New Zealand crime fiction is really scratching an itch of mine at the moment, and Catherine Lea’s Better Left Dead does a fantastic job at it. With heavy subject matters, complex characters, challenging conflicts and an action-packed plot that will hook you in for the ride, it is such an easy read to get through and one that will leave you stunned.

DI Nyree Bradshaw and her team have their work cut out for them once again. Local woman Lizzy Bean has been found dead, garrotted with a piece of wire. Lizzy’s property, a 1970s beach house overlooking a pristine Northland bay, is overflowing with rubbish. Inside, the house is even worse. As Nyree and her team delve into the case, clues begin to reveal an intricate web of connections involving a local crime syndicate, a kidnapped woman, and a group of ex-foster children haunted by the past. Meanwhile, Nyree’s own past is catching up with her. Forever racked by guilt that she has failed her son who is currently in prison for murder, Nyree might finally get a chance to redeem herself in his eyes…but it comes at a steep cost.

There are more themes in Better Left Dead than meet the surface. Not only is there the crime itself which goes through the hoops of revealing details, unfolding the mystery, arriving at dead ends, and rerouting to get back on track as the time steadily ticks down to the end, but the personal and internal conflicts that add stress to the investigation makes the read even more engrossing.

Nyree is a stoic woman, but we see the cracks really split open here as her personal life nears another cataclysmic change. Bowman, recently promoted and eager to prove herself, has a legacy to life up to. While the ways in which her father made moves and climbed the rank wouldn’t pass in today’s standards, it doesn’t mean the pressure to continue the family name doesn’t lead her to wanting results in whichever way they come. These two are only a small number of the team that carries out the investigation, and I mentioned it in The Water’s Dead, but the team and their split investigating perspectives really make this novel and this series feel like a tv show playing out and not just a crime fiction read. I am keen to see more of them and cannot wait to get my hands on the next novel.

I am also intrigued to see how the events of this book will alter the relationship between her and her son. I can’t say exactly what happens because of the spoilers, but this is an interesting detail that could have drastic consequences, both positive and negative, and I can see so many things happeneing in future books that will hinge on how Nyree decides to approach things. It will certainly be something to keep an eye on.

If you haven’t picked up the DI Nyree Bradshaw books yet, I highly encourage you to do so. The Water’s Dead and Better Left Dead operate in a rich, dark, and gripping story world with connections to culture and experiences in Aotearoa’s Far North. It is a series where the plights of the people are vivid and their experiences clear, envoking a sense of empathy regardless of the role they play. As far as crime fiction goes, I’d say it does more than a great job at immersing the reader, and I hope more people read it.