{"product_id":"9781398512283-return-to-blood","title":"Return to Blood","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDarkness lies close to home in this award-winning thriller from a standout voice in New Zealand crime fiction\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe riveting follow-up to the acclaimed crime debut \u003ci\u003eBetter the Blood\u003c\/i\u003e. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWINNER OF THE NGAIO MARSH AWARD FOR BEST NOVEL 2025\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTwo murders. Two decades apart.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eOne chance to get justice.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eHana Westerman has left Auckland and her career as a detective behind her. Settled in a quiet coastal town, all she wants is a fresh start.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe discovery of a skeleton in the dunes near her house changes everything. The remains are those of a young Māori woman who went missing four years before, and Hana has a connection to the case. Twenty years ago, a schoolfriend of hers was found buried in the exact same spot. Her killer died in prison, but did the police get the wrong man? And if he was innocent, then why did he plead guilty?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eNo longer part of the Criminal Investigation Branch, Hana turns to her ex-husband Jaye, a high-flying Detective Inspector, for help. But when he cuts her out of the investigation, she realises that she will have to find the answers she needs on her own.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBut in digging deeper, she sets herself on a potentially fatal collision course with a killer.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePRAISE FOR \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eRETURN TO BLOOD\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘Another cracking, page-turning journey into another culture’ \u003cb\u003eVAL McDERMID\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘The vivid picture of ethnic cultural life alone marks out the book as special, but it’s Bennett’s control of a tense narrative that is key’ \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eFINANCIAL TIMES\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘Evocative’\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e CRIME MONTHLY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘A confident, convincing work in a crowded genre’ \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eNZ LISTENER\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘A powerful novel that stays in the mind long after it is finished’ \u003cb\u003eJEFF POPPLE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘His deep understanding of marginalised communities, family tensions and the travails of our justice system enrich the novel . \u003ci\u003eReturn to Blood\u003c\/i\u003e shows a writer in full command of his material and which reaches deeper into our shared human experience. It also has a surprise ending few readers will be able to predict’ \u003cb\u003eGREG FLEMING\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e‘Even better (if possible!) than his searing debut – Michael Bennett’s latest, \u003ci\u003eReturn to Blood\u003c\/i\u003e, had me moved to tears of empathy and rage within the first fifty pages. Richly evocative New Zealand detail, a take-no-prisoners female Māori detective and a riveting crime make for a sizzling and culturally important page-turner’ \u003cb\u003eALEXANDRA SOKOLOFF\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41793800372321,"sku":"9781398512283","price":7.39,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_31784929.jpg?v=1734596457","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9781398512283-return-to-blood","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}