5/5 stars.

A Drop of Corruption is an incredible sequel to follow-up and continue to build on the relationships started in The Tainted Cup. A Drop of Corruption continues to follow Ana Dolabra and her assistant Dinios Kol, this time their investigation takes them to Yarrowdale, outside the realm of the Empire. The plot is masterfully crafted as a chess game between Ana, an incredible investigator and her adversary (who shall remain nameless for fear of spoilers). This all unfolds on a delightfully crafted background. Bennett has crafted a strange and wonderful world that continues to build on itself.

Din and Ana are back again to solve the disappearance of a Treasury officer. They soon learn that this mystery is more complicated than they first assumed and they have a murder to solve. And that if they don't solve this quickly. the fate of magic will be at stake.
A fabulous sequel. I am usually not a sci-fi person, but I love this concept so much. The book was addictive; I just couldn't put it down. I needed them to solve the mystery.

If you were to combine Holmes and Watson, magic, fantasy, a locked room mystery and characters that you love, you would have Robert Jackson Bennet’s A Drop of Corruption. When a tax official disappears from a secure area and is later discovered murdered it is up to the incredible Ana Dolabra and her assistant Dinios Kol to investigate. They are called in when remains have been found. While the discovery of remains have been announced, when Din arrives to view them he is handed a small moss filled box. It is actually a fungus that preserves tissue, proving the presence of a body. It is an opening that will hook you into a complex and brilliant mystery. I am generally not a fan of fantasy, but I was offered a copy of The Tainted Cup and fell in love with these characters. The banter between Din and Ana Dolabra is witty and entertaining, but Bennett also addresses the corruption that comes with power. His Authors’s Note is also well worth reading as he discusses autocracies and their rise in fantasies. With murders, magic and a formidable adversary that challenges the pair, this is a must read for fantasy fans. I would like to thank NetGalley and Random House - Del Rey for providing this book.

A magical empire, filled with beautiful landscapes and fascinating people. Enhanced characters with heightened senses of sight, smell, memory, and logic who work in specialized fields utilizing their unique qualities. Along with the beauty, danger lurks below the oceans, and in the jungle landscapes. Leviathans crawl from the oceans and wreak havoc on the community each season, bringing with them the critical reagents that, used effectively, have helped the community with it's enhancements. The most dangerous of all, however, are sometimes the people themselves with dark personal designs. Enter Ana Dolabra and Dinious Kol, a detective and her assistant, tasked with solving the unusual murders throughout the kingdom. I enjoyed the first installment and this one is just as great. Well crafted, smartly written, and entertaining. Escape into a world of magic and mystery that our protagonist duo attempts to put back into order knowing their failure could be the end of the empire.

With A Drop of Corruption, Robert Jackson Bennett once again proves he’s one of the most inventive voices working in fantasy today. Returning to the Shadow of the Leviathan series, Ana Dolabra, eccentric investigator extraordinaire, and her long-suffering assistant Din Kol are called to solve an impossible case: a locked-room disappearance that swiftly becomes a murder, carried out by someone who moves as though walls and wards are mere suggestions.

The mystery itself is tightly plotted, rich with razor-sharp deductions, but it’s the atmosphere and worldbuilding that elevate the novel. Bennett deepens the grotesque, biological magic system introduced in book one, bringing us to the Shroud, a high-security facility where the Empire harvests volatile magic from the blood of fallen titans. The setting seeps into the bones of the story: humid air heavy with rot, a political climate just as stagnant and treacherous, and a creeping sense of danger that never fully lets go.

Ana remains one of the most fascinating detectives in fantasy fiction, equal parts brilliant, unnerving, and entirely unpredictable. Din’s steady voice provides the perfect counterbalance, guiding us through a case that becomes far bigger, and far deadlier, than it first appears. Along the way, Bennett reveals new layers to both characters without losing their mystique.

This is a novel that rewards close reading. Every detail matters, every eccentricity hides a clue, and the eventual revelations feel both surprising and inevitable, a hallmark of a master mystery writer. And yet, beneath the locked-room puzzle and political machinations, there’s an ever-expanding sense of something vast and strange moving in the shadows of this world.

Tense, clever, and dripping with atmosphere, A Drop of Corruption is both a superb mystery and a vivid expansion of an already exceptional fantasy series. Unmissable for fans of genre-blending detective stories and deeply immersive worldbuilding.

Cool ideas, but kind of a mixed read for me. The mystery part was fun and the world is super creative: magic, politics, weird creatures, all of it. I liked Ana and Din as a team, too.

But it felt too busy. Lots of info, lots of talking, and the pacing slowed down in spots. I also wish we got more focus on Din, Ana kind of took over the story.

Interesting overall, just a bit much. Solid, but not a favorite.

Another wild success for Ana and Din! I loved getting to know these characters better and absolutely adored the mystery. I'm so glad that RJB has decided to let readers spend more time in this world with these characters. Could not be more thrilled!

A locked-room mystery, a brilliant but eccentric investigator, and a world where magic fuels an empire—this book had me hooked from the first page.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me a copy to review.

The first book in this series I originally DNFd but decided to pick it back up. Not only did I love it, but it’s one of my fav mystery series. This story picks up a little while after the first one as we rejoin our two main characters off to solve their next mystery. This has political intrigue, a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and unexplainable deaths. I think once I got past the comparison to Sherlock Holmes (I still do not think they are all that similar) I was able to appreciate these characters on their own. You really start to get a look at who they are outside of their jobs and what struggles they face. Can’t wait until the next one and I’ve actually started another series by this same author after such an enjoyable read!

I don't know why I always go into Robert Jackson Bennett's books thinking I'm not going to love them, but that was the case with this. After reading the first book, I felt like it didn't really need a sequel but I am so glad there is one! This book really dives deeper into the world, the politics, and the characters. While I didn't enjoy this book quite as much as the first one, I still had a lot of fun reading it! My only complaint is that I wish the Leviathans were an even bigger part of the story! The murder mysteries are so well thought out and it's been fun solving them alongside the main character Din, and Ana. There hasn't been a single time that I've been like "that doesn't make sense!". I'm really looking forward to where this story goes!

An intriguing and dynamic follow-up to the Tainted Cup. The beginning of this novel started off with a typical locked room mystery, but it soon built itself out to a dynamic and layered exploration of politics and power. Robert Jackson Bennet masterfully weaves in whimsy, gore, mystery, emotion, and a dash of existential crisis within one novel. This is a series I will continue to recommend to many of my friends and my audience.

i hope there are many more mysteries for din and ana. they're so entertaining and the world they investigate is so entertaining, so atmospheric. fantastically fun.

I loved the first one and this doesn’t disappoint. Absolutely loved spending more time in this crazy world that really draws me in. And beyond the atmosphere, our two MCs are just a pleasure to hang out with. Alongside all of the interesting side characters and crazy shenanigans.

*A Drop of Corruption* is the second installment in Robert Jackson Bennett's Shadow of the Leviathan series. Set in the politically unstable canton of Yarrowdale, the story follows investigator Ana Dolabra and her assistant Dinios Kol as they delve into the mysterious death of a Treasury officer. The case leads them into a web of deception involving impersonation, murder, and a severed head left in a bank vault. Bennett masterfully blends fantasy elements with a classic detective narrative, creating a compelling and intricate mystery.
The novel is praised for its richly imagined world, complex characters, and a plot that keeps readers engaged until the very end. Ana and Dinios's dynamic adds depth to the story, and the exploration of themes such as power, identity, and morality adds layers to the narrative.

I don't even know where to begin on how much I love these characters. Din and Ana, my chaotic, disastrous loves. RJB knocks it out of the park again with a murder mystery surrounded by utterly unique world-building and magic systems. I can never predict where these are going to go, but the groundwork is always there, and it's just such a trip getting there. And that ending!! Next book, now! Please!

I like this series so much I've been reading reviews and interviews by the author because I can't get enough, and there are only two books so far. Some books just work, and these are some of the most intriguing stories I've read for a while.
Din is the one who has to go out into the world and see all the weird things while Ana usually stays back, but she has to sacrifice her peace to learn more in this volume. Her relationship with Din is so funny to me because he always thinks he's hiding things from her, but she sees more blindfolded than normal people do with eyes wide open and bright lights.
This is only the second and there's so much more weirdness, and again, the weirdness is so horrifying. This is such a fun horror/mystery/fantasy combo.

I love Ana e Din, love this world where magic and technology mixes and people is augmented to to achieve the highest level of performance. A world so similar to our world but also so alien.
This is is a story of power, betrayal, a fantasy whodunnit mixed with a pinch of thriller. Ana is as intriguing as she was in the first book, Din is complex and we get to know more about him.
An intriguing and gripping novel, excellent storytelling, great world building.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

If you liked book one then you'll like this one! Ana and Din are back at it again! Some secrets about Ana are finally getting revealed and their personalities play off each other so well. There are also some great new characters added! I had an amazing time with this story. I love the blend of fantasy with a Sherlock Holmes-ian mystery. The mystery in this book had me intrigued the whole time. However, learning about a completely different part of the world (Yarrowdale) was the most interesting for me. The politics, culture, magic, and technology grow so much. I can't wait for more of these books!

Robert Jackson Bennett delivers another atmospheric, mind-bending mystery in A Drop of Corruption, the second installment of the Shadow of the Leviathan series—and it may just be even better than The Tainted Cup.

The novel opens with a deliciously classic setup: a locked-room mystery in a swamp-side canton on the fringes of the Empire. A Treasury officer disappears from his well-guarded quarters, only to be found dead, miles away in the wetlands, in a manner that defies all logic. Investigator Ana Dolabra and her assistant Dinios Kol are dispatched to Yarrowdale to unravel the impossible. But what starts as a contained mystery quickly expands into a grand conspiracy that threatens the Empire itself, revolving around the enigmatic and dangerous facility known as the Shroud—where the blood of fallen Titans fuels volatile, empire-sustaining magic.

The worldbuilding here is nothing short of spectacular. The setting shifts dramatically from the sea-walled city of the first book to a rotting swamp kingdom teetering between imperial rule and monarchical autonomy. Every location—from the lush decay of Yarrowdale to the ominous depths of the Shroud—is richly drawn and steeped in unease. The grotesque and fascinating biological magic system is pushed to new extremes, deepening the sense of wonder and danger that permeates the narrative.

While the mystery itself is filled with sharp twists and clever deductions, it also serves as a vehicle for peeling back layers of the series’ most enigmatic character: Ana Dolabra. Bennett continues to prove himself a master of genre fusion, blending high-concept fantasy with classic detective fiction, political intrigue, and philosophical undertones. The result is a novel that’s both intellectually stimulating and wildly entertaining.

Final Thoughts
A Drop of Corruption is a triumph—an inventive, immersive, and twist-filled mystery that expands its world and characters in all the right ways. With unforgettable settings, creepy magic, and a tightly plotted whodunit at its core, this is a must-read for fans of fantasy mysteries and complex, imaginative storytelling. The Shadow of the Leviathan series is shaping up to be something truly special.

A good follow up to The Tainted Cup that builds on the world while anchoring it with our two lead protagonists, Ana and Din. The dynamic between them is so Sherlock and Watson, and I think any fan of that will looooove this. What I love most of Bennett's writing is how layered he makes these mysteries - I am quite literally unable to predict what will happen next.