The Tainted Cup
an exceptional fantasy mystery with a classic detective duo
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5.0 • 9 Ratings
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
'Part Sherlock Holmes murder mystery, part Through the Looking-Glass, The Tainted Cup is one of the wildest, most original stories' WESLEY CHU
An eccentric detective and her long-suffering assistant untangle a web of magic, deceit, and murder in this sparkling fantasy reimagining of the classic crime novel - from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy.
A peculiar crime. A brilliant investigator. A mystery of epic proportions.
In an opulent mansion at the borders of the Empire, an Imperial officer lies dead - killed when a tree spontaneously erupted from his body. Even here, where contagions abound and the blood of the Leviathans works strange magical changes, it's a death at once terrifying and impossible.
Called in to solve the crime is Ana Dolabra, an investigator whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricity. At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory.
Soon, the mystery leads to a scheme that threatens the safety of the Empire itself. For Ana, all this makes for a deliciously thorny puzzle - at last, something to truly hold her attention. And Din? He'll just have to hold on for the ride.
READERS LOVE ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT
'This is that rare thing - a book so good that you are bereft when you reach the final page. I loved this and would spend much more time in its world' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'Utterly riveting read from beginning to end. Another mind blowing innovative world-build' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I couldn't put this one down and read waaay into the night to discover who did what to whom - and came away with a massive book hangover that had me dreaming of Bennett's world for the rest of the week' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'I adored this book! Can't recommend it enough. Murder mystery in a fantasy setting with botanical murder weapons, augmented humans and leviathans threatening to breach city walls! It was such a wonderful, exciting book!' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
'This book destroyed those expectations. This was fantastic' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
AUTHORS LOVE ROBERT JACKSON BENNETT
'Engrossing and fascinating' MUR LAFFERTY
'A masterstroke. I want Bennett to write a dozen of these, and send them to me yesterday' MAX GLADSTONE
'Original, imaginative, and suspenseful' MEG GARDINER
'Riveting' AMAL EL-MOHTAR
'If you love unique, genre-bending, boundary-pushing fantasy as much as I do, look no further than Robert Jackson Bennett' FONDA LEE
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Bennett (the Founders trilogy) brilliantly melds genres in this exceptional mystery-fantasy, the first in his Shadow of the Leviathan series. Dinios Kol has been tapped to serve as the new assistant to Ana Dolabra, an eccentric investigator with a reputation for solving cases blindfolded and without leaving her home. Dolabra's recently been reassigned from the Khanum Empire's richest enclaves to a dull backwater, where she and Kol get a knotty problem to untangle. Kol, whose prior experience consists of investigating pay fraud in the Khanum military, is dispatched to the scene of an unnatural death at the estate of the Haza clan, one of the wealthiest in the land, who mysteriously maintain a house out in the sticks. Commander Taqtasa Blas was found in a guest bedroom with some leafy trees sprouting through his body. Blas, a friend of the Hazas, had a reputation for harassing the estate's female staff. Kol uses magic fluid to "engrave" the crime scene, impressing every detail on his mind to relate to his superior. Dolabra is intrigued by the apparently supernatural killing and sets about using her superior deductive skills to identify the killer. The worldbuilding is immediately involving, Bennett's take on a classic detective duo dynamic feels fresh and exciting, and the mystery itself twists and turns delightfully. Readers will be wowed.
Customer Reviews
❤️👍
Brilliant
One of the best fantasy books I have read