The Tainted Cup

Summary

Robert Jackson Bennett opens a fantasy mystery series in an empire defended by vast sea walls against the monstrous leviathans that surge in each year. Eccentric investigator Ana Dolabra and her assistant Dinios Kol probe a bizarre death and uncover a conspiracy that threatens the realm, in a story that blends a detective procedural with secondary world fantasy and biological magic. Critics praised its inventive worldbuilding and the sharp partnership at its center, drawing comparisons to Sherlock Holmes recast in a strange new setting.