Michael Bennett (Ngati Pikiao, Ngati Whakaue) is an
award-winning screenwriter, director and author. His first book, a
non-fiction work telling the true story of New Zealand’s worst
miscarriage of justice, In Dark Places, won Best Non-Fiction Book
at the 2017 Ngaio Marsh Awards. Michael's second book, Helen and
the Go-Go Ninjas, is a time-travel graphic novel co-authored with
Ant Sang.
Better the Blood, the first Hana Westerman thriller, was
shortlisted for the Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction/Ockham
New Zealand Book Award, as well as for the Audio Book of the Year
at the Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards and Best First Mystery
Novel at the Barry Awards. It was also longlisted for the CWA John
Creasey New Blood Debut Dagger and was a finalist for Best Novel at
the 2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards, where it won the award for Best First
Novel. Return to Blood, the second novel in the acclaimed series,
won the Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel in 2025.
Michael's short and feature films have won awards internationally
and have screened at numerous festivals, including Cannes, Toronto,
Berlin, Locarno, New York, London and Melbourne. Michael is the
2020 recipient of the Te Aupounamu Maori Screen Excellence Award,
in recognition of members of the Maori filmmaking community who
have made high-level contributions to screen storytelling.
He lives in Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand), with his partner
Jane, and children Tihema, Mahina and Matariki.
‘Stunning. Better the Blood is a tremendous debut, and Hana
Westerman, the Maori detective at the center of the story,
instantly becomes one of the great characters in crime fiction on
any continent. This novel has it all: a gripping mystery,
complex and memorable characters, and timely social and cultural
commentary. Don’t miss it’
*David Heska Wanbli Weiden, author of Winter Counts*
'Better the Blood touches on themes that have become
increasingly urgent in recent years including the far-reaching
impacts of colonialism and the often uneasy integration of identity
and heritage into modern multicultural society. A tensely plotted,
gritty crime novel that has the courage to force us all to rethink
our relationship with the past' Vaseem Khan
‘As page-turning as it is eye-opening. An excitingly fresh
perspective upon a world you thought you knew’ Ambrose Parry
‘Packed with intricate detail about Maori history and culture, this
tense and involving story ushers in a remarkable new detective’
Geoffrey Wansell, Daily Mail
‘This thought-provoking debut is a compelling, insightful and
highly addictive read’ My Weekly
‘So chilling’ Crime Monthly
‘[A] stellar series launch . . . Immersed in modern-day
technologies and with a keen sensitivity to cultural issues, this
is a finely crafted page-turner. Bennett is a writer to watch’
Publishers Weekly (starred review)
'Bennett unflinchingly weaves together layers of fallout from New
Zealand’s bloody colonization, enduring Maori culture, and gripping
procedural details. Hopefully this compelling debut heralds the
start of a long-running series' Booklist
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