This tale by the author of Foundryside is a murder mystery in a very different land. Someone dies at the beginning in a strange way, and the government of the empire works to figure out the killer(s). I have enjoyed this author previously and was excited to read this next book. However it took me most of the book to really start to enjoy it. There were many characters and many names, plus various oddities that equated to a lot of detail but not much story. The final 30% or so of the book got my interest more, but it took awhile to get there.

Master storyteller weaves a rich and imaginative world where dangers lurk at every turn, and the most dangerous might be the humans. Sherlock Holmes vibes with unique and sometimes quirky characters chasing a complex and bizarre set of murders though a web of politics, intrigue, lies, secrets, and danger at every turn. Just can't put it down! Hope we see these characters again ...

I'd heard that this novel was a fun fantasy mystery with equally fun and compelling characters--sadly, I didn't find that to be the case for me. The plot was fine, but the character work was really lacking. There are way too many characters, and our two main characters just felt so underdeveloped. They really lacked a sense of interiority, so it just felt like for the whole novel they were just reacting to things. I am a character reader first and foremost, so sadly this was a big issue for me and prevented me from enjoying this novel.

I love to read fantasy, but some times I feel overwhelmed with all the details/characters/world building/etc. With this novel, I didn’t once feel overwhelmed and/or confused. Robert’s story telling read smoothly and very atmospheric. It was immersive and made me wanting more once it ended. Yes it is a big book, but the story never lulls and never drags. Truly did not feel like a big book and the pacing was just perfect. I’m excited to keep reading Robert’s work and looking forward to this series! Thank you Robert Jackson Bennett, NetGalley and Del Rey for this digital arc!

This mystery had a great premise and some amazing characters. This is a great fantasy novel to reel in the mystery lovers with enough humor to keep them hooked!

Thank you Net galley for this ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

The Tainted Cup is a Sci Fi/Fantasy mystery that I hope becomes a series. Dinios Kol is an apprentice investigator for his district. A new investigator position was created and he luckily was chosen for her assistant. Din had barely passed his exams, he really needed this job. Ana is a tough person to deal with though. She notices everything and asks unusual questions her brain goes a million miles an hour and she has bad habits. She is like a spider catching and playing with creatures caught in her web. Din will do anything though for his paycheck, he has to send money home to his family.

When a high ranking military man is killed by a mutant plant in a backwater manor of the most powerful family outside of the Emperor, Ana sends in Din to investigate and record the scene. Din notices many things that seem off. Why was the man there when the family is absent, he should have been on duty at the “wall” since it is the wet season. The house is full of tension and the staff seem full of secrets. Din makes his report and Ana begins to pull the threads unknotting a much bigger conspiracy.

When a similar set of deaths occur at the wall Ana and Din are invited to investigate in the next district. The wet season however poses its own threat and with a murderer on the run the bodies are falling. Din wonders if he is the best man for this job.

Wonderful plot and characters, I did not want to leave this world. Such an interesting unusual place that uses plants instead of machines. Hope there will be more books set in this interested world.

In my eyes, Robert Jackson Bennett can do no wrong. The Divine Cities trilogy is up there with my favorite trilogies of all time, and its accolades and awards are many. The Founders trilogy is inventive as it is brilliant, an action heist series in an unforgettable world of object manipulation.

Enter - "The Tainted Cup", the first book in a new murder mystery series. This book felt like a cross between a Holmes and Watson mystery and Jeff VanderMeer's "Annihilation" with a cyberpunk twist. A brilliant but secretive assistant investigator in training is recruited by an eccentric genius detective to uncover the truth behind a ghastly series of murders, set in a world of body augmentation, political backstabbing, and colossus leviathans that attack the shores every year.

It's a whirlwind of plot bombshells that doesn't forget to develop its cast along the way. There are secrets buried within secrets, and the deduction skills of the book's leads are impressive. An absolute page-turner and great fun all around. RJB fans, or fans of whodunits with a fantasy twist will find lots to enjoy here.. I'm already ready for the next volume.

4.5 / 5

I have to admit that when I first started this book, I almost didn’t get much farther than the first three paragraphs. Having just finished, I can say that this is definitely well worth a read. Getting through all the unfamiliar jargon was what made the beginning of this book hard, and then the real story started. Din and Ana are such a great investigative “couple” with Ana being the brains of the operation and Din being her recorder. Ana isn’t blind but she doesn’t like the extra stimuli that are around us at all times, and she reminds me quite a bit of Sherlock, the TV series, but in a different way. All I can say without giving away too much was that this is a wonderful whodunit with lots of twists and turns, and it still made sense in the end as some don’t. I am very hopeful that the author will have another one in this series ASAP. Loved this! Highly recommend. I was provided a complimentary copy which I voluntarily reviewed.

As a long time murder mystery genre fan, The Tainted Cup does a wonderful job of combining that genre with a fantasy world that I got lost in while reading. The fantasy genre has never been my favorite, but this author made this accessible for novice readers like myself. I envy the imagination that can dream up this type of world! The magic in this world is subtle but lends so much to the plot. The murder mystery was well laid out and our investigators were very interesting, well developed characters. I really hope this becomes a series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was my first RJB read and I really enjoyed it. Mystery, fantasy, and a fun, entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

A really fun murder mystery set in a fantasy world that is constantly on the brink of destruction by leviathans from the sea. Din, a genetically altered apprentice to an eccentric detective, faces danger of many kinds as he attempts to use his skills to solve the murder before anyone else gets hurt. I loved the exploration of the powerful taking advantage of the masses, alongside the great world building that never takes away from the fast moving, constantly evolving plot. The characters as well are really fun and complex. I would love to read more books in this series.

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett is an engrossing murder mystery that drew me in with an intriguing premise and delivered on the promise it held with every page. I have become quite attached to the main investigative duo and hope that we will see more books featuring them.

Robert Jackson Bennett skillfully gives us a fantasy, murder mystery, character study and gripping action. His characters are interesting, well written, and reminiscent of the classic Holmesian adventures. A difficult but brilliant woman hires a green but willing assistant to carry out seemingly random assignments. She is much more than she seems. He is becoming much more than he thought he was. Bennett's world building is spot on, the relationships are intriguing and surprising, and the mystery keeps you reading. Adding RJ Bennett to my reading list.

Dinios Kol (new assistant to Ana Dolabra, an eccentric investigator) is called to an unusual death scene—a high-ranking officer killed by a tree erupting form his body in an mansion owned by an extremely wealthy and powerful family. I was hooked right away by the opening scene and the incredible world-building. I immediately wanted to know more about Engravers and the abilities of inhabitants of this world. There was a very Sherlock and Dr. Watson feel to this duo which I loved. Ana is crude, funny, and incredibly perceptive. Din is finding himself and what his skills truly entail. The characters introduced were well drawn and varied. The pacing and plot were excellent. The possibility of revenge from a wronged sector that was destroyed with few survivors to the investigation to each set of deaths was brilliant. I continue to think about this world and the characters. Can Din and Ana save the Empire? Will titans break through the protective wall and cause more destruction? I could not wait to find out! I am so thrilled this is a new series as it is unique and expertly crafted.

This is quite good and already has so many reviews, I can't add anything new, so I'll recommend it to scifi fans.

Thanks very much for the free copy for review!!

Conspiracies and a murder mystery in a fantasy/sci-fi setting, this may be my new favorite genre.

The Tainted Cup is a great start to a new series. Kol/Din is your typical newbie investigator under the tutelage of the slightly deranged Ana. Their relationship reminds of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, especially the BBC version from the 2010s.

I really liked the world building. We are introduced to a magic/technology that felt refreshing. The map and military ranks at the beginning of the book really helped. I kept referring back to them as the story progressed.

Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballintine for allowing me to read the ARC.

This is my first book by Bennett so I went in not knowing what to expect and was pleasantly surprised to find a blending of my favorite genres: Fantasy and Murder Mystery. I think it's better to go into this book knowing as little as possible for maximum enjoyment. I refer to this fantasy style as "accessible fantasy" and I think that makes it a particularly good one for beginners to the genre. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey for this ARC.

Oh, I wish Robert Jackson Bennett would write dozens more books in this world! In the Acknowledgements, the author notes to my delight that he really enjoyed writing this book and plans to write more murder mysteries. I hope that at least a few of those can include Dinios Kol and Ana.

The murder mystery is satisfyingly complex and well executed--the book works great on that front--and the world-building is outright jaw-dropping, but the dynamic between pragmatic, even-keeled Dinios ("Din") and Ana, a fascinating, abrasive mad genius, is my favorite part of the book.
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"Why the hell didn’t you tell me you knew how to pick locks?”“Oh,” I said sheepishly . “Well. I don’t really know how, ma’am. I just memorized the movements to unlock three basic types of locks.” She stared at me, outraged. “That … That is basically the goddamn definition of ‘knows how to pick locks,’ boy! What an absurd thing! What the hell else do you know how to do?” I handed her the cup. “I do seem to be developing a talent for tolerating verbal abuse and mad questions, ma’am.”
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On the "murder mystery with investigating duo" front, I *really* appreciate that Din's character wasn't written to be frustratingly slow-witted or credulous in order to let the reader feel superior. He doesn't have Ana's sparkling (read: caustic) brilliance, but no one does, and it's just as well that there's only one Ana. Din is reliable and observes social conventions that Ana can't be bothered with, and the ways in which he's naive are due to lack of experience: he's young, this is his first posting, and he's barely out of training.

The world-building... Is staggering: the empire and how it works, the structure of civil and military service posts, the absolute alien-ness of the copious alarming plant life, the reason the entire empire is huddled behind seawalls, how people have gone about altering themselves, This world is aggressively organic and the sense of small humans trying to carve out survival in an alien unfriendly jungle is almost claustrophobic.

I absolutely loved it and will be getting a hard copy when it comes out. I received an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review. My opinions are my own.

I've had my eye on Robert Jackson Bennett for some time now because his books always sound so intriguing, but The Tainted Cup is the first of his that I've read, and I am so glad I did. His utterly original world building and refreshing premise made me feel like I had stepped into an entirely new reality, and I enjoyed every second of it!

I had no idea what awaited me with this book. Murder mystery high fantasy?! Never read one, so I greedily signed up. The magic of this story was incredibly evolved, the characters were dark and shifty (besides Ana, I can’t wait for y’all to meet Ana) with secrets coming out at every single turn. Leviathans? Genetically altered humans and poisons? A contagion that was once contained and should have been no problem? It’s got it all.

Overall this was a fun read, and I’m interested to see where this story goes in book number two!