THE TAINTED CUP is the latest novel by Robert Jackson Bennett. Not only is it the first in a new trilogy, but it is a complete departure from the types of stories Mr. Bennett previously published. As it retains the fantasy elements that are the hallmark of his stories, THE TAINTED CUP is a murder mystery told as only Mr. Bennett can.

Much of the pre-publicity reviews describe THE TAINTED CUP as a Holmes and Watson-style detective story. Mr. Bennett does list Sherlock Holmes as an influence. And yet, I have the impression that the murders in THE TAINTED CUP are only half the story. Many of Mr. Bennett's previous stories are complex. They tend to feature seemingly separate plots that come together uniquely and unexpectedly. THE TAINTED CUP doesn't appear to have those multiple plot lines. The total focus of the story is Din's and Ana's investigation. However, I suspect that book two might have a trick or two in store for readers.

One of the things Mr. Bennett does so well is build new worlds. In fact, he might be one of the best at it among fantasy writers. His worlds are so different and yet so alive. This new Empire is no different. Mr. Bennett has thought of everything, from the style of food to religion to dress, and he does so in a way that is not boring. There are no long passages of description. His method of world-building relies on the narrator's knowledge and observations, making it integral to the narrator's development.

While THE TAINTED CUP may be a murder mystery, it wouldn't be a novel by Mr. Bennett without his fantasy elements. In this story, he presents us with the leviathans, mysterious monsters who come from the ocean and try to force their way onto the land, devouring everything in their path. No one knows much about the leviathans or why they try to push themselves on land every year. But they have found a way to use the leviathans' biochemistry to create enhancements that will make someone stronger, have heightened senses, or remember everything they see and hear. It's a wild, weird world, but thanks to Mr. Bennett's world-building, it is one you understand and would recognize.

The murder mystery aspect of THE TAINTED CUP is clever without being impossible. While I can see why people may compare Ana and Din to Holmes and Watson, I think such comparisons are also to the story's detriment. They aren't the same. Din is not a sidekick responsible for sharing Holmes' exploits with the world. Din is an investigator like Ana, albeit with much less experience and a memory enhancement that has him remembering everything. Ana is brilliant and quirky, but she cares about Din too, looking to teach and guide him as much as protect him.

Then there is the gender dynamic at play. Ana's behavior and lack of social niceties are nothing more than the quirks of a brilliant older lady. The same behavior in a man would result in some form of reprimand or even punishment by his superior officers. So don't be fooled by those who compare Ana and Din to Holmes and Watson. Yes, there are superficial similarities, but the differences are what make THE TAINTED CUP so good.

I love Mr. Bennett's writing. No matter how fantastical they are, they are so vibrant. The little details he adds build his fantasy worlds so clearly and so realistically. I've wanted people to discover Mr. Bennett's stories for years because they are so good. Hopefully, THE TAINTED CUP and his foray into traditional detective stories will finally expose new readers to this wonderful author.

4.25 Stars

We need more murder mysteries in fantasy novels - I know we have quite a bit of assassinations and investigations that take place in fantasy but it's always more entrenched in Fantasy and magic rather than using a cool head to investigate. This was a perfect Knives Out mystery where our protagonists used their heads to figure out what was happening. Magic was a tool, not the source. It was refreshing to see such a novel.

The world building was immaculate and I could visualise everything so easily. It did take some time getting into it but I was also traveling at the time and don't hold it against the book. The characters were very well written and though I did expect one or two twists, I was always pleasantly surprised when I found I had missed something. Overall, I can't wait for book 2 and learn more about Ana Dolabra's past.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

A harried civil servant with imperfect biological modifications assists his eccentric supervisor in solving a not-so standard murder mystery, which gets harder to do when local resources are tied up slaying the seasonal, possibly-world-ending leviathans.

In other words, a perfect blend of murder mystery sleuthing and a robustly detailed scifi fantasy setting.

I’ve gotta love a Sherlock-Watson duo, and Din’s narration hits all the right beats - alternately wry and self-deprecating, vaguely impressed, or passively condescending - as he interacts with the colorful personalities involved in the case. There’s a gloriously entangled system of government apparatus, from bureaucrats, to judiciaries, to aristocratic landowners, plus a culture based on mystical biological enhancements and the constant threat massive monsters threatening to collapse the empire, if the politics and infighting don’t do it first. Amongst all that, I appreciated the simple reminders that, when it feels like the end of the world, all one can do is continue on with the small tasks before them. 

Anyway, I tore through it all in a day and eagerly await the sequel.

This was a very compelling read that kept me engaged with the characters and the mystery to the very end. The pacing was a bit on the slow side, but I so enjoyed the characters and the world that I ended up not minding the pacing issues as much as I thought I would.

Dinios Kol, or Din, is the sole narrator and a very likable character. His role as an engraver was fascinating, and made him the perfect counterpart to Ana Dolabra. Din doesn’t see himself as smart, due to his lack of reading and writing skills, but he really is quite insightful and sometimes is able to put things together before Ana does. I really liked his relationship with Ana. He really understood her and all of her quirks and helped her navigate society and the murders they were trying to solve. The tagline of it being a Sherlock and Watson type story was very true to form, but I would day that Din was much more astute and observant than Watson ever was. Din does go on a wonderful journey of growth and self discovery in this story and he is such a likable character that you find yourself rooting for him.

The world building was something else entirely. It was more of a science fiction type world than a fantasy one. The way the plants and animals were used to enhance the people of this world was fascinating. The enhancements people took on also had their dark sides and consequences which I am not sure was fully explained to anyone before they took on the changes. Din certainly was unaware of all of the psychological disadvantages of remembering everything would eventually cost him. The society built around this world was also very interesting and tied into the murders quite a bit.

The mystery was well done, with lots clues and twists that kept it all on track and interesting. The way the mystery was presented was also an opportunity for the author to tell us more about this world without a lot of info dumping. There were some tense scenes and some very well written action scenes that kept the narrative flowing. There was also some great dialogue between Din and Ana that showed the growth in their relationship throughout the book.  The murder mystery is all tied up by the end of this book, but we are left with enough unanswered questions about the world that will keep us entertained in the next book.  

This was an engaging mystery with some wonderful characters and a fascinating new world. If you enjoy books with a lot of world building, engaging characters and a well put together mystery, this is a book you might want to take a chance on.

This book has a great premise with such a unique world! And while this book just wasn't one that vibed with my reading style, there are so many people who will love this story! I mean, killer plants, giant water monsters, and a cunning detective and her assistant in the middle of it all? If that's not intriguing, I don't know what is!

This is a fantasy murder mystery. It is a delightful read. it is fun and bright. It is set in fantastical world where people are fighting off titans that try and invade their lands every wet season. I loved the main characters and I want to learn more about them and their world. I hope the story continues.


I received a copy of the book from NetGalley

3.75 ✨ - *Thank you NetGalley for an early copy of this book!*

Investigators Ana and Din tag team a confounding case of spontaneous trees erupting from peoples bodies. This premise was SOO intriguing!! And the magic system was really unique I truly cannot think of a single book that has a similar magic system. Genetically enhanced memories and using smells to store those memories was the most intriguing part of the magic system for me!!

The overall plot started out feeling really slow, it was definately a meticulous unravelling of the plot and the crimes being investigated. However Ana Dolabra is a spitfire Iudex Investigator who has a mind akin to Sherlock. She sees every possibility from the smallest bit of evidence and watching her construct the pieces of this puzzle was amazing. Her "engraver" Din was also so fun to read about, his character goes from more timid and reserved to slowly becoming more sure of himself in his abilites which was nice to see. He also has dyslexia which I hardly see represented in Fantasy so that was nice to see.

One thing I will say is this book suffers from the fantasy name issue, for the first 25% of the book I struggled really hard with the names of people and places, it becomes easier as the story goes on for sure though. I also would have loved to learn more about the Leviathans. They are this shadow that comes up in conversation and a lingering threat throughout the entire book but towards the end we finally get to "see" one and it lasts less than a paragraph. I wish the titans were more fleshed out and had a little more weight in the story on the page. I also think the way that the crime is solved is kind of like an "ah ha!" investigator monologue when I wish the reader was let in on some of those threads before hand, it felt very out of nowhere, even though it made sense after it was explained, again I would have loved to be more invested and been able to make theories and have that feeling of anticaption for what was coming next.

There was something about Ana and Din that just kept me reading the entire time- 2 truly entertaining and interesting people to read about, even in the few moments where the investigation felt like it was at a lull or the plot felt slower.

I also get the feeling that the second book is going to be INSANE plotwise- we got a small glimpse at the leviathans and I need to know more and I have a feeling based on the ending that we will get more of their presence.

What and amazing fantasy murder mystery book. I didn't even know this was a genre but it was amazing. If gave us so many Watson and Holmes vibes but with added monsters, political intrigue, unique sci fi power with altered humans that have super powers. So unique the story just built and built and weaved together until the picture comes together and you are left with the "duh, why didn't I see that" moment.
I loved Din. I loved the idea of an engraver that can memorize everything they see or hear and repeat it back. (photographic memory is a superpower that I always find so cool. He was so button upped and reserved and he just was so perfect in the data collecting roll. I loved that as the story went out you got to see him grow in his powers and way of interacting with people. He was a truly righteous person that you just want to route for.
Ana was a whole character and then a half of one more. She was a lot. I saw a Tik Tok that related her to House and I was like..YES...OMG YES. She is a grumpy, erratic, brink of rude but is completely brilliant. She is always 5 steps of everyone but you can't really see what she is seeing until she lays it all out in rather dramatic confrontations. Dramatic!
The murder mystery story was well done and fun to follow all with the back drop of the mysterious monster that is hard to comprehend.
I would highly recommend to those that like fast past fantasy with a murder mystery twist. Ones that have a very unique world, a magic system that is really more sci fi based, monsters and political plots. Ones where the characters that you will fall in love with even if they are perfect.
I didn't know this book was the start of a series when I started reading and i felt that the story was wrapped up nicely to read as a stand alone if you wanted but I can't wait for the next one to fall back into this world and to see what Din and Ana are going to get themselves into as they move through the Empire.

Do we need another new variation on the Holmes/Watson duo?
Of course we do! We love the trope.
Build a fantastical futuristic world for our crime solvers to play in, and I’m in!

Robert Jackson Bennett’s latest novel “The Poisoned Cup” delivers complex world-building, richly imagined horror scenes, and elements of pulp fiction and whodunnits. It's weird and wonderful, with maddening characters, all memorable, from the lowliest to the loftiest.

You may not find the brilliant Ana Dolabra all that endearing, but her much-maligned assistant Din (yes, we hear echoes of “dim”) is an engaging narrator who stays impeccably calm and polite no matter who’s dishing out the verbal abuse. And everyone seems to dish it to him.

Dinios Kol is a very young and constantly underestimated assistant to the clever, condescending Ana Dolabra. Ana is profane, constantly dropping F-bombs and snark. Din takes it all in stride, even when his boss tells him he has “the exact right appetite for bland, bloody-minded drudgery that makes an assistant investigator excel.”

Din is an “Engraver.” He observes and remembers every detail at a crime scene. He memorizes volumes of information. Ana is a genius, but an eccentric. She almost never leaves the house. She sends Din to the crime scenes, then wears a blindfold when he comes back to recite his hours-long reports. How is this efficient or practical? Never mind. It makes her memorable with her vivid red scarf over her eyes. Her yellow eyes. With bone-white hair and “vaguely feline” mannerisms, not to mention her total lack of a social filter, Ana is more like a “mad housecat” than the greatest investigator in the Empire. She stays indoors, often blindfolded, as “Too much stimulation drives a person mad.” Ana repeatedly asks Din to bring her “moodies,” mood-altering drugs, to alleviate the monotony that afflicts the brilliant. Will he come through with illegal drugs for her, or is he too scrupulous to comply? (I’m not telling.)

Din, with his spotty academic record and inexperience, a boyish-looking age 20, always surprises whoever is at the crime scene. Thwarting expectations is what he does best.

The opening scene is atmospheric, with the stone walls of a politician's estate emerging from a mist. A man is dead, killed in a most unusual way. "A very large clutch of trees had spontaneously grown from within the deceased, tearing him apart from the inside," or some contagion that resembles a forest, and other victims soon follow. The details are lurid, so let us look instead at the setting. (You're welcome!)

The Empire of Khanum is vast, complex, and mind-boggling. Lowly workers keep the empire running while corrupt politicans kill to keep their secrets. People are augmented with extraordinary traits, from hulking giant soldiers to the “Sublimes,” whose minds are altered to have superhuman skills. Lanterns filled with glow-worms illuminate buildings made of living plants.

It took a while for me to start liking Ana, who has “a gift for inciting outrage.” She sounds insufferably full of herself, but she makes up for it with her appreciation of the lowly workers.

“That’s the real Empire right there, Din,” she tells him as they pass a crew of muddy workers replacing cracked bricks. “The boys and girls who fix the roads.” People love the Legion with their swords, she says, but “it’s the maintenance folk who keep the Empire going. Someone, after all, must do the undignified labor to keep the grand works of our era from tumbling down.”

I especially love Ana for this: “The Engineers make the world. Everyone else just lives in it.”

What a world it is. The Empire “spends endless amounts of blood and treasure defending a whole continent from sea beasts the size of small mountains,” leviathans that wipe out whole cities. Throughout the novel, tremors and alarm bells interrupt the murder investigations. “It often made it hard to go about your everyday tasks,” Din narrates. “What was the point of fetching food or fixing up your house or caring for your family when a titan could break through the walls and kill you and a thousand others like you in a matter of hours? What was the point of doing anything, really?”

Ana finds plenty to do, or for Din to do, while she solves the murder mystery. Hundreds of pages and surprises unfold.

The important part, for me, is that Ana shrugs off the sense of futility that plagues poor Din. “It’s not all walls and death and plotting!” she tells him after unveiling the culprit. ”Nor is it dreary dispensations and bureaucracy! We do these ugly, dull things for a reason - to make space where folk can live, celebrate, and know joy and love.”

Now that’s my kind of Sherlock.

I’ve enjoyed other variations on Sherlock, but this one is the strangest I’ve encountered yet. In a 2015 Wall Street Journal article [“Slipstream Fiction Goes Mainstream”](http://www.wsj.com/articles/slipstream-fiction-goes-mainstream-1423072888), Anna Russell and Jennifer Maloney define slipstream fiction as “the new weird,” mixing science fiction, fantasy or horror and slipping it into mainstream or literary fiction.

“The Poisoned Cup” is a great read, no matter what genre you call it. So many rich and varied details bring Din and Ana to life. Their world is weird and intriguing, a great escape for a few hours from the cold of the Midwest in this brutal start to winter of 2024.

Thank you, Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine/Del Rey for an eARC of this book.

The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan, #1) by Robert Jackson Bennett
Pub Date: 06 Feb 2024

Bennett did a bang up job with this one! What a delightfully complex and vivid world he's created for us in The Tainted Cup -- creatures of titanic proportions threaten society, plants act as security systems, and people can augment their bodies to suit their surroundings and occupations. The writing was never too complex, I never felt lost in this new world, only fascinated by it. The plot was utterly intriguing and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. The characters are all likable and relatable, their wins and losses becoming the readers'. And amid all of this, there's a sweet coming-of-age quality to our main character, as he grows into his role as assistant investigator. I can't recommend this one enough.

Blog Post scheduled for Feb 16th
Imgur link goes to Instagram post scheduled for Feb 1st
Will be featured in January Reads Pt 1

TL;DR: Such a slow build but I really think it was worth it. A Holmesian mystery with lots of fantasy and plant magic/science!

The Tainted Cup is not the book for people who get weirded out by plants and mushrooms. I’ll just open up with that one. The whole premise of the mystery here is that a government official is murdered by means of a giant plant erupting from his body and devouring it whole. And that isn’t the only time it happens.

Our primary PoV is Din, a newly assigned assistant to a quirky and exiled investigator named Ana. Din Encodes memories, recalling them with a smell assigned to each memory. This means he can recall with exact precision the way something looks, feels, tastes, smells, etc at a prompt. Ana uses Din to review crimes and she solves them (think Sherlock and Watson with a much more involved Watson). Ana herself is odd, insisting on living mostly blindfolded though she’s not blind, and with augments that allow her to read ink through her fingertips.

These two odd characters begin small, investigating the murder of a visiting government official and end up moving to a military border town. This border town keeps out the leviathans that come from the ocean, a fascinating and deeply unnerving backdrop to even more gruesome plant deaths.

This was a slow mystery, building in tension and parts till an INTENSE ending. I genuinely had the thought a few times ‘Perhaps I should DNF’ but I kept going and it was so worth that build. If you don’t mind a slower start, I can’t recommend this enough.

5 out of 5 giant air conditioning mushrooms

I absolutely loved this little murder mystery. The different fantasy elements that the author created that were a part of the society were so creative. The world building was phenomenal and did not create any confusion. This was a genre mash up that did not use "oh it was magic" as a cop out for solving the mystery. I particularly liked Ana's character spending time to explain her thoughts to Din.

I loved the plot, the humor, the fantasy EVERYTHING, Din is so amazing, Ana, who is not your average investigator. I am a true lover of some mystery, especially when they are both tasked to solve some murders, and not just any murder, lol, a tree that literally rips them from inside???? Such gore, and I was here for it. Thank you Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

The Tainted Cup was a blend of fantasy and murder mystery.. solving a murder in a world full of strange fungi and leviathan monsters roaming about.

I enjoyed the way the book sort of threw me into the world, revealing things in a way that laid the foundation bit by bit without being overly complex or wordy. It was confusing at first, but as things begin to matter, the author made sure to guide the reader along with descriptions and explanations as needed.

Ana was a very strange and quirky character, so Din’s task of being her assistant was never dull.

I loved the idea of this book and felt it was executed very well, but it was a tad bit long for me. It was filled with your typical whodunnit murder mystery explanations and reveals and theories that a lot of people love that I find a bit annoying personally. I think this is a me problem and it will feel very fun for anyone who enjoys a good whodunnit.

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a Leviathan horror mixed with a Sherlock Holmes or Agatha Christie style mystery.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

This was hands down one of the best, most quirky, most masterfully crafted books I've ever read. The breadcrumbs, the clues, the revelations....it all comes together so beautifully that my jaw was just on the floor. If you pay super close attention there are definitely some things you can guess, but I'm not upset to say that I'll never be as smart as Ana Doabara. That said, all her explanations make sense - I never felt like Bennett was just making things up to fill plot holes or force the story in a direction - everything was perfectly placed to get to the climax of the case.

My favorite thing about this world is the science-based magic system - giant Leviathans with magical blood that serves as the base for contagions, grafts, alterations....humans drastically altered to fit into an Empire focused primarily on survival. The magic is heavily influenced by biology and chemistry and it's nothing short of marvelous how Bennett weaves reality with fantasy.

On top of an awesome plot and unique magic system, the characters and worldbuilding are simply unmatched. The description of "Sherlock Holmes and Watson meets Knives Out in a fantasy-setting mystery" is 100% accurate - everything and everyone are so unique and quirky and while it's utterly ridiculous, it's never outrageous outside the confines of the world.

Honestly, whether you are a sci-fi, fantasy, mystery, or humor-loving reader you'll find something to love in this book. It's just such a fun and wonderful ride and I cannot WAIT for Bennett to write more in this world!

Talk about a genre bending book!

At its heart this book is unquestionably a Sherlockian style mystery. The lead investigator, Ana Dolabra, is eccentric, consumed by the need for information, and utterly brilliant. I feel that so many strong, smart female protagonists are also written as unlikeable and/or fundamentally broken in a way that makes them “less”, but Ana’s quirks and flaws are simply part of who she is and work together to make her “more’. Her newly chosen assistant, Kol, is enigmatic, honorable, and comes from humble beginnings. The chemistry between the two of them is terrific.

Yet, this book is also unquestionably sci-fi with its intriguing world whose entire existence revolves around protecting itself from giant sea creatures called Leviathans, and a technology that seems to be plant based.

The sci-fi elements of the book make the mystery elements more complex, and harder to puzzle through. What would constitute clues in our reality, are completely different in this world. The plot was compelling, but information dense, so this was a blend of wanting to read through quickly, but needing to take it slow so as not to miss anything important about the world the author is building, or the mystery that is unfolding.

I love this juxtaposition of a classic whodunit with an engaging partnership of investigator and sidekick, but set in an unambiguously sci-fi universe. Neither the classic mystery elements, nor the science fiction world building were given short shaft – the author did a tremendous job of writing both fully and completely.

I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would, and I was glad to see that there will be another book in this series.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This gives major Sherlock and Watts vibes, but put them in high fantasy. The huge amount of world building did get me sometimes and I got confused on more than one occasion, however I was still able to follow along and grasp the bigger picture of the events happening. Definitely not a starter fantasy, but still enjoyable. I do hope the Leviathans get explained more in the future.

Every world that RJB creates is fascinating. This has monstrous leviathans, contagions, and people that alter themselves to excel at certain things. Din is an engraver, which means he can remember anything he sees. He is the assistant to Ana, an eccentric, but brilliant investigator. They are pulled into an investigation that just keeps getting larger and more important to the Empire. As they get deeper, the plot gets thicker and bigger in terms of who is involved. But Ana plays a long game, and dang, is she good at it. Thoroughly enjoyed the magic/science, the plot, and the characters.

4.5 Stars for this completely unpredictable murder mystery set in a rich fantasy setting.

The fantasy aspect of the Tainted Cup first drew me to the book, and while Robert Jackson Bennett knocked it out the park with the world building and unique setting, the mystery and unique array of characters kept me picking up the book. The magic system and how it is used in this society is very different from anything I have read. I’m very excited to see how this world expands and will definitely be picking up the next book!

A perplexing case, a man found with plants sprouting from his being. A journey unfolds as young detective in training follows the clues to contagion taking this man's life. This sci/fi fantasy adventure was mysterious with its cast of magical characters.

This book dragged at some parts, and it had A LOT going on. I struggled through the beginning, and found the second half way better read.

Rating 3.5 | Thank you, Random House Publishing.