A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

Title: A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan #2)

Author: Robert Jackson Bennett

Publisher: Del Rey 2025

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 465

Rating: /5 stars

Reading Challenges:

Where I Got It: Library

In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, a Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air—vanishing from a room within a heavily guarded tower, its door and windows locked from the inside.

To solve the case, the Empire calls on its most brilliant and mercurial detective, the great Ana Dolabra. At her side, as always, is her bemused assistant Dinios Kol.

Ana soon discovers that they are investigating not a disappearance but a murder—and one of surpassing cunning, carried out by an opponent who can pass through warded doors like a ghost.

Worse still, the killer may be targeting the high-security compound known as the Shroud, where the Empire harvests fallen titans for the volatile magic found in their blood. Should it fall, the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic that allows its wheels of power to turn.

Din has seen his superior solve impossible cases before. But as the death toll grows and their quarry predicts each of Ana’s moves with uncanny foresight, he fears that she has at last met an enemy she can’t defeat.

Another fascinating mystery involving Din and Ana! I thoroughly enjoyed this intricately plotted murder mystery set in a fascinating world. We get to learn more about Ana and Din as well as explore a new-to-us part of the Empire. We get more info on the Leviathans and how all of these alterations come to be. I loved unraveling the murder mystery with our main characters. I loved seeing Din make a new friend and feel more secure in his place in the world. I loved the weird trippy nature to the murder and the lingering threat of the leviathans. This was exactly the type of mystery I have been craving. I cannot wait to see if Bennett writes another in this series. I really really really hope he does!

Shadow of the Leviathan

• #1 The Tainted Cup

• #2 A Drop of Corruption

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Title: The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan #1)

Author: Robert Jackson Bennett

Publisher: Del Rey 2024

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 413

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Unread Shelf

Where I Got It: Bliss Wine and Books in Kansas City June 2024

In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.

Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

Oh wow! This may be my favorite book that the Nerdy Bookish Friends have read so far. I really fell into this intimate murder mystery set among a fantasy world where people can get alterations made from the blood of terrifying kaijus. That is a big strange sentence, but it really encapsulates the summary of this book. We follow Dinios Kol as he attempt to learn to be an investigator under a very unusual lead investigator. While a larger plot line is raging outside, Din needs to help Ana solve a very unusual murder. Of course, this isn’t a simple murder, but something much larger that points to other problems in the empire. I loved following along as Din reveals more clues and starts to put the pieces together. My favorite parts were the conversations that he has with Ana. She’s an amazing character and I really want to be her when I grow up. The book contains a fascinating group of characters. It reminded me of an Agatha Christie novel where you start to suspect anyone you meet could be the murderer. Even though this is the start of a series, the murder mystery wraps up nicely by the end while leaving the larger world to be explored in further adventures. I can’t wait to discuss at book club on Sunday.

Shadow of the Leviathan

• #1 The Tainted Cup

• #2 A Drop of Corruption

Next up on the TBR pile: