Review by Booklist Review
Māori ex-cop Hana Westerman confronts hard truths about family, love, and identity in this third series entry (following Return to Blood, 2024), lending a heartfelt twist to sharp social commentary. Hana's kept a vigilant eye on local gangs preying on the Māori teens in her Tata Bay youth program, but that doesn't stop the underworld from taking a vengeful swipe at her family. When Hana's ex-husband and closest friend, Jaye, is gravely wounded while intervening in a robbery, Hana jumps on the invitation to join the Auckland force's investigation. They quickly identify a suspect: teenage felon Toa Davis' fingerprints pepper the getaway car. Toa's on the run, but not just from the police--he claims the car disappeared before the robbery, along with a delivery of the ruthless Blue Moon gang's drugs. But something about the shooter's interaction with Jaye signals to Hana that the shooting was not an accident but was meant to be an execution. Davis is the next to show up dead. Another winner for this stellar series.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Bennett's solid third outing for Māori ex-detective Hana Westerman (after Return to Blood) finds her returning to the force as a temporary constable and assisting with an investigation that involves her ex-husband, Det. Insp. Jaye Hamilton. While purchasing champagne in an Auckland liquor store to celebrate his daughter's engagement, Jaye confronts a balaclava-clad robber and is shot. With Jaye on life support, the investigation falls to Hana, who leads a team that combs through thousands of CCTV feeds across the city. After they identify the weapon and the getaway vehicle, Hana's team zeroes in on a suspect: Toa Davis, a young Māori man and suspected courier for a local crime syndicate. Soon, Hana starts to suspect that the confrontation was not a random robbery but a targeted attack on Jaye, tied to his covert operations from the past. Bennett smoothly weaves depictions of Māori customs and ingrained racism in New Zealand society into a propulsive and intriguing whodunit. After a bumpy second installment, this series is back on track. (July)
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
Māori cop Hana Westerman, who quit the Auckland police force, rejoins it to find the man who shot her ex-husband. Hana's remarried (but still loved) ex, DI Jaye Hamilton, is critically wounded in a liquor store by a hooded assailant posing as a random holdup guy. He is quickly identified as Toa Davis, a young Māori, through the discovery of seemingly clear-cut evidence including a getaway car. After talking with Toa's pregnant girlfriend, who angrily says he would never hurt anyone, that he's a caring partner, Hana becomes convinced the shooting was a setup--that Jaye was targeted by someone who had it in for him, possibly from his days as an undercover cop. It's all hands on deck as Hana teams up with ace senior cop Elisa Williams, a Samoan; wounded cop Stan Riordan, who has been overloading on steroids to pass a physical to get his detective badge back; and Hana and Jaye's incorrigible, newly engaged daughter, Addison. They're all strong characters, but the plot, which involves a nasty drug gang, often takes a back seat to appreciations of traditional Māori tattooing and information about the high incarceration rate of New Zealand's Indigenous people, among other things. But though Bennett, who is of Māori and Te Arawa descent, is more committed to celebrating family and community ties than crafting a suspenseful mystery, his lively and likable narrative style makes up for much of that. Fans of the series, includingReturn to Blood (2024), will look forward to the next installment, which promises to resolve this one's dangling ending. An entertaining novel that's better at celebrating Māori culture than solving crimes. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
