Set in the beautiful far North of New Zealand, DI Nyree Bradshaw and her team are investigating the death of a local woman, Lizzy Bean, brutally garrotted with a piece of wire. It’s a difficult case to solve as Lizzy was a loner and a hoarder – her home is overflowing with rubbish, making it a complicated crime scene. But as Nyree and the team follow the leads, the case becomes incredibly complex, with numerous connections to the dead woman. It seems at the heart of everything is a group of traumatised ex-foster kids, with their tragic past at the centre of this gruesome murder.
As well as investigating Lizzy’s murder, Nyree’s own past has an impact on the present. Her only son is in prison for murder, something that tears Nyree apart as she questions whether her dedication to her job is partly responsible for him making poor decisions in life. Her relationship with him is fractured, but then he asks her something that may make amends – he wants her to become the guardian to his daughter after the death of her mother. But can Nyree carve out space in her life to care for her grieving granddaughter – a child she has only just found out about?
Better Left Dead is a page-turning read with excellent characters set in a beautiful part of our country. I look forward to reading more books with DI Nyree Bradshaw centre stage.
Reviewer: Karen McMillan
Bateman Books
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