Excellent, excellent. Fantasy, morality, action packed twists and turns. A thoughtful intelligent fantasy novel which was very enjoyable to read. Thank you to the author, I will be searching for your other works. Thank you to # NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC.

What a delightful continuation! This book gets directly to the mystery meat we all love, start to finish Din and Ana detective extraordinaire antics. The pacing is steady and engaging, the characters are dynamic and memorable, the plot is intriguing and hooks you from the very beginning and keeps you on the line to the very last word. My only grievance, one that seems to be had by others as well, is that there is less heart in this story when it comes to the characters. Less emotional engagement. I am glad I read the epilogue, as it gave me a bit of this at the very very end.

the tainted cup was one of my favourite reads of this year, so i was thrilled to be approved for the arc of the second instalment of the series. thrilled, and also incredibly nervous to start reading it as i was unsure if it would deliver the same kind of magic as the first book. and i shouldn't have been so wary as the mystery and how it unravels in this was so well done. the pacing of reveals and the stretches of tension in between them were well timed, and the clues dropped for readers to parse through were well left (and brought with it the sweet, sweet satisfaction of being right when ana puts together the clues in her monologues). i will say the establishment of the case and the pacing of the first quarter of the book dragged a little as we familiarise ourselves with yarrow and a new spread of characters, but once the ball gets rolling, it doesn't stop. the sense of danger once it was established was a constant, looming presence that pushed the pace of the book forward.

din and ana were as always, a delight to read and i appreciated that we got to see a little bit more of their backgrounds (even if it was just a smidge). i also like how both of them were more,,, humanised in this. we see ana unravelling a little as she grapples with an adversary who stayed a step ahead of even her throughout most of the novel. and we see din struggle with feeling like his deeds are purposeless and not as tangible as the so-called glory of the battles fought by the legion at the sea walls. while the messaging was a little heavy handed at the end of the book, i did really like the conversation of duty vs glory din had with another character. malo was also a fantastic side character, and i hope to see more of her in the series!

the world-building in this was as intricate and intriguing as what was established in the first book, and i ate up every detail of it ravenously. i especially loved the imagery of the shroud and the way that it was brought to life had me practically convinced i could perceive it (an impressive feat as i have aphantasia). the prose and descriptors in this were just that lush and convincing.

all in all, this was a fantastic follow-up to an already incredible first book, and i am so eager to delve further into this world when further instalments are released!

a massive thank you to netgalley and random house publishing group for the arc!

A Drop of Corruption is the second entry in Robert Jackson Bennett’s Shadow of the Leviathan series, which is essentially Sherlock Holmes meets Lovecraftian horrors in an old world fantasy setting. I really enjoyed this follow up to The Tainted Cup, which follows our protagonist Din as he accompanies his eccentric detective boss Ana to solve another perplexing mystery. The story starts as a traditional locked-room mystery: how was a Taxation official killed and removed from a room no one else was able to enter and then dumped without anyone else knowing? This leads to greater mysteries surrounding the theft of the contents of a safe and further thefts involving dangerous reagents with the potential to destabilize the Empire.

What makes this series unique is its careful worldbuilding: the story is set in a world where massive sea monsters called leviathans or titans routinely threaten those on land. And, to defeat monsters, people have learned to make themselves monstrous, manufacturing augmentations from titan blood, such as enhanced hearing, memory, or intelligence. One of the themes of this novel concerns how the extraordinary, whether people or monsters, can threaten society at large if not kept in check, and similarly how autocracies can suppress progress.

The characters are also fascinating: Ana is a bit monstrous herself with her acute intelligence and strange appetites, yet startlingly vulnerable and human. Din, our narrator and protagonist, is highly relatable, struggling to balance family obligations and crushing debt with a budding career and his desire to achieve more than seemingly mundane wins. There are numerous supporting characters who help make the world feel lived-in and worth fighting for, as well as an antagonist who always seems a few steps ahead of everyone.

This was an engrossing read, one I’ve been looking forward to since the first book, and I’m eagerly anticipating the next one. You don’t necessarily have to read the first in the series to get into this one, but it helps set the tone.

Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for providing an Advance Reading Copy.

Tropes are an interesting thing. If handled poorly, they are a set of osmium shoes, dragging a story to the depths of forgettability faster than an author could imagine. If handled well, they are a love letter to the genres they are pulled from. All stories have tropes, but none have so many, as the mystery novel.

Mysteries, as a genre, don't just have tropes, they have rituals. There are forms to be observed, shibobboleths that must be sounded out, and plots that must be executed with extreme care and cleverness. In short, there is a formula. Ironically, this formula means that mystery often isn't about the puzzle. It isn't about the crime. It's about the characters and relationships, and what those characters and relationships have to say about real people in the real world. The crime is merely the pretext, the inciting incident. When the book is over, the crime must have done two things. First, it must have made sense, otherwise the reader is unable to believe in the ability of the characters to solve it. The second thing a crime must do, is it must be ever so slightly less than the detective. It must challenge them, but with few exceptions, it must not break them.

With this in mind, I can say, quite cheerfully, that if you are a mystery fan, you have read The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption before. You've probably read them many times, but I doubt you've read a version that is this good. Part of this excellence is how moving the mystery to a fantasy world enhances the believability. Sherlock Holmes is the genre's archtype for a reason, but his leaps of logic tend towards the ridiculous and impossible. They make sense in the context of his story, but fall apart when placed against reality. Ana and Din though, are the experts of their world, with access to magic and alchemy. We the audience are not in a position to contradict their expertise, so long as that expertise isn't effectively challenged by another character. This prevents moments of "Wait a moment, that's not how that works!" that can often interfere with the immersion of a mystery, when an expert in a field clashes with an authors more limited understanding.

It helps even more that Ana and Din are believable characters in their own right. While they are clearly an homage to the likes of Sherlock Holmes and Watson, they have their own quirks and complement eachother in different ways. Ana is a foulmouthed and irritable creature with prediliction for "moodies" (though in the second book her vice of choice appears to be gluttony, in a manner similar to Nero Wolfe). Interacting with people wears on her, to the point she wears a blindfold when out amongst the world. On the outside, she is a mess, but this mess hides the brilliance of her mind. Internally she is organized, focused, and dedicated to her task. Din on the other hand is much better with people. He's intelligent, but not brilliant. His perfect memory grants him a degree of capability, but he can't form the connections that Ana can. He can't make the same leaps of logic that Ana can. While externally he is the more put together, Din lacks the conviction, and over the course of these two books he struggles to maintain focus.

Together they complement each other's strengths and weaknesses, but they are also whole in a way that quirky detectives usually aren't. Sherlock doesn't work as a character without Watson. Watson's personality is a little too tied to Sherlock. Ana and Din are their own people. They wouldn't be as effective seperately, but they would still be doing their best in a broken, shroompunk world.

Ana and Din head to Yarrowdale to investigate the disappearance and murder of a member of the imperial treasury but instead find a sprawling plot to topple the kingdom of Yarrow and its acquisition by the empire.

Even better than the fist book. Ana and Din both show new sides of themselves and the new cast of characters are all delightful in their deceits. Absolutely would not change a thing, and the twists at the end were phenomenal.

I’ll start by saying that The Tainted Cup was my favorite read of last year, so getting the chance to read this ARC felt like a gift. It brought me immense joy.

The crime and mystery elements were expertly layered and kept me hooked. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, new twists unraveled, deepening the intrigue. However, what I loved even more than the mystery was the complexity of the characters. Like the story itself, they proved to be far more nuanced than they first appeared.

Din’s emotional journey, while not always healthy, was interesting to witness. His evolving relationship with Ana was a standout aspect of the book for me. Their personal conversations were filled with moments that stirred deep emotions, and their mutual care for one another shone quietly if you knew where to look.

Malo, on the other hand, completely stole my heart. I enjoyed her so much that I couldn’t help but wish I want to be her best friend—if she’d have me!

The book also delves into the themes of authoritarian regimes versus laws and democracy, which I appreciate hugely in a book.

I can’t wait for the third book in the series—I have so many theories about where the story might go next. This series is definitely lone of my favorites in recent years.
Also, please bring Strovi back in the third book! He is so missed.

This is by far my favorite series by RJB. I am so happy to say that this book is just as good as the first and I truly hope this becomes a long series. The setting is even more intriguing as we learn about the kingdom of Yarrow. I could not put it down. This detective mystery is so so intriguing and I’ve never read anything like this!!

This series is just amazing! The suspense, dynamics of the characters are just incredible! Can’t wait to read the third instalment.

Dinios and Ana Dolabara are back for another murder investigation, this time in the far-away territory of Yarrowdale where the muggy and oppressive atmosphere presses over everything - the murder, Dinios, and the other government agents he's working with. This book peels back more of the empire to show us the machinations of how this weird world, so dependent on Leviathans, actually functions. The mystery here was extraordinarily compelling, and we're up against confounding evidence, a host of suspects and of course a powerful, corruptible elite.

Some things I thought were fun: the Shroud, learning about the security measures used in the Empire, Malo, Ana's own appetites (it brought up bile in my throat but it was a nice detail), the Yarrow language - a paper thin veil for Hindi.

I can't put my figure on what could have made this book better except to say I wish we knew more about Malo, and I agree with RJB's assessment (in the author's note) that a more glossy, Roman-ized Yarrow would have probably made the core theme of the book more impactful, For now, I can see a lot of Westerners feeling safe and secure as they read this book, convinced that the wolves can never enter through the gates of their own vaunted democracies.

A Drop of Corruption is a fantastic continuation of the Ana and Din series. Robert Jackson Bennett writes such smart mysteries - once I reach the end, I feel like I should have paid more attention to the clues he laid out, but alas, I'm always surprised by who has perpetrated the crime(s). I really enjoyed getting to learn more about Ana and Din - I feel like their characters were more fully fleshed out in this second book in the series. The world-building continued as well, and I found myself more comfortable with the imagery in this book. I would recommend A Drop of Corruption for both mystery and fantasy lovers and look forward to the next book in the series.

5/5

The Tainted Cup was one of my favorite books of the past year, a series debut that ingeniously blended fantasy and mystery in a punchy yet poignant fantasy world featuring an unconventional investigative pairing. Robert Jackson Bennett serves up his follow-up in a novel no less witty nor utterly transformative. Ingeniously plotted, A Drop of Corruption takes our detective duo far away from the influences of their pesky empire, to Yarrowdale, a canton teeming on the edge of change – to be absorbed into the empire or continue to stand on its own. Corruption and the unsettling biology of the Leviathans take root as investigative assistant Din and the ever-brilliant detective Ana Dolabra delve ever deeper into the strange murder and a new conspiracy that could threaten the safety of Yarrowdale and the entire empire. Snaking back upon itself continuously in Bennett’s typical style, A Drop of Corruption nurtures the flawed reality of those who relentlessly pursue progress within an empire and the costs of those who continue to unearth the corruption at its heart. A Drop of Corruption is not just a perfect sequel it is a perfect book. The characters are at their height, the dynamics polished and razor-sharp, and the mystery just as world-altering as its predecessor. Robert Jackson Bennett is a formidable talent and I'll be needing a million more mysteries with Ana and Din.

My full review is now live on my blog!

Wow.

I meant to just take a peek into this story and get a feel for what it was about, and somehow once I started, I ended up staying up the ENTIRE night because I just kept wanting "one more chapter". It was THAT good.

I had read the first book in this series, but didn't take the time to go back and read my review (because I wasn't REALLY going to read it now, remember?) so it did take me a little bit to remember the world and the characters, but truly, it was easy to jump right back into this world and remember the MMC Dinios Kol (glorified investigative assistant). and of course, who could forget the wacky but brilliant FMC Ana Dolabra (Din's boss and extremely eccentric boss)?

What I liked so much about the first book was the almost Sherlock Holmes type of feel that book had in the middle of a complete Fantasy genre storyline. The two MC's worked so well together, and Din just really came through as he tried to understand Ana's really wacky behavior.

In this book, as he better learns how to "handle" his odd boss, we see Din develop as a character and we see the actual growth he is experiencing. We also get to better see Ana and start to realize that there is definitely something that is not "normal" about her. Yes, she is brilliant, but the things that he just thought were "crazy behavior" before - well, now he is beginning to believe there is something more going on. She is NOT what she seems....is she?

As in the first book, this book takes off from the very first page and the plot just gets crazier and crazier. It was AMAZING seeing Ana trying to figure out what the heck was going on and to be honest, I was just hanging on for the ride. I SERIOUSLY had no clue at times and just when I thought I might be understanding what was going on, then there was the "twist" and i was back at "WTF?" But it wasn't done in a frustrating way. It was done in a perfectly timed buildup of tension and clues and gave you just enough to realize that you NEEDED to find out what was going on.

I'm not going into the plot - I couldn't if I wanted to. Don't read too many reviews. Go in cold because it is SO much fun riding along as we watch Ana and Din do their thing.

So, if you haven't gathered it yet - I LOVED this book. I'm loving this series, and it is definitely set up for another book, possibly several more books. I cannot wait. I am definitely a fan. :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone. This book will be out for publication on Apr 01, 2025.

*Full review to come closer to publication!*

Robert Jackson Bennett has done it again with A Drop of Corruption! I absolutely loved The Tainted Cup when I read it last year and have been positively dying to read the sequel–and it did not disappoint! I'll admit that I think I loved The Tainted Cup just the slighted bit more than this one, but I think that has more to do with it being the first introduction to this world and the characters that grabbed me so much.

In A Drop of Corruption, we have another mystery on our hands and Din and his odd advisor, Ana, are on the case. I love watching these two work through a case, but I love even more learning more about this captivating world and the leviathans that inhabit it. We learn so much more in this book and it goes in some really crazy but incredible directions that I couldn't get enough of. This is definitely a favorite fantasy series for me and I can't wait for more!

If you thought The Tainted Cup was good, wait until you read a Drop of Corruption! This is even better than the first, with a whole new crime to be solved, all knew threats to be handled, all new suspects to investigate. only this time, the person they hunt, is even smarter than Ana. the twists and turns made me dizzy, but at the end, i was able to look back and see all the breadcrumbs laid out before me. i delighted in all the new things I've learned about the world, the history and the people. looking into the secrets that Ana keeps, the hints of her origins, i am already dying for book three! it's an amazing read, and one of my absolute favorites! I've read The Tainted cup three times already, and this is definitely going to be going on my re-read roster as well!

I've enjoyed other books by this author, but the first in this series The Tainted Cup was my favorite read of the year by far so I was so excited to get an arc of the next installment but also so scared that it wouldn't live up to the first one. Thankfully, I can firmly say that this sequel continues the quality of investigation we saw in the first book with Ana Dolabra and Dinios Kol solving the weird and strange cases that plague the empire in their quest for justice.

In A Drop of Corruption, we find Ana and Din in Yarrowdale investigating the disappearance of a local member of the Treasury, there to negotiate with the King of Yarrowdale the joining of the empire, something not everyone in the kingdom welcomes. However, the investigation is isn't as clear-cut as it first seems. We follow Ana and Din on the twisting turns of the crime into the strange and murky halls of the The Shroud, the creepiest place in the empire by far.

I love hearing and following Ana's brilliant, Sherlock Holmes-like deductions with Din playing her not-quite-as-lost Watson. He is developing into a good investigator in his own right although he still struggles with whether or not investigating the ills of the empire are the right role for him. In the end, I have little criticism for this book except for one thing: the final reveals. While I was lost on where the story was going throughout, the final reveals ended up being too obvious and I knew what was coming both for the villain and Ana's history well before it happened. What I love most about these books is that nothing makes sense until the end reveal, but in this case, that didn't happen and I missed the magic.

However, I still really loved this book, if only slightly less than the first one. I cannot wait for the next installment and have already preordered this beautiful cover for my shelves. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this early copy! All opinions are entirely my own.

Iudex investigators Ana Dolabra and Dinios Kol are at it again, tasked with solving an impossible crime: the vanishing of a Treasury officer that heralds a far greater mystery - one that threatens the future of the entire Empire!

Wow, this was freaking amazing! Now that the world has been established, Robert Jackson Bennett had free reign to craft a more interesting and complex mystery - he took that opportunity and ran with it.

The world Bennet has created is so incredibly intricate and well thought out! I absolutely devour every nugget of new information we learn. I am also enthralled by our characters - Ana and Din are such a good duo. I cannot wait to see what shenanigans they get up to next, and I sincerely hope that we get to to see Malo again in a future installment.

This series is shaping up to be a favorite of all time, and I am so thankful to have been given the opportunity to read this sequel months in advance!

Robert Robert Robert. Can I call you Bert? Don't worry I won't be the Earnie to your Bert. But I will review this by saying you did it again. Another good book.

I would like to thank Penguin Randon House for providing a digital copy of this novel via NetGalley. What an aptly titled book! This is a story separated into five acts. I enjoyed this sequel even more than the first book. I really enjoyed the development of the relationship between Ana and Din. The murder mystery had many layers and I can honestly say I did not see everything coming. I much enjoyed the way the author peeled away the layers of the mystery slowly. There was a revelation regarding one of the characters towards the end of the book that I much enjoyed. There is some great commentary on kingdoms and autocracies both throughout the story (through specific events and character dialogue) and in the author's note at the end of the book. This book contains one of my favorite author's notes of any recent book I've read.

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett was a really interesting book. I very much enjoyed it.