The Hana Westerman Thriller series continues to deliver and Carved in Blood may just be my favourite! Following the stellar beginnings in Better the Blood and the tense action of Return to Blood, Carved in Blood goes for the jugular and presents a compelling, addictive, engrossing read that you will not be able to let go of.

DO NOT READ THE GOODREADS BLURB FOR THIS NOVEL AS IT CONTAINS SPOILERS AND READS MORE LIKE A SUMMARY OF THE NOVEL THAN AN ENTICING BLURB TO DRAW YOU IN. INSTEAD, I HAVE WRITTEN THE BLURB FROM THE BACK OF THE NOVEL FOR YOU TO READ BELOW.

In the depths of the bleak New Zealand winter comes the rising of Matariki – a sacred constellation in Māori culture, heralding a time of new beginnings. For former Detective Senior Sergeant Hana Westerman, life is good: her work in her hometown of Tata Bay is going well, the community is thriving, and her daughter Addison is getting engaged. But this Matariki brings unwelcome changes. When Hana’s ex-husband Jaye walks into an Auckland liquor store and directly across the path of a gunman, their family’s hard-won peace is shattered. With the stakes at their highest, Hana finds herself picking up a path she thought she’d never return to. Desperate for answers, she rejoins the police to help scour the city for the unidentified shooter. But as the investigation progresses, she finds herself unprepared for the darkness of the world she is entering. A darkness much closer to home than she knows.

I felt myself being sucked into the story from the get-go, with its incredible narrative structure, tense atmosphere, and perfectly-executed plot details. I knew it was going to be the best one yet and struggled to put this down for dinner. All I wanted to do was read further, find out a little more, see where these character’s would end up and what their decisions were going to put them, and it was impossible to do so when I got back into it. I love the storytelling Michael Bennett uses in these novels – from the tone and delivery to the inclusion of te reo Māori, Carved in Blood is a masterpiece. There is no part of this novel that doesn’t fit, and no detail that is overlooked. It truly is a spectacular read.

I can’t say too much about the plot or characters without my emotions getting the better of me and potentially spoiling something, but I will say that this book was an emotional knife to the heart. It is a whirlwind rollercoaster of emotions and I love where we are put at the end, but it is heartbreaking nevertheless. I’m sure others feel the same way, and I cannot wait for you to feel the same, dear reader. Carved in Blood is full of grit and heart and pain and it will change you.

If you haven’t added this series to your tbr, or even better your library requests or physical book collections, you need to. I know I will be buying myself copies before the year is over. The Hana Westerman Thriller series is one of the best New Zealand Crime series I have ever read and am likely to read and it deserves to be read the world over. Michael Bennett is an absolute mastermind and his works are beyond brilliant. Not only will this series serve as my benchmark for future crime fiction works of my own, but it will stand as a killer series worthy of top-shelf credit and praise.