A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett
Narrator: Andrew Fallaize
Series: Shadow of the Leviathan #2
Published by Random House Audio on April 1, 2025
Source: Purchased
Genres: Fantasy, Mystery
Length: 15 hrs 51 mins
Pages: 465
Format: Audiobook
Purchase at Bookshop.org or Audible

The brilliant detective Ana Dolabra may have finally met her match in the gripping sequel to The Tainted Cup—from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy.

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.

I read The Tainted Cup, the first in the series, last year, but apparently didn’t review it. I loved it. The world building is amazing and Ana and Din make a fantastic team. I would read it before starting A Drop of Corruption though. This second kind of drops you into the world and Dinios Kol’s life. The world revolves around the leviathans, giant sea creatures who “attack” the Empire every wet season. The Empire protects the people from these monsters, but the leviathans’ blood has infused the soil, the plants, the creatures. The blood also fuels the Empire’s power and technology.

Ana Dolabra is an brilliant, but eccentric investigator. Din is her assistant, an engraver, magically altered to possess a perfect memory. His job is to observe and report, but he is becoming more adept at putting what he learns together. This time, the two are investigating the disappearance and murder of a Treasury officer, but as soon as Ana arrives on the scene, she states that the case is much more complex than it first appears. And she’s right – it has Empire-wide ramifications.

The mystery’s complex and put together well. Ana has a rival whose intellectual ability my be equal to her own. Thankfully, she has Din to keep her – I don’t want to say grounded, because Ana is many things but grounded is probably not one of them. Din is accustomed to her and resigned more than awed. Maybe he keeps her in touch with society. The mystery is also based in the fantasy aspects of the world, which is something I enjoy when there’s a fantasy of sci fi or even historical setting. I want the settings to be intrinsic to the plot.

I really just loved this one. The characters are the real draw for me, as is often the case, but the mystery is plotted well too. I did guess the whodunnit, but that in no way dampened my enjoyment. It was fun seeing how Ana both figured it out and set the trap. I can’t wait for the next one.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 52 Books in 52 Weeks 2025
• Audiobook Challenge 2025
• Cloak and Dagger 2025