Like the previous novels in this series, Carved in Blood is straightforward in both style and substance. Each plot turn is convincing and each character fully rounded in a setting that Mr. Bennett obviously loves but also sees clearly ... The author describ[es] methamphetamine and cocaine trade routes with journalistic precision. Somewhat predictably, this tour of New Zealand’s dark side also includes a detour into the mind of the figure who eventually emerges as the novel’s villain.