A fantasy police procedural is exactly the genre that I didn't know I needed, but I fell deeply in love with the combination when I read The Tainted Cup. I was joyful when I realized that it would become a series, and couldn't quite get my hands on this second book fast enough to suit me.

Readers, this book did not disappoint! This installment builds on the characters and events from The Tainted Cup, so I'll keep my review vague so as not to spoil the unique experience you will enjoy there. A Drop of Corruption dials up the fast-paced investigation portion of the story, which was enjoyable for me but felt like a slight pivot from the fantastical world building we got in the first book. It was fun to follow along as Din and Ana follow clues, react to the twists, and handle their business in the way only they can. The investigation takes center stage, but the fantasy elements are still strong and vibrant throughout.

This is such a unique genre mashup and I love that Robert Jackson Bennett is thriving in this space. How refreshing!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Ray (Random House) for allowing me to accompany Din and Anna on this adventure in exchange for my honest review.

A Drop of Corruption is a perfect sequel that further builds the world while also keeping to a self contained mystery. This time Ana and Din are far from home, putting them out of their element.we get to see more of how the Leviathan bodies are used, and get some reveals that lead to deeper questions. I can’t wait to see where this story goes next.

Note: ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Title: A Drop of Corruption    
Author: Robert Jackson Bennett
Genre: Mystery/Thriller, fantasy    
Rating: 4 out of 5 

In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, an impossible crime has occurred. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air—abducted from his quarters while the door and windows remained locked from the inside, in a building whose entrances and exits are all under constant guard.

To solve the case, the Empire calls on its most brilliant and mercurial investigator, the great Ana Dolabra. At her side, as always, is her bemused assistant Dinios Kol.

Before long, Ana’s discovered that they’re not investigating a disappearance, but a murder—and that the killing was just the first chess move by an adversary who seems to be able to pass through warded doors like a ghost, and who can predict every one of Ana’s moves as though they can see the future.

Worse still, the killer seems to be targeting the high-security compound known as the Shroud. Here, the Empire's greatest minds dissect fallen Titans to harness the volatile magic found in their blood. Should it fall, the destruction would be terrible indeed—and the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic that allows its wheels of power to turn.

Din has seen Ana solve impossible cases before. But this time, with the stakes higher than ever and Ana seemingly a step behind their adversary at every turn, he fears that his superior has finally met an enemy she can’t defeat.

The world this is set in so strange to me—but its uniqueness makes it a lot of fun to read. Ana’s just as a crazy as can be and you never know what she’s going to do or say next, which adds a whole other level of entertainment to reading. Kol is a great character: sometimes he’s super smart and observant, sometimes, he’s fumbling around in Ana’s shadow like the rest of us. I did figure out who was behind everything before the big reveal, but I think that was sheer luck. If you’re looking for something unique to read, give this a shot.

Robert Jackson Bennett is an award-winning author. A Drop of Corruption is his newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House Publishing Group in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 4/7).

Thank you netgalley for the e-arc!
4.5 ⭐️
I really loved this sequel to The Tainted Cup! RJB creates such a strong atmosphere in these books that I felt transported. It was damp and dark and creepy as Din and Ana were trying to solve this mystery, but the interactions between them were also really funny and helped balance the story.
The mystery story was really interesting and well thought out in my opinion! It had a good number of twists that I never guessed either at all or until right before they were revealed. It was a very satisfying mystery that wrapped up all of its threads at the end and felt well foreshadowed. The only part I wasn’t super excited about was the political treaty meetings subplot, but I do like what it added to the story
This book also gave us more background on the history of the kingdom and the magic system, which was cool
Overall, I’ve really been enjoying this series, and I hope we get many books with Din and Ana!

As a longtime Robert Jackson Bennett reader, there’s one thing I know: he always writes a great sequel. A Drop of Corruption is no exception!

Din and Ana travel to the edge of the empire to solve an impossible disappearance. They find themselves in a small, backwater outpost that produces the most valuable reagents in the empire.

This mystery is perfect. No frustrating misdirects here, just a masterful example of a mystery so complex that you’re peeling back layers until the final pages. The new characters are written with as much care and nuance as our MCs. Din and Ana’s relationship is just as odd and touching as before, but both characters are given more depth. You even get some answers about Ana’s background (that, of course, only lead to more questions).

I devoured this in one weekend. In typical RJB fashion, the book is a complete story that will leave you feeling satisfied. Fans of The Tainted Cup will adore this sequel!

Robert Bennett does it again with A Drop of Corruption. I knew as I read every perfect chapter that this was a five star read for me, and by the end I was not disappointed. This is a truly perfect murder mystery meets political thriller. Din and Ana are the ultimate crime fighting, justice seeking duo and I am so excited to see what’s to come for both of them in future stories. Din and Ana both continue to grow as individuals and as a team and their bond and trust is beautiful. This book series is the perfect combination of fantasy meets Sherlock Holmes and I cannot get enough!

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ana and Din go to the city of Yarrow to solve a perplexing kidnapping, but soon find it was murder. This starts an intense cat-and-mouse chase for a man who may be able to outwit even Ana.

I adored The Tainted Cup, and I didn't have a single qualm about the sequel. My faith was rewarded! Everything I loved about the first book returned, but with added layers and understanding. I no longer had an entire world to understand, just one beleaguered city and its surroundings.

Certainly, the world building was just as deep as the first book, and the intrigues just as intricate, but I felt I understood Din a little better in this book. It was Ana that got a surprising amount of development, but not a lot of backstory. We still don't know where she came from, or who she really is, but I'm looking forward to finding out!

As with the first book, the side characters came to life, and I particularly enjoyed Malo! Smart, competent, brave, and brash, she was a highlight of the book.

I can't say enough about the world or the city or the Shroud. It was all rendered beautifully in Din's perspective. I could feel how awe inspired he was, how curious, and how he sometimes felt cynical, but not about the world around him. It's fitting that the books are told from Din's viewpoint, for he is an observer, and it's his job to remember. What he also adds is an ability to put things together - not like Ana, but in his own way.

Honestly, I feel like I've just had a very satisfying meal. Hopefully, I won't starve before the next book!

In the second book of the series, Ana and her assistant Kol are sent to solve the ultimate locked door mystery. Naturally, nothing is as it seems and there is more than just a drop of corruption at work. I love this world and the characters. In addition to a great plot, we learn a little more about Ana and get a deeper look into Kol's motivations. I loved this book and can't wait for the next one. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5* rounded up

I adored the first mystery and couldn’t wait to pick up this one. The characters are the main draw. They are lifelike and quirky and I want to know so much more about them. I’m definitely rooting for them. Also, the world the author has drawn here is so interesting. It’s well-written and every novel seems to take place in a new city, which starts filling in the history and details of the larger world picture.

I didn’t enjoy this mystery as much as the first novel. I’m not sure why. It was intricate and detailed and pulled in so many aspects of the world Ana and Din inhabit. We learn a lot about the Shroud and how the world’s magic has evolved. There are a lot of details about the mysteries of the Empire and the ancient people who ran it. The mystery is complicated. It’s not easy to guess and it also furthers the overarching plot: what is Ana and how does the empire as a whole function?

Watching Ana and Din unravel how someone could have been murdered in a locked room was very interesting. The details of the murder and how it occurred were interesting and engaging. I like when loose ends of a mystery are tied up at the end and nothing is left for the reader to guess and that’s how this mystery finished.

Din acts a bit strange in this sequel. Dealing with Ana is difficult, but he seems to lament his position more now because he wants to “do more” and unlike in the first book, he’s become a bit of an addict. He’s a bit annoying in this book and since we live in his head that coloured the reading experience.

There was also a point where Din and Ana talk about all the places they’ve visited and solved mysteries and I wondered if I’d missed a book. I double-checked and I haven’t. It threw me a bit.

We are teased with information about Ana, again, and I continue to hope we will get more information as the series goes on. I definitely recommend this book if you enjoyed the first. I will be watching out for the next in this series.

I loved the first book and was excited to see if the next lived up to that first effort and, well, it does.

This is a great inventive world: the intertwining of religion, mythology and detection with a world that is somewhat medieval yet completely different makes the description and the background less annoying and more fresh. Our two main characters, Ana and Din, are still figuring out their relationship as boss and assistant, and the limitations put on them by a strictly ordered society adds to the innovation. As for the mystery, it's definitely not cut-and-dried, the twists are never obviously telegraphed. And then there's the Shroud...

eARC provided by publisher via Netgalley.

This book series is truly unlike anything else I’ve ever read. From the magic system to the mind bending mystery’s to the giant monsters that could attack at any moment there is not a dull moment! I loved A Drop of Corruption maybe even more than in loved book one. We get to know Din and Ana a little bit more as they tackle a case that defies all logic. A missing persons case soon turns into a murder investigation with political intrigue that will leave you with whip lash. This series is destined to go down as one of the all time greats! A must read for any fantasy or mystery fans.

What I love most about A Drop of Corruption--and Robert Jackson Bennett's ongoing series--is how seamlessly, and seemingly without strain, he integrates various genres. This is a locked-room mystery, but also a Weird fantasy with titans and baroque bio-ecological implications, and a political fantasy with royalty and court intrigue. He then grounds these genre acrobatics in outstanding, engaging character development, and the book races along. It's just a joy to read, despite all of the sophisticated engineering of so many rich thematic and genre ingredients. Highly recommended.

The second book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series builds on the world introduced in The Tainted Cup. Like The Tainted Cup, A Drop of Corruption follows another unique mystery to be solved by the Sherlock-Watson inspired pair, Ana Dolabra and Din. This story revolves around the mysterious disappearance of a treasury officer in a canton at the edge of the Empire. The political machinations of a nation on the brink of absorption into the Empire and the mysterious Shroud lurking in the distance serve as both the context for the mystery and an extension of our knowledge of this new world.

These mysteries feel particularly fresh with the addition of clues that rely on a world we’re still learning. That’s not to say the revelations come out of nowhere- there are enough clues that they can be pieced together, but, for me at least, they’re only clear in hindsight. I’m excited to follow Din and Dolabra in solving more mysteries from this world!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley.

Ooh, this was every bit as good as the first volume and more. The politics of the empire grows more complex and complicated, the world-building grows in shape, the intrigue is exhilarating. The villain was terrific and terrifying, the writing crisp and delicious. I loved the direction this book took. If you enjoyed the first book, I think you'll have at least as much fun reading this one.

I found Din's development and Ana's characterisation particularly enjoyable (and the scenes evoking classic crime novel tropes? Just, so fun). But then there was the new character, Malo, whom I loved from her first appearance on the page.

Very well constructed mystery elements, excellent fantasy writing, and now I must wait on tenterhooks for whatever comes next (I hope it comes soon).

An enthralling mystery with a captivating cast of characters, set in a magnificent imaginary, sometimes wild, world.

This is my first book from Robert Jackson Bennet.
I hadn't even read the first book of the Ana and Din series, so I did not really know what to expect.

The prologue sets the premises and quickly introduces Ana as "a woman so brilliant she lives most of her days blindfolded and rarely leaves her rooms, for fear that common life shall overwhelm her mind" and Dinios as "assistant investigator to Ana": "his mind is altered so he forgets nothing".

That's all I had to start imagining them: Din is already active from the beginning of the book, so you quickly get a feel for him.
But Ana is always mentioned, everybody waits for her to come and intervene in the investigation, her reputation definitely precedes her, but while the scene is set for the mystery and Din is gathering all the information, Ana has yet to arrive.
And when we meet her, oh what a surprise!!!!
I pictured her superbilliant, but helpless: poor little wimpy genius who needs to live secluded to be protected by external dangers and stimuli (sort of a Minority Report precog). And what a wonder! I don't want to say more as I don't want to spoil it, in case some other reader might approach the book totally unprepared like me: it has been such a pleasant, curious discovery!

As for the overall book, A Drop of Corruption develops the characters of Ana and Din and the Empire's universe, through the story of an apparently unsolvable mystery: someone has disappeared and then found dead, but, the last time he was seen, he was in a room with guards outside his door and all doors and windows were locked. How could someone get in and out to kidnap and kill the victim, if nobody saw anything and if there are no traces of break-in?
As the investigation unfolds and more elements are provided, the scenery gets richer and richer, the settings are put into focus: the Shroud, the jungle, the river, the canals... you almost feel as if you were in the boat with Din. The characters are explored and reveal more of themselves and their realm. I sometimes struggled with the cast of characters, and was getting confused about who was in charge of what and what their stakes were, but the dynamics were so interesting, that at times it didn't even matter anymore. I just enjoyed so much reading about Ana, Din and Malo and how they would deal with whatever was thrown at them.

It's a dark fantasy, with a pervasive sense of gloomy hopelessness: I guess it makes Ana's dedication even more rare and makes you want to read the next books to figure out what her secrets are and if there will be some sort of happy ending, for a better Empire, at the end of the series.
The mystery is well set, clues are provided without leaving any loose ends and without wasting time on useless deceits to confuse the reader.
The best feature of this book for me has been the characters: well thought of, deep and yet revealed little by little with so much more to discover, enhanced with odd and peculiar "superpowers" that slowly chip away at their wholeness in unpredictable ways.

It has been a really intriguing read, combining artfully dark fantasy and crime investigation, with an amazingly rich cast of characters, unveiled little by little through carefully timed revelations.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A Touch of Corruption delivers a masterfully crafted world that feels like the lovechild of Attack on Titan and Hell's Paradise - a comparison that doesn't come lightly from me. This follow-up dives deeper into the empire's intricate politics while simultaneously layering on additional mysteries that had me turning pages well into the night.

What truly elevates this narrative is the dynamic relationship between Din and Ana. Their connection defies simple categorization, constantly evolving throughout the story. One moment, they embody a mentor/mentee dynamic; the next, they shift to caregiver roles or display sibling-like exasperation. This fluidity feels authentic rather than contrived, with each evolution emerging naturally from their shared circumstances and growing understanding of each other.

The pacing deserves special mention. Bennett strikes that elusive balance where the story never drags yet still allows for character development and world-building. There are no lulls where I found myself skimming - instead, each scene pulls its weight, either advancing the plot or deepening our understanding of the characters and their fascinating world.

The empire itself continues to unfold in fascinating ways, revealing layers of corruption (as the title suggests) while maintaining an air of mystery that promises more revelations to come. The world-building shows remarkable restraint - giving us enough detail to feel immersed without overwhelming exposition.

I would readily recommend A Touch of Corruption to anyone who appreciates character-driven mysteries set in richly imagined worlds. Fans of complex relationships and settings where the environment itself feels like a character will find much to love here. RJB has really proven himself as a master of blending genre elements into something that feels both familiar and entirely fresh.

A Drop of Corruption is nothing short of a masterpiece—an electrifying blend of breakneck pacing, intricate world-building, and razor-sharp intrigue. From the very first page, Bennett immerses readers in a world teeming with deception, power struggles, and unexpected turns, crafting a story that is as intellectually stimulating as it is thrilling.
At the heart of this novel lies the enigmatic Shroud, a perilous and mysterious barrier that holds the remains of the colossal Leviathans. The depth of Bennett’s world-building shines through as he unravels the process behind these modifications, offering fascinating insight into the Apoths—the master alchemists responsible for extracting and repurposing these substances. The Shroud isn’t just a scientific curiosity; it’s a political weapon, and its implications ripple through the empire in ways both profound and sinister, adding layers of complexity to an already compelling narrative.
Returning to center stage is the inimitable Ana Dolabra, a detective as brilliant as she is unorthodox. Sharp-witted and endlessly eccentric, she continues to captivate with her peculiar methods and unconventional insights. Bennett deepens her characterization in this installment, offering a richer understanding of her worldview and her evolving perspective on the empire. Her dynamic with Din also takes on new depth, reflecting the natural evolution of their partnership.
Ultimately, A Drop of Corruption delivers everything one could hope for in a sequel—high stakes, intricate mysteries, and characters that continue to evolve in surprising ways.

A drop of corruption is a fantasy mystery novel and the sequel to the tainted cup. I absolutely loved the first book in this series so I was really excited for this one but unfortunately, it disappointed me a bit. Just like with the first book, I still loved the main characters. My main problem was that for some reason I was unable to truly get into the story and was bored.. I do think I might reread this someday to see if my thoughts change and I will still be giving book 3 a chance.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ A Thrilling, Unforgettable Masterpiece!

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett is an absolute triumph—fast-paced, thought-provoking, and brimming with intrigue. From the very first chapter, Bennett’s masterful world-building and razor-sharp prose pull you into a world of deception, power struggles, and unexpected twists.

The characters are complex and compelling, each driven by their own motivations, making every interaction feel layered and unpredictable. The tension builds beautifully, keeping you on edge as secrets unravel and the stakes grow ever higher. Bennett’s ability to blend political intrigue, rich atmosphere, and deeply human struggles is truly remarkable.

If you love intelligent, gripping storytelling with a perfect balance of action and depth, A Drop of Corruption is a must-read. Highly recommended!

A Drop of Corruption is everything I could want from the sequel to The Tainted Cup. Robert Jackson Bennett brings us another classic detective story in a grim but vibrant world that expands on not only the world but the characters as well.

This book introduces to the world the Shroud, a dangerous and mysterious barrier that contains the corpses of the Leviathans that provide the basis for all the alchemical-like grafts and enhancements that the Empire of Khanum uses. I loved learning more about how the Apoths create those substances and the political implications of the Shroud wove in well with what we already knew about the empire while adding new layers of intrigue.

Our Holmesian detective Ana Dolabra is just as genius, crass and eccentric as she was in the first book. Her strange rituals and peculiar way of putting information together continues to provide entertainment. Aside from her appreciating her wit we also gain a little more understanding of her views on the empire and her relationship with Din. There is a real feeling that they've been working together for some time now, and they both have adapted to that. The duo feels much more cohesive as a unit, as one would expect! I also appreciated seeing Din more comfortable in his role and his internal motivations beginning to seep into the story in ways they hadn't before.

The mystery at the core of the book is full of twists and turns but never lost me. I found myself figuring out the meaning of some important clues while being entirely baffled by others until the moment Ana points out the crucial connection and it all slides into place. The fantastical elements are never used to entirely obscure the truth, only to add another layer of complexity, being told what sort of things could be done in this world before they're used to reveal the culprit's scheme or identity. Just like in the first, it felt no different than reading a mystery centered around some real world field I was unfamiliar with, such as engineering, but was given the crucial parts to understand how it changes the plot.

I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed the first, as well as to fans of classic detective stories like Agatha Christie's and more grounded fantasies. The beginning of the book provides a short introduction to the world, so in theory you could jump into the series in this book, though I think it would be depriving yourself of the masterpiece that is The Tainted Cup.

*Thank you to Del Rey/Random House and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!