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.
For more New Zealand crime fiction see Vanda Symon, Paul Cleave and Tom Baragwanath.
Simon & Schuster UK
Print/Kindle/iBook
£9.99
CFL Rating: 4 Stars
