Book Description 

In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.

Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

By an “endlessly inventive” (Vulture) author with a “wicked sense of humor” (NPR), The Tainted Cup mixes the charms of detective fiction with brilliant world-building to deliver a fiendishly clever mystery that’s at once instantly recognizable and thrillingly new.

My Review 

I don’t remember where I heard about this book because I don’t read a ton of fantasy, but it must have been one of those Bookstagram Reels. I borrowed the audiobook on Libby, but didn’t have a chance to finish it before the return date. If you’ve been following my recent reviews, this is definitely a common refrain. I had to put my name back on the list, and I was so excited when I reached the top of the list and was finally able to finish this amazing book. 

The blurb seems to focus on Ana… she’s clearly the brains of the operations, so to speak, but the book is told solely from the perspective of her assistant Din. To be fair, he spends most of the book doing her bidding and exploring avenues (both metaphorical and literal) on her behalf, but he also has moments of brilliance of his own. Ana is abrasive, but she’s always right, so her brusque manner should (and usually is) excused. Din is simply a delight. This is his first job, so he feels a little out of his element, but he gains confidence over the course of the narrative and proves himself worthy of being Ana’s assistant. 

At its most fundamental level, the mystery element of a “government guy” (my words, not Bennett’s)  being found dead is basic, as the kids say. But what sets this book apart is the manner in which the government guy shuffled off his mortal coil: after all, it is not every day that trees explode out of people’s bodies. Yet that is exactly what happened and the implications are terrifying. 

However, the real show stopper here is the fantasy world in which the story is set. There’s the Empire and its factions, but then there’s the populace, many of whom have been chemically enhanced to promote various skillsets. Add in the near-constant threat of attacks by Leviathans, and you have a compelling world with endless possibilities.      

I would absolutely recommend The Tainted Cup. I ended up purchasing the Kindle edition of this book because I enjoyed it so much, and I have already added my name to the queue for the second book in this series. I can’t wait to return to this intriguing world and Ana and Din’s next mystery.