The Tainted Cup
A Holmes and Watson-style detective duo take the stage in this fantasy with a mystery twist, from the Edgar-winning, multiple Hugo-nominated Robert Jackson Bennett
"Superbly blends mystery and fantasy . . . Give me more of this world and these characters ASAP!"--#1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Gardiner
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.
By an "endlessly inventive" (Vulture) author with a "wicked sense of humor" (NPR), The Tainted Cup mixes the charms of detective fiction with brilliant world-building to deliver a fiendishly clever mystery that's at once instantly recognizable and thrillingly new.
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Community Reviews
Content Warnings:
Graphic: Body horror, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Classism, Ableism, and Drug use
Having loved everything I've previously read by Robert Jackson Bennett, I didn't even pause to read the book description for THE TAINTED CUP on NetGalley before clicking the "Request" button!
While I adored the characters of Dinios Kol and Ana Dolabra - the intrigue of the mysteries these two raced against time to solve - the excellence of Bennett's writing - it was the world building that won top marks from me in this novel.
I was fascinated with the "rings" of the Empire that the citizens that populated this world. Depending on how wealthy you were - or weren't - determined your proximity to the sea walls. These walls were massive, and with good reason. Every wet season, these walls and those who were posted there, were all that stood between the titanic leviathans that came from the deepest part of the ocean to launch an attack.
In addition to the added danger of the start of the current wet season, there was great importance on plant life - mushrooms that were altered to take in the air of your home, cleanse it, then release it at a cooler temperature. Ferns that were made into paper and walls for buildings and homes that helped prevent bacteria and contagions. All organic life could be altered, including people. Certain grafts could be applied to make one stronger and larger, there were those that could alter one's brain so that they could remember everything they saw and heard.
THEN we have the mystery that is the heart of the story - who killed an Imperial soldier in the mansion of one of the Empire's wealthiest families? Why was he killed? It must have been something serious, as his death was horrifying - a literal tree sprouted from inside his body, killing him painfully as it erupted from his body. (Anyone else remembering when their parents told them as a kid if they swallowed an apple or orange seed, it would make a tree grow in their belly??) Of course, this leads to a much bigger mystery and the road to solving it is a bloody one.
I can absolutely see the comparison of Sherlock Holmes and it's warranted. Ana Dolabra is a brilliant investigator whose sarcasm, eccentric quirks and foul mouth combine to keep readers laughing throughout the book. Her assistant investigator, Din, is constantly in a state of bafflement at Ana's actions and never seems to get a grasp on her deductive reasoning abilities.
This book was incredibly fun and over much too soon. I look forward to seeing more of the Empire and its rings, but more than that, I can't wait to see what case Ana and Din will take next!
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