4 out of 5

A Drop Of Corruption was slightly boring compared to The Tainted Cup but was still an enjoyable Sherlock Holmes retellings.

Robert Jackson Bennett returns to an Earth beset by leviathans, Humans have learned to modify the blood of these huge creatures to create chemicals that give people extra talents like perfect memory, or better senses. In the kingdom of Yarrowdale, the Empire has created a huge living shroud that every year they capture a leviathan and bring its blood to be processed. Within ten years the Kingdom is going to be absorbed by the Empire according to treaty. The strange Ana Dolabra and her assistant Dinios Kol come to this squalid country because a treasury agent was kidnapped and murdered out of a locked room at the top of an aging hotel. A Drop of Corruption (hard from Del Rey) is at the heart of the puzzle and the corruption reaches from the chemists working on the Shroud to the rulers of Yarrowdale. A great act of terror is planned and only Ana and Din can stop it. This is the best book so far this year and I would be disappointed if it doesn’t get an award nomination. Wow!

Every time I hear about this series being talked about, I nod along with enthusiasm. This is a testament to how far the fantasy genre as a whole has come and how amazing minds have innovated and experimented with their personal brands of brewing genre blends.
I can't help but imagine if Holmes came across this one he would enjoy it thoroughly, and admit it begrudgingly .
The book is clever, in places it is teetering on the edge of being arrogant but it does serve its purpose.
We readers are always a tad sceptical that the seconds in our favourite series may just fall victim to the "second book syndrome." Not this one. It keeps pace with book 1 , goes toe to toe in world expansion and ups the mystery antics quite a bit.
What truly catches my attention here is that the whole series under its cover of a great , satisfying mystery that you one needs to pick up on a particularly rainy afternoon it is a commentary on autocratic rule– in a genre known for guilded empires , grand political mysteries and sinister magic Ana's eccentricity has truly stolen my heart .

A Drop of Corruption is a fantastic sequel to The Tainted Cup that has cemented this series as one of my favourite ongoing fantasy series. Once again RJB creates an intriguing mystery that our Sherlock and Watson duo - Ana and Din - again go about solving with all the eccentricity and excitement we saw in The Tainted Cup.

While I slightly preferred the mystery solved in The Tainted Cup, RJB did a fantastic job expanding the world with this sequel and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ana and Dinios are back in action investigating a disappearance. The disappearance turns into a murder mystery, with even higher stakes than ever. The world building was great, and there was plenty of action and suspense. Ana continued to be a quirky character, who really relied on Din and his abilities. It may be because I read this one right after finishing The Tainted Cup, but it felt a little bit repetitive, drawn out, and predictable. It was well paced and really interesting, I just wasn't quite as invested in this one.

Many thanks to Del Rey and NetGalley for the ARC!

I was so happy to read more about Din and Ana. I love how eccentric Ana is and this book didn’t disappoint. In Drop of Corruption, we’re thrust into another murder mystery that was just as intricate as the last while we learn even more about the world and characters. I’m ready for book 3.

A Drop of Corruption is the perfect sophomore novel to follow The Tainted Cup, both being of the Shadow of The Leviathan series. The author focused on much of the world-building in the first book, whereas, in the second book, he doubled up on the suspense, thickened the plot, and intensified the mystery.
Din and Ana find themselves in Yarrowdale, investigating another mystery- this time a man has seemed to vanished and it is up to Din and Ana to find out what happened to him and who/what caused this mysterious disappearance. Just like The Tainted Cup, this book is intense, suspenseful, fast-paced, and has everything you could want from a fantasy mystery! (Plus, more secrets as we are on the verge of discovering something new about Ana!)
Thank you NetGalley, Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore, and Robert Jackson Bennett for a wonderfully intriguing read!

Robert Jackson Bennett returns to the world of The Tainted Cup with another locked-room mystery filled with baroque worldbuilding, high-stakes intrigue, and the endlessly eccentric Ana Dolabra. The setup is immediately compelling: “In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, a Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air, vanishing from a room within a heavily guarded tower, its door and windows locked from the inside.” What follows is less a disappearance and more a murder mystery, one with world-shaking consequences for the Empire itself.

For fans of the first book, this sequel offers more of the same: Ana’s manic brilliance, Dinios Kol’s quiet competence, and a series of twists grounded in a bizarre and meticulously constructed fantasy world where magic is extracted from the blood of fallen titans. The stakes are high again, and the compound known as the Shroud, where titan blood is stored, may be the killer’s ultimate target.

Unfortunately, for me, that wasn’t enough. While The Tainted Cup kept me engaged with its unusual style and inventive premise, A Drop of Corruption felt like a longer, more drawn-out rerun. The mystery structure is familiar, the rhythm is identical, and Ana’s eccentricity, while entertaining in small doses, started to feel performative and repetitive. The few new locations introduced didn’t add enough variety to compensate for the sense of déjà vu.

To be fair, readers who adored The Tainted Cup will likely find this installment just as satisfying. It leans into the formula that made book one successful for its fans, and Bennett continues to write with the dense detail and methodical pacing that appeals to lovers of cerebral fantasy mysteries. But for me, this was where the series lost its spark. I skimmed more than I wanted to and found myself wishing for a quicker conclusion.

Ultimately, A Drop of Corruption confirmed that Bennett’s style, while impressive in craft, simply doesn’t resonate with me. Those who enjoyed book one will likely feel right at home here, but I think this is where I exit the Shadow of the Leviathan series.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Thank you so much @delreybooks for the gifted copy of “A Drop in corruption” by R J Bennett💚🙌. Returning to this world with Ana and Din was a delightful experience. I loved Ana’s uniqueness and brilliance in the first book, and the second book certainly did not disappoint in that regard.

This world is so unique, the mystery was once again excellent, and the humor and characters were just as engaging.

If you enjoyed the first book, you will definitely love the second one as well!

I loved this! I love sequels because you can vibe with the story now that the world building from the first book is out of the way. I still learned a LOT about the world and how things are outside the Empire, but it wasn't info-dumping.

Dinn and Anna have such great chemistry; they crack me up. It's like grumpy sunshine but.... not? Anna continues to be the main comedic relief, making me literally laugh at loud. Poor Dinn, though, leave the main alone! He is allowed to blow off steam how he wishes.

The murder mystery was again, delightful. The botanical body horror was top notch. and the insights we get about Anna at the end! Insanity. I kind of had a feeling, but it was really cool the way it was confirmed.

I hope this is going to be an on-going series of murder mysteries, because I am having so much fun with these books and these characters. 5 stars!

Loved The Tainted Cup so my expectations were really high for this one. And it is really good! However, there are less interactions between the two main characters and the world is less explored which brings my overall review a bit lower than the first one. The case is really fun to read and there are few elements that made me engage with the reading. Can´t wait to read the next case!

Simply fantastic. This will be one of my top books of 2025. I love the world building. I love Ana and Din.

Usually I find the second book in a trilogy is not as good as the first. That is not the case with this book. The mystery was interesting, the setting of Yarrowdale was so well described I felt like I was there.

If you’re a mystery lover who likes to branch out into other genres I highly recommend this series. It is a unique blend of fantasy and mystery. I can’t wait for book 3.

**Thanks to the author and Del Rey books for the e-arc I received via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I also bought a hardcover special edition from Aardvark and the audiobook from Audible.**

In the second book of the Shadow of the Leviathan series, an impossible crime has occurred. When Ana Dolobra and Dinios Col have been called in to investigate, it appears that they may have met their match. The stakes are higher than ever and the antagonist seems to always be a step (or two or three) ahead of our dynamic duo at every turn.

This is one of the rare instances where the sequel is better than the first book of the series- and I say this as someone who quite enjoyed the first book. ADOC remedied all of my complaints of the first book and amplified all of the elements that I enjoyed.

This book is much darker than the first. There is a lot of fungal, botanical, and body terror which I enjoyed. The deaths are more haunting.

The themes were more intense, as well. Not only are we examining how (if?) a “justice system” can truly bring justice but also the ethics and corruption of empires.

I was on the edge of my seat while reading this. While I formed my suspicions of who the murderer was, I was never certain.

We also got more development around my favorite character, Ana (who is autistic coded). I think her story is going to be more prominent in the next book and I can’t wait to read it.

Thank you so, SO much to NetGalley and the publisher, Del Ray, for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Robert Jackson Bennet, Random House Publishing Group - Del Rey, and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

A fantastical murder-mystery thriller with a Sherlock Holmes-esque FMC and a first-person MMC POV. Each book deals with a mystery but there is overarching larger ‘game afoot’ within the empire. Think Knives Out with an interesting magical system - Benoit Blanc is injected with titan’s blood to ramp up the pattern-recognition.

All in all, the world-building is rich and each character is unique. I loved the first book and the second book has lived up to it!

4.5 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and Random House/Del Rey for the ARC in exchange for my honest review. I really enjoyed the first book and loved this one! Fantasy is not a genre I usually gravitate towards but this author's world building and storytelling are wonderful. We are back with Din and Ana as they have a new case to solve. The Empire had reported a disappearance of a somewhat important person. As they follow the clues it looks to be much more complicated as it seems to be a murder and a robbery of something in a bank safe deposit box that people wanted to protect at all cost and someone else wanted at any cost. There are many twists and turns to the story and we learn more about Din and Ana, their relationship and their personal histories, and world they live in (places and people). This is a series I'll definitely keep following and look forward to the next book!

This is the second book in the series. This is such an interesting world. This was a little gross with the scientific type experiment that was occurring. Kind of serial killer in a way but all family motivated as usual.
Din is such an interesting character he’s bi maybe pan but they don’t appear judge or label. He’s always looking for companionship and is pretty so can always find it. He is a an assistant investigator and he memorizes the crime scenes.
Ana is scary with her abilities. She’s blind but can read the room and what’s in it better than a sighted person. She’s always 10 steps ahead.
Very enjoyable fantasy detective story!

This series is shaping up to become a modern classic. The writing was excellent and the story wow. RJB does it again

Thank you to Del Rey/Random House and Net Galley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

First, a miscellaneous criticism of the physical book, which I bought. Why isn’t there a dust jacket? The same was true of the first book, and I’ve disliked it both times. Call me crazy, but if I’m spending $30 on a hardcover book, I expect a dust jacket.

This book wasn’t bad, but I definitely didn’t like it as much as the first one.

Ana is here and I love her and I love her energy, but Din is having a quarter life crisis in the front seat. Since he narrates the book, this makes it a little frustrating.

I swear every time a man has a crisis, he wants to join the army. Din wants to join the Legion (the ones in charge of fighting the Leviathans) real bad, and is unhappy being an investigator. I didn’t like this. It felt inconsistent with the first book, even if time has passed. It also made Din a little unlikable. The other issue he’s dealing with is his father’s debts. I didn’t mind this, but I felt like it was a missed opportunity to do more exposition about Din’s family. What are they like? How’s his relationship with them?

I wasn’t as interested in the mystery this time around. The plot in the first half felt a little unfocused. It came together in the second half of the book, but it felt like it was meandering for a while. This book felt more like a political fantasy than a mystery at most times, which is fine, but isn’t how to book was marketed.

Overall, it was fine. Better than a lot of sequels, even if it still disappointed me a bit.

“Because you are a reasonably smart boy. I suspect you shall come to realize what many Iudexii eventually learn— that though the Legion defends our Empire, it falls to us to keep an Empire worth defending.”

Fiction is underestimated by many, but good fiction, even with elements of science fiction and fantasy can be thought provoking - and sometimes, or many times it is with people or situations in very different worlds that we can find things in common and patterns (yes, seeing patterns is a reference to this book) in the overarching themes. A Drop Of Corruption is primarily a mystery in the vein of Holmes and Watson, but at its heart a commentary on autocracies and the need for functional police systems. Ana and Din travel to another city that is in the midst of treaty negotiations with the Empire to solve yet another seemingly impossible murder and soon find that the reasons behind the murder are layered with the political systems and covert operations there.

The book fulfills its premise with a scintillating mystery that keeps the reader involved, with several seemingly impossible situations showcasing Ana's prowess and Din's capabilities. The intricate plot has many players, with political intrigue, bureaucratic procedures as well as cultural clashes, all while dealing with a Moriarty-esque antagonist. The writing is measured with fair mention of various clues that turn out to be relevant later and it is a joy to be able to deduce a few of the solutions/ character revelations ahead of the confirmation in the book!

But more than this, the book also prompts questions on governing systems, the importance of policing checks in any bereaucracy or city, country or empire and the dangers of autocratic management, even if not quite Moriarty-esque. This is beautifully reflected in Din's own thoughts, problems, arguments and career considerations. It was interesting to see Ana mentor Din in her own way, but what was really satisfactory was that they trust each other more now than when they started working together. The secondary characters are given due weight, but Ana and Din's character sketches and growth take the prime consideration.

And to note finally, the world-building! Robert Jackson Bennett reveals more questions than answers in this book (a bit more than the first). But the empire foundation, the various organisations, the magic (or bio-chemical) system, the cultures all take a backseat next to the elephant (or the leviathan, if you will) in the room! The world-building is still focused on the empire, the people and their advances with the bio-chemical manipulations of leviathan matter and though we see more exotic uses of these, the book reveals quite little of the leviathans themselves and their origins. But this curiosity and the hints of Ana's origin story are keeping me hooked for the next book in the series. A minor quibble with the writing is RJB's use of a few Indian languages to pepper phrases through the book in the non-empire language, and my word associations weren't quite the associations this world used it for, which was jarring.

Recommended for anyone who enjoys Holmes and Watson mysteries and fantasy mysteries with good world-building. Looking forward to more in this series!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing group for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

🌟🌟🌟🌟3/4🌟
[One star for the premise and the whole book; One star for the characters and their arcs; 3/4 star for the writing; One star for the world-building, One star for the plot and themes - 4 3/4 in total, rounded up to 5 stars.]

“This work can never satisfy, Din, for it can never finish. The dead cannot be restored. Vice and bribery will never be totally banished from the cantons. And the drop of corruption that lies within every society shall always persist. The duty of the Iudex is not to boldly vanquish it but to manage it. We keep the stain from spreading, yes, but it is never gone. Yet this job is perhaps the most important in all the Iyalets, for without it, well … The Empire would come to look much like Yarrow, where the powerful and the cruel prevail without check. And tell me—does that realm look capable of fighting off a leviathan?”

Thank you net gallery for the advanced copy of this book. This is the second book in a fantasy mystery series. There is creative world building, and this gets deeper in this second story. I could not put it down. I would definitely recommend.