"Full of warmth and wit" - review of BLOOD MATTERS

BLOOD MATTERS by Renee (The Cuba Press, 2022)

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

Puti Derrell likes running at midnight. During lockdown it was safe but now lockdown is over and Porohiwi doesn’t feel safe anymore – especially when she discovers her estranged grandfather has been murdered and left with a Judas mask on his face.

Inheriting a second-hand bookshop may seem like bliss to some, but for Puti Derrell it’s a delight beset with many problems in Blood Matters, the latest engaging murder mystery from legendary New Zealand playwright, indigenous author, and activist Renée. A ground-breaking figure who was one of the keynote speakers at the first-ever International Women Playwrights Conference in New York in 1988, the mononymous Renée continues at 94 years of age to create compelling stories.

In Blood Matters, she wonderfully blends ‘Golden Age’ touches with modern sensibilities. 

A classic setup from the days of Agatha Christie and Ngaio Marsh was the unlikable victim slain in the early pages; a person whose personality and behaviour offered plenty of believable reasons for various people – suspects and red herrings – to want to bump them off. Matthew Derrell certainly qualifies on that front, even before his granddaughter Puti - who also received guardianship of a young girl, Belle Rose, from her sister – finds him dead in his living room, a rope around his neck and a Judas mask covering his face. An awful man whose legacy gets worse as other family secrets and moral failures come to light. But here there’s no Poirot, Marple, or Inspector Alleyn-like singular sleuth on the case. Instead, Renée’s Porohiwi Mysteries spotlight a wider cast who live, love, and die in the small New Zealand town. In Blood Matters, it’s Puti along with Bella Rose, who wants to grow up to be a private eye, and frenemy policewoman ‘JoJo’ Jones who are searching for answers. 

When Puti is followed, threatened, and then another death hits close to home, it’s clear the danger didn’t end with Matthew Derrell’s death. Can Puti and her pals unmask the killers? Renée spins a wonderful yarn that’s full of warmth and wit among the dark deeds. She effortlessly soaks readers into Porohiwi, offers a fascinating cast of characters, and showcases her love for the mystery genre. Unsurprisingly given Renée’s oeuvre, big issues such as misogyny, child abuse, and racism are canvassed, and overall there’s a great balance between dark and light. Very enjoyable, more please.

Craig Sisterson is a lawyer turned writer, editor, podcast host, awards judge, and event chair. He's the founder of the Ngaio Marsh Awards, co-founder of Rotorua Noir, author of Macavity and HRF Keating Award-shortlisted non-fiction work SOUTHERN CROSS CRIME, editor of the DARK DEEDS DOWN UNDER anthology series, and writes about books for magazines and newspapers in several countries.