of Jaye matters. There are plenty of (also clunky) references back to events that happened in these books: "He was badly injured in the course of her final investigation, losing his lower leg when a boobytrapped vehicle exploded." I think as a result it felt less about solving a crime and more 'days of our lives' with Hana's relationships at the forefront.

While the book does try to address systemic racism against New Zealand's Māori, it's all done by telling rather than showing: "She knows fifty-three per cent of the prison population is Māori. Māori are only seventeen per cent of the New Zealand population." Probably the best bit of descriptive writing in the book was about tā moko, traditional Māori tattooing that tells the story of someone's identity, lineage and connection to culture: "The lines carved into his skin, his whakapapa, the connections between him and the generations of ancestors whose blood had been handed down and now runs in his veins." If Bennett had taken the time to integrate these elements into the narrative more seamlessly, this would be a better book.

Another great entry in this series. They are dark and this one is very emotional and tense but really well done. I look forward to many more adventures.