Michael Bennett (Ngāti Pikiao, Ngāti 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 being shortlisted for the Audio
Book of the Year at the Capital Crime Fingerprint Awards. It was
also longlisted for the CWA John Creasey New Blood Debut Dagger and
was a finalist for both Best First Novel and Best Novel at the
2023 Ngaio Marsh Awards.
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 Māori Screen Excellence Award, in recognition of members
of the Māori filmmaking community who have made high-level
contributions to screen storytelling.
He lives in Auckland, Aotearoa (New Zealand), with his partner
Jane, and children Tīhema, Māhina 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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