The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett Published by Hodderscape on February 11, 2025
Source: Borrowed
Genres: Fantasy, Mysteries & Detective Stories, Mystery
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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
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.
A brilliant fantasy to kick off my 2025 reading year. I loved the combination of murder mystery and fantasy, with an apprentice and master investigator duo.
Not only were the characters interesting, but the fantasy world also unfolds organically, through the eyes of Dinios Kol, the assistant investigator who has just graduated from his exams. Not only is Din a keen observer, he’s also a genetically enhanced engraver who remembers and can recall everything in perfect detail.
Din makes the perfect assistant to the master investigator Ana Dolabra, who rarely leaves her house and has enhanced senses from wearing a blindfold. Ana is rather eccentric, but also excellent at what she does, and it’s always fascinating seeing how she uses her keen skills of deduction from what Din shares with her.
The concept of using genetic enhancements on people to grant them with supernatural abilities isn’t exactly new, but it was novel and well executed in a fantasy setting. There’s different alterations that are used to a different degree, but with each mutation contains a sacrifice.
The world of Daretana, is run by the Empire, is also held together by a tenuous political landscape. There’s a lot of political intrigue, as they navigate a string of murderers by seemingly unconnected individuals. Levithans also threaten to ravage the lands and the people, adding a sense of impending doom.
Murder mysteries aren’t new, neither are Holmes and Watson type characters. However, I really enjoyed the format of The Tainted Cup – seeing Din carry out his investigations, interviewing suspects, visiting different settings within the Empire and seeing how it all played out. There’s also threads of mystery woven in, and twists and turns and unexpected reveals. I had a really great time with The Tainted Cup, which is a solid, entertaining fantasy with eccentric characters carrying out an investigation to murders in a fantasy setting.
Rating: 5 out of 5
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This sounds like such a good fantasy mystery novel! I’ll have to add this to my TBR since it sounds so intriguing, Thanks for putting this book on my radar.