Master detective Ana and her young assistant Din are again required to solve murders in a world threatened by leviathans. The book begins with a locked room mystery and progresses to other puzzling deaths. They are assisted by warden Tira Malo, who is gruff, perceptive and determined.

My favorite book by this author is still “City of Stairs”, but I am also enjoying this series/ trilogy. This book was a little too busy for me, with more political intrigue than I wanted. Sometimes I found the plot too convoluted and difficult to follow. However, I still love the Ana/ Din collaboration, and Malo was also a very entertaining character. If there is a third book, I will definitely read it. Andrew Fallaize did an excellent job narrating the audiobook.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

Thank you Del Rey and NetGalley for an eARC!

4.5 stars

Another fun murder mystery with Din and Ana! I think I still liked book 1 just a tiny bit more, but this one is still amazing. We got to learn a lot about Ana even though now I just have even more questions. The new characters that were introduced were great and I hope we see more of one in the next book.

5/5 stars
First book in a long while to leave me with a STRONG book hangover. Thanks Ana and Din (and Malo- god I love Malo)!

Hey guys, I’m starting to think, maybe kings are a bad idea? Just putting that out there-

This is going to be less coherent than most of my reviews because I just sat down and read half the book in one sitting. I’ve been yelling about this series to my friends, so I’ll start with the pitch I’ve been giving them:

Murder mysteries! Political intrigue! Eldritch horror! Magic-meets-science derived from the kaiju attacking their cities! Holmes x Watson, with the Holmes stand in is sufficiently off-putting (forget opium use, she’s chowing down on psychedelic mushroom and calf liver slurry!) and our Watson is sufficiently put-upon and queer (but not for Holmes, which is great). The Holmes/Watson dynamic honestly feels reductive here, but it’s a good shorthand. This series is VERY different from “Psych”, but does something similar in starting with the basics of this classic dynamic and zigging in a direction all its own.

I love the puzzle box of the mystery, I love how Bennett lets the reader figure out parts of the solution before the characters but still has Ana’s grand explanation tie everything together in a surprising way. It’s a great combo of feeling so smart for getting some of it and facepalming for the things you missed (for me anyway, your mileage re: mystery solving may vary).

I love the characters. There were a couple things about Ana and Din that seemed like they might be getting retconned at the start of the story, and I was sad, but everything balanced out by the end. I love their dynamic, I loved Din’s interactions with his lust-interest in this book (such a humorous foil to his love/lust interest in the first), and I loved Malo. Most of the quotes I sent my friends were from her.

The best sequels expand on the world of the first- we got that here. The eldritch horror of the Veil (and the jungle camp, though no spoilers there) were well done and the political differences between the Empire and Yarrow were interesting. I love how the magic system of grafts and work with other Leviathan parts straddles the line of magic and science in the way of alchemy. It reminds me a bit of quantum mechanics, trying to divine rules based on study of phenomena that are just so strange our minds have trouble holding them. I can’t say whether or not the Veil is scarier than a Black Hole, but rest assured, I am afraid.

Anyways, 10/10, thank you for no dog murder on the page, I was worried in a few moments, but we made it. Ana and Din forever, I hope Malo comes back, but I trust Bennett to make more side characters I love just as much.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

3.5
While I enjoyed this book, I was also rooting for the culprit most of the time. The author intended the book to be a commentary on autocracy, what it completely missed is the themes of Imperialism and colonialism rampant within the story.
The Empire wants to annex Yarrowdale for its promising geographical location. We are seeing events unfold from the pov of Dinios Kol, a servant of the Empire. Obviously he'll see the Yarrow people as uncouth and uncivilized, in need of the civilized rule of the Empire.
I was expecting the author to subvert these notions in the latter part of the book but that never happened. We didn't see faults in the Empire as a system or beginnings of doubts in Din's mind about the efficacy of the Empire. Yarrowdale remained savage and pitiful in the end and it was unclear what would happen to it now that the Empire has the marrow.
This story uncomfortably reminded me of the British Raj in India. I couldn't help but want the culprit to succeed in the beginning when I was under the impression that he was like a freedom fighter, fighting for the people of Yarrowdale. But that was not the case.
This book was ultimately a quick read and I liked the mystery although I had come to the conclusion before our characters (there were a lot of clues).
Overall, don't think too much if you want to enjoy this book.

an amazing sequel where we follow din & ana while they work out an even more compelling mystery than in the tainted cup. the world and lore get expanded so much in this second installment and i can't wait to find out even more in the next one. rbj is so incredibly creative when it comes to his worldbuilding!

A brilliantly written journey following powerful characters on their mission. Loved the characters and how easily it was to connect with them. And an amazing sequel.

The Sherlock-and-Watson like investigation team from The Tainted Cup take on a new seemingly impossible murder mystery in their leviathan-threatened fantasy empire.

This case quickly expands into a great deal of worldbuilding digging into both the botanical and scientific works that make much of the universe's fantastical forces possible as well as a heap of courtly politics. Every detail matters and the mystery's final solution could rival Agatha Christie at her best.

This second installment in the series also introduces more mystery as to who our Holmes counterpart truly is and where her abilities come from.

While reading The Tainted Cup before this book is best, there is enough of a worldbuilding recap at the start of A Drop of Corruption that you could probably read it on its own, particularly if you love high fantasy. (If, like me, you are more of a mystery fan than a high fantasy reader, stick with the start of the series.)

Despite being different to my usual tastes, this has quickly blossomed into a favorite series! In fact, for the first time ever, I've purchased a special edition of a book that I already read in ebook format. I love it that much.

A twisty, turny captivating read. Despite the length, I tore through this in record time. I was happy to have a few theories from the first book confirmed, and now am anxiously awaking the next one.

It’s been a rainy spring here in Southern Oregon, and coupled with a three week long virus that eventually brought multiple rounds of steroids and antibiotics, I’ve found myself reaching for cozy mysteries that transport me to another world just for a bit.

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett (which came out 4/2), has been exactly what I needed in that regard. It’s the second book in the Shadows of the Leviathan series, which means Ana Dolbara and Dinios Kol are back to solve another mystery. In this case, they are called to investigate a Treasury officer who has disappeared from his locked room and guarded room…into thin air.

True to form for Bennett, the mystery was complex and layered in and of itself while ALSO examining in inherent corruption and greed of autocracies. It has a high fantasy setting with a really complex world and magic system…and yet it also read like a cozy Louise Penny mystery.

Overall, I have really enjoyed this series and think it’s a great fit for people who enjoy Sherlock Holmes style mysteries with a side of high fantasy. Thanks to @netgalley and @delreybooks for the ARC of this one!

This book was just pure delight. The unfolding puzzle box of a mystery never bored, and we spend more time getting to know the horrifying and intriguing Ana and learning more about the world setting and the empire. Din somehow is both very proper and a disaster bisexual, love that for him. But, I am impatiently waiting to learn more about the leviathans!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review.


After reading "The Tainted Cup" I was immedietly looking forward to reading the next installment. I can say with confidence that "A Drop of Corruption" lives up to the expectations set by the first book and does a lot of work to expand upon the characters we know and love as well as their dynamics. As with the first book "A Drop of Corruption" follows Din and Ana as they investigate a strange a brutal murder. I think my favorite part of these mysteries is how they work
to develop the society of Din's world and expose the humanity or lack there of within its inhabitants.

A drop of corruption

5/5⭐️

Ana Delobra has done it again. With the help of her assistant Dinios Kol, she has once again solved the brutal and unexplainable murder mystery. But this time they were called to a different kingdom. One in which not everyone wants to play by the rules of the Empire and the Iudex.
Especially not the King and his court.

This book is next level. The murder is even trickier, the people a lot more stubborn, there‘s a language barrier, Ana is even more cocky than usual and Din is just desperate.
Desperate for Ana to solve this murder, desperate to finally pay off his farther‘s debts and desperate to do what he actually wants to do; to be a protector of his kingdom.

Robert Jackson Bennett crafts a world where political intrigue and rich, vibrant characters collide in a story that is as gripping as it is intricate.
The plot continues to surprise with its twists and turns and just when you think you’ve figured out the direction, the story completely refutes your theories. This case makes Ana and Din reaching their absolute limits.

If you're looking for a thrilling, captivating murder mystery, set in a Fantasy world, A Drop of corruption is a must-read. It’s a brilliantly unpredictable journey you won’t soon forget.

Thank you so much @delrayuk and @Netgalley for the digital ARC!

Perhaps not quite as good as the first in the series. There were a few places that felt like there were too many similies, and too many adjectives.

However, I really enjoyed the development of Din's character in this book. He is still very much a stuffy, upright individual. It is almost as if his true self is guarded not only from those around him, but from the reader as well. Din is so self-contained and careful about giving anything away, that he comes across as stuffy and upright, but then he thinks something and you realize that much of how he behaves in so others will think him older than he is. Or perhaps wiser.

Ana is just as strange as she came across in the first book. The interplay between the guarded and upright Din, and the outrageous and erratic Ana are some of the best parts in the book.

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett is a brilliantly crafted and captivating tale that seamlessly combines elements of fantasy with classic detective fiction. Bennett's storytelling prowess shines through in this compelling narrative, making it a must-read for fans of both genres.

Okay, let me start this off by answering the obvious question: Was this book as good as THE TAINTED CUP?

My answer? No. To be fair, it would have been pretty difficult to top the murder mystery in the first book - I mean come on, a body found with a freaking tree growing out of it?!!

Even though the whodunit was a little less interesting, this book still rated pretty high due to the continued development of the characters of Ana and Din, mostly that of the enigmatic Ana. I wasn't expecting any big insight to her character for at least another book or two, so that was an unexpected treat.

The atmospheric world with its ever expanding magic system continued to delight. On par with the magic is the scientific/alchemical element. I could nerd out reading about the magic/science part of the Empire allllll day long.

Currently working my non spoiler video review, so give me a few days and it'll be posted on my YouTube Channel!

I am concerned about the content I've seen for "A Drop of Corruption" by Robert Jackson Bennet. Y'all really only care about how "tall" Din is?

How to you disappear a person at the top of a tower, in a guarded room, with all the doors and windows locked from the inside? No clue. But the Empire had Ana Dolabra, investigator, with Dinios Kol, assistant, on the case. Except, the missing person might have been horribly dismembered. So now the question is why? Every scrap of evidence seems designed to vex and mislead. Meanwhile a discovery might shake the Empire to its core if stopped.

Reasons to read:
-While super unsettling, Ana purses justice and I appreciate that
-Great side characters
-The back and forth between Din and Ana
-Some pretty pointed lessons we might want to take to heat these days
-More strange alterations and devices made from the Leviathans

Cons:
-Waiting for the next horrible crime to see them again

As a standalone Sherlock/holmes fantasy mystery, this book is absolutely phenomenal. The mystery is so good and RJB can build such a unique and vivid world. I loved this!

However, I was a little disappointed with this insofar as it was a continuation of The Tainted Cup. I wanted to get more answers for my unanswered questions with the last book and perhaps see a little more from the characters than just the same thing in a new setting. I’m hopeful that these two books taken together are building up to some HUGE reveals in the next installment, but I wanted just a little more in this one.

This is one of those relatively unique cases where a book is not for me but I will still frequently recommend it because I know it will be for so many other people.

We are following Din who is the Watson in this fantasy Sherlock Holmes inspired whodunit murder mystery. The magic is plant-based, and our Sherlock is Ana, a quirky whip-smart investigator.

On paper, it sounds totally up my alley and like I should love these books, but there's something about being in Din's head that I can't stand. However, if you loved a Tainted Cup, I think you'll love A Drop of Corruption as well; this book absolutely holds up to what book 1 did. I just also didn't care for that one either.

This was a brilliant follow-up to The Tainted Cup! Like the first book, the mystery of this story was weird (in the best way), full of fun twists and turns, and an absolute page-turner. Not only do you find a well thought-out locked-room murder mystery, but RJB also brilliantly weaves in themes of colonial violence and extractivism, complicating the alleged benevolence of empire.

I also found the world-building and character development to be well-executed, answering several questions I'd had from the first book (while still leaving plenty of questions to keep me eagerly waiting for book 3). RJB's description of leviathans somehow makes it easy to visualize while still having an air of "this is beyond total human comprehension" when writing about leviathans and the empire's repurposing of their corpses. Additionally, we get more backstory of both Ana and Din, some of which only raises more questions about the world this series is set in, and what the empire's true goals really are.

All said, this book was everything I hoped for, and is already my favorite read of 2025. Thanks to NetGalley for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Drop of Corruption finds us again following Dinios Kol, Imperial investigator, on another murder mystery - this time at the far reaches of the Empire. Once again serving alongside Ana Dolabra, a character whose Sherlockian ability to make connections and find meaning in small clues leaves both Kol and the reader with questions about her own identity and Imperial modifications.
Fantasy mystery continues to be a sub-genre that I absolutely devour and adore and Bennett deftly continues the Shadow of the Leviathan series here. I loved Kol’s character arc in this book and the further glimpses of his life as he grapples with his desire to do something within the Empire that feels worthwhile and meaningful while struggling with his father’s debts and his own youthful desires for fun and pleasure. I was delighted we got more of Ana in this one - both her strangeness and also some insight for both the reader and Kol about the truth of her, though it left more questions to be answered in further novels.
The author’s note also makes this one worth reading. Bennett’s reflection on empires and kings in light of the current political climate was an interesting addendum to this book that was so heavily reliant on kings and lineages.
Thank you to Del Rey and Netgalley for an earc