In the turmoil of the Maori Wars, In the Grip of the Hawk blends historical adventure with the fierce rise of Pai Marire, the militant Hau-hau faith, and the brutal campaigns that made Te Kooti a legend of escape, raid, and disappearance. Against this vivid South Pacific backdrop, the novel opens with a different kind of battle: George Haughton, strong, disciplined, and restless from a life in the bush, breaks with his stern army father after being forced toward a commercial future he cannot accept. His loyal friend Terence Moore, a resourceful, red-haired Irish cattle driver who has lost his own inheritance, stands beside him, and the two set out to seize a life of action by secretly joining a troop ship bound for New Zealand. Their bold plan collapses, but their ordeal only deepens. Rebuffed by Colonel Cranstoun, George refuses to yield, and the friends are swept into the war's danger, mistaken loyalties, and Maori captivity. When George saves Terence from execution in the bush, the pair are reunited amid tension, strange greenstone symbolism, and the watchful presence of chief Te Karearea. As the campaign continues, friendship, courage, and hidden motives drive this tense colonial adventure. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.