The Tainted Cup

Honestly, this book was fantastic and it put me in the mood for more fantasy as well as influenced me to pick up a manga series that I had forgotten to read. Otherwise, it was a well crafted book with twists and turns that kept me very engaged and that kept me wanting more. So definitely a new favorite.

I loved this book! It was a combination of all of my favorite genres. The story involves solving a mystery that takes place in a fantasy world. There is also political intrigue and a host of interesting characters. Highly recommend this one!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

Literally so good. I ate this up.

To sum it up I thought this was brilliant and consider me another instigator on the hype train. I went in knowing only RJB and mystery...that was enough to know and I think all anyone needs to know to enjoy the unraveling of the story. Except some who need some prodding, it's second world if don't like urban fantasy or care for mystery, I think you'd want to check this out. I thought everything about this world is cool as heck and the next up in the series will be one of my most anticipated releases when it's time. One big thought I have is that this is a first-person, single POV story, so I was worried from get. I find I often struggle with these types of books - some authors fail to make the story interesting for me, getting lost in train-of-thought ramblings that feel like someone put my own thoughts onto the page (you absolutely don't want to read my thoughts, I mean I'm subjecting you to them here, you don't want them in a book too) or offer dull, annoying descriptions of actions by the POV or others. To me it's an art to do first person right, so this is a testament to RBJ's mastery of his craft as an author IMO and although I've only read the Foundryside trilogy I'm thinking this is his magnum opus, time will tell with the rest of the trilogy. The mystery was fantastic and complex, I enjoyed our MC and his bosslady. Other thoughts I'm too lazy to think about more are is this RJB's pandemic book? If so, wow. Is there an undercurrent of commentary on capitalism or globalization? Again, too lazy and those more intellectually inclined brain cells are struggling on the mouse wheel at the moment so that's all I got. Also, audiobook A+++.

4.25 rounded down; It was quite different from the Founders Trilogy and quite enjoyed it! I went with the audiobook all the way but wished I read alongside it, especially because of the names (fantasy problems). Despite the Holmes/Watson-esque duo, I loved that the focus was on our “Watson”, and getting to learn more about him. Excited to see what's to come!

This was a really cool mystery book where I liked the central mystery and thought it was added to by the imaginative worldbuilding and interesting characters. The central relationship between the MC and his mentor was well done, obviously inspired by Holmes/Watson but different enough to be doing its own thing. Tainted Cup isn't a new favorite, but I enjoyed the entire journey and I will definitely read the next one.

dnf 30%

Having read Robert Jackson Bennett previously and enjoying his writing style, I was excited to see he was coming out with a new book! First of all, like Foundryside, I was initially drawn to this absolutely beautiful cover. Although I'm not usually into detective type of stories, I decided to give this one a try due to enjoying his writing style and this does not disappoint. It's more a futuristic novel with human enhancements, different types of societies and ways of life. If you love books where plants do unusual things and quirky characters, you'll love this!

This was my first book by this author, but I'll definitely be continuing the series! The Tainted Cup is at first a conventional mystery, but it's set in a fantastical world with a threat of leviathans looming. There is lots of intrigue, some politics and plenty of murder!

Narration: First person past tense, single POV
Diversity: bi main character with dyslexia

What a slog. I almost tapped out at 80% but skimmed through the rest just to punish myself for blindly trusting a Goodreads rating.

This mystery/fantasy starts off with a dead body at a country estate. The estate belongs to one of the most rich and powerful families in the empire.
Din is the assistant to the brilliant investigator Ana. Since she rarely leaves her home, she sends Din to see what he can find. Din has been magically enhanced to remember everything he sees so he can report back to Ana.
What he finds is a man killed by the plant growing out of his body.

Meanwhile, leviathans continue to batter the walls trying to breach the city. If they succeed, murder by contagion will be the least of Din's problems.

I loved this book so much! Ana is fantastic! She is brilliant, eccentric, and very funny. Din is great as well. They are a formidable pair! Definitely my favorite book of the year so far.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an e-arc.

This book was exceptional! What a great story! It totally kept my attention from start to finish even though it was heavy on the world building, and technical when it came to explaining how things functioned in this original fantasy world.

The plot was so well developed and thought through! I love the unique setting with the massive leviathan monsters that are kind of looming over the entire book as a potential threat. The gigantic layered walls built to keep them out and a military society built constantly fight them off is very reminiscent of Attack of the Titans and I'm not mad about it.

The murder mystery element was amazing as well. No random tidbits thrown out throughout the book are wasted and every character we meet has a purpose.

Din and Ana were such great characters, and were the perfect duo; very reminiscent of Holmes and Watson. I love how brilliant and chaotic Ana is, and how she held all of her deductions close to herself to surprise both the reader and the other book characters when the time was right. Din on the other hand is straight-laced and proper but is willing to step outside of this box when necessary for his ambition and the greater good.

I'm really hoping that future books would give us more background information and insight into Ana character. There is so much more that can be explored in the plot and I cant wait to see where this series goes!

I'm so impressed with this book and would recommend it to anyone what wants to read a solid murder mystery set in a fantasy world with great characters, unique setting, and captivating plot.

I received this as an ARC from Netgalley.

Robert Jackson Bennett is among my favourite fantasy writers, and has been since I took a copy of The Troupe out of the library and flipped for it. He's put out something like eight or nine books now, and they've all been highly readable, and what's more, highly imaginative. The core fantasy ideas here are plant magic and huge leviathans rising out of the seas (which I think we will learning a lot more about in coming books), but the form of the book is more like a crime novel, as it foregrounds a bizarre murder investigation in this world. The world building and characterisation are top notch. Ana Dolabra and Dinias Kol are two highly engaging characters, and I'm really looking forward to seeing more of their cases

This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.

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What’s The Tainted Cup About?

This is a Mystery/Detective novel set in a Fantasy world. But to say that almost diminishes it. This is a Fantasy world you’re not used to seeing—well, I’m not anyway, you might be better read in the genre than I am. At the core of the mystery story are tropes, characters, motives, and twists that anyone familiar with that genre will recognize and resonate with. Combining the two genres here only serves to make them better.

The instigating event is the murder of a significant, but not hugely important, military figure on an estate of one of the most powerful and rich families in the Empire. That’s enough to get the official investigator, Ana Dolabra, and her assistant, Dinios Kol, involved. When you add in the cause of death—a clutch of trees erupted from the Commander’s chest—well, that’s definitely going to get some official notice. And quickly put you in a Fantasy world. Feel free to read that cause of death a couple of times, it’s still not going to make sense.

There’s just so much to talk about with The Tainted Cup—I’m going to talk about some of the best parts of this book as you would an Oreo cookie. The Mystery part is the creamy center (at least a Double Stuff in this case), and then the crispy cookie halves of the World Building/Setting and the Science of this World.

The Mystery

I already wrote a section below that quibbles with the official description, and I feel bad about doing that twice (am I risking future NetGalley approvals by this?), but I have to. It starts off by saying, “A Holmes and Watson–style detective duo.” You can maybe stretch things and call Ana Dolabra a Holmes-type character. Maybe. But outside of being the first-person narrator, there is nothing Dr. Watson-esque about Dinios Kol. I do not know if Bennett is a Rex Stout/Nero Wolfe reader. I suspect he is, though, because Dolabra and Kol are firmly in the Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin mold. (there are other versions of this duo, Pentecost and Parker and Jake and the Fatman spring to mind, but there are others).

I mention this because I think the duo of Wolfe and Archie is one of the greatest achievements in Detective Fiction, and will joyously talk at length about them at length at any opportunity. Bennett using these types at the center of this book almost automatically guaranteed that I’m going to enjoy it. Particularly if he does it successfully. And, boy howdy, does he.

Ana Dolabra is a brilliant and eccentric figure. Our Nero Wolfe. She can be pressed into politeness with enough reason, but on the whole, she’s blunt, crass, and solely focused on things that interest her. For a variety of reasons, Ana rarely leaves her quarters, instead, she has clues, interviewees, and suspects brought to her (and frequently, those she reports to, too). More than once she brings suspects and interview subjects together to question and/or to reveal a solution, putting on a show for others.

She has a new assistant, Dinios Kol, to serve as her eyes and ears in the outside world—and to bring back those bits of the world she needs to do her work. Thanks to a special augmentation, he has a perfect and permanent memory and will remember entire conversations and things he sees perfectly, with the ability to describe them to the detail Ana needs. He looks at crime scenes, records, bodies, etc. for her, conducts initial interviews with witnesses and experts, and so on. He also seems to do his best to keep her interactions with others at socially-appropriate levels (although this is a challenge). If this isn’t Archie Goodwin to a T.

They’ve been working together for a while now—mostly on fraud cases. This is their first murder case—and they wrap it up quickly and efficiently. Except, Ana is pretty sure that this murder will be linked to others—something more than murder is afoot here, she’s certain. And she’s right. (I assume this is almost always the case—Dinios certainly does)

Soon, she and her assistant are assigned to help in the investigation in a nearby city where several others have been killed in the same way. Dinios is partnered up with an experienced Assistant Investigator, Capt. Tazi Miljin, who does some on-the-job training and mentoring while working the case.

Soon, they determine that this isn’t just a murder case—nor is it several connected murder cases, there is something much bigger going on. Something that puts an entire city—possibly the entire Empire—at risk.

The World

I don’t know that I want to get too in-depth here, because the discovery of it all* is part of the magic of this book.

* And by “all,” I mean all that Bennett is going to share with us in this book—there’s much more to learn in books to come.

We find ourselves in a minor city in an Empire at the beginning of the novel before we move to a larger city, a major center of military importance. We don’t know a lot about this Empire—it’s centuries old, there are civic religions/cults but we see very few true adherents, and many people are cynical about the government. But it doesn’t matter—they need the Empire to keep them alive. So they push on.

The military isn’t focused on other nations/city-states/bands of roving mercenaries or outside human threats (although they do take the time to focus on bands of deserters). Instead, they’re focused on the seas. Each year, during the rainy season, monstrously large sea creatures they dub Leviathans (both think and don’t think about other Leviathans you’ve come across—other than large, water-bound, and scary) attempt to come ashore and snack on humans, cattle, whatever.

Places like Talagray, where we spend most of the novel, exist to maintain the wall between sea and land—leviathan and Empire—it’s a massive wall (massive in a way I cannot get across to you) with the occasional weapons mounted to attack the leviathan. I saw Talagray as sort of Jackson’s vision of Minas Tirith, but flattened to one elevation. I’m not sure if that’s what Bennet was going for, but that’s what my mind saw. Maybe a little muddier.

While the local canton is concerned with the murders, naturally, their primary concern during this season is the maintenance of the wall. Some of these murders have threatened the integrity of the wall in important ways, threatening all of Talagray. As important as solving the murder is—stopping further murders and therefore preventing further damage to the wall is far more important. Also…they probably have something special in store for anyone who’d risk the wall in any way.

The Science

I’m disagreeing a bit here with the official description—so take my observation with a grain of salt (but I stand by it). There’s no magic in this Fantasy novel—which, sure, happens sometimes. But it’s still strange and notable.

What this novel does have is “sufficiently advanced technology [which] is indistinguishable from magic.” It’s not often that I get to apply Clarke’s Third Law this way, but it works. This is a very technological society, but nothing we’d recognize, really. There are no circuits anywhere, no electricity…horses and carts are the primary means of transportation for those who are going too far or need to go too quickly to walk. But they practice all sorts of engineering feats, genetic manipulation, medical marvels, and so on.

The source of their raw materials? The Leviathans that threaten them all. When these Leviathans die/are killed, the Empire’s scientists harvest blood, tissue, and bone for all sorts of things to accomplish the above. Leviathan bone is difficult to shape, but it results in tools and swords that are beyond the strength and endurance of metal. Tissues can be manipulated and applied to humans to extend their abilities (augmenting strength, enabling them to have memories that are like eidetic memory to the nth power, control of their pheromones to alter the behavior of those around them, and so on).

Especially when it comes to the abilities that some of these people have, or the freakish contamination that the murderer is using, in a Fantasy book featuring people on horseback using swords, this looks like magic. But it ain’t. It’s just a kind of science that’s sufficiently advanced that 21st-century Western Readers can’t distinguish. And I love that. Bennett does such a convincing and thorough job of describing this (without getting mired in the details) that it just comes alive and you believe it all—and want to learn more about it.

So, what did I think about The Tainted Cup?

My reflex reaction ought to be, I want more of the detective-y stuff. How could I not? That’s my default genre, Ana is a fantastic character, Dinios at work is so much fun, and the pair of them being new incarnations of Wolfe and Archie. But when you add in the world-building, the intrigue and politics, and all the cool science-y bits? I wouldn’t have it any other way. You need all of it to make something this good. And it really does—each section above would probably earn 4 stars or so from me. But when you put them together, the accumulated score has to be at least 5.

Also, all the other stuff in the book distracts from a couple of the problems with the mystery story. These aren’t significant problems by any means, but at one point Ana reveals that Person X is Person Y, and her assistants are shocked and amazed. I assumed everyone realized that as soon as Person Y was introduced and described. For it to take umpteen chapters for everyone to catch up astounded me (am pretty sure Ana was as fast as me, for the record). The other thing that I’d consider a problem, I won’t get into for spoiler-reasons, but I was distracted enough that I didn’t see it until the reveal. Also, it’s the kind of thing that Rex Stout himself would do, so I’m never going to complain about it. Mostly, because it worked really well for the story, so who cares?

Regular readers may have noted that I haven’t spent that much time talking about the characters. I chose not to for time/space reasons. If I focused on writing about Ana, Dinios, and Miljin alone—I’d double the length of this post. If I included every major character I want to talk about? I’d triple the length. No one wants to read me going on that long. So I’ll sum it up by saying that his characters are just as good and developed (and strange) as everything else I’ve talked about.

Bennett doesn’t show a lot of flair in this writing. It has almost none of Elmore’s “Hooptedoodle”—although he violates a lot of Elmore’s other rules (and does so for the betterment of the novel). This is a description, not a criticism, you’re not going to be wowed with his style. He doesn’t need that. The descriptions of characters, structures, and monsters are so vivid, so detailed you have no problem seeing exactly what he wants you to see (with just enough room for the reader’s imagination). The action scenes are well-executed. The descriptions of the trees growing from outside of a person are as disturbing as they should be. There are flashes of humor, flashes of hope and optimism in both the characters and the story—but it’s all in the shadow of the imminent threat posed by the Leviathans and weakened walls. So there’s a strong “The World May Be Ending Tomorrow if not Tonight” feel throughout. I was under the spell of the narration and story from early on.

I didn’t set out to rave about this book. I was going to enthusiastically recommend it, but as I started to put my notes into some sort of order and write, I discovered that I really needed and wanted to rave about this. Fantasy fans are really going to get into this. Mystery/Detective Fiction fans who aren’t afraid to play in other worlds are going to go nuts over this. And I want to read the next book in the series today. But I’m willing to be patient—The Tainted Cup won’t even be published for 26 days. So I won’t start complaining about the delay in getting the next volume for 90 days (that seems fair).

Go place your orders or library holds now.

Thank you to Netgalley and Del Rey for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was astoundingly entertaining in ways that I was not expecting. I requested a copy of this book simply because I adored the first two books in Bennett's last series. (I was disappointed by the last book, but that's neither here nor there.) ANYWAY, I was excited to see what he could do with a murder mystery, and I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED.

Bennett is a master of world building, and boy does that shine through here in The Tainted Cup. This is a beaten-down world hanging on by its fingernails. Every wet season, there are leviathans that breach the world's walls and threaten to end life as everyone knows it. It's not a world I'd want to live in, but despite that, Bennett makes you want to keep reading to see what else he's layered in! Among other things present in the novel – people use the leviathan's blood to alter themselves into superhumans. Our main character, Din, has been altered to have a perfect memory. Other characters have been altered to be geniuses at math, have super strength, can see in the dark, etc. This was SO cool, and really made for interesting twists as the book went on as sometimes these alterations have no visual hints.

The murder mystery itself is just phenomenal, and I'm not going to spoil it for you. You do find out ALL the answers by the end of the book, so don't be worried about cliffhangers. I really hope that Bennett writes more in this world, because it is just plain fascinating. Not to mention the characters themselves are just endlessly entertaining. I loved Din being confused, but willing to help, and I loved Ana for being just batshit insane and three steps ahead of everyone else most of the time.

Fantastic. If you're looking for a wildly original book to grasp your attention, look no further than THE TAINTED CUP.

I went into this book not expecting a lot, only to be greeted with one of the most engrossing mysteries I've read in a long time. The Sherlock Holmes and Watson nature of the two main characters was delightful and kept things interesting even in places where the story slowed down. The world this all took place in was fascinating and exciting in equal measure, with magic based off nature and biological enhancement, and an empire protected from enormous leviathans via three walls in a fashion that reminded me of Attack on Titan. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mystery, interesting characters, or both!

I read RJB’s Foundryside several years ago, but left it a bit letdown and not really wanting to continue the series. I found its magic system convoluted, unnecessarily layered, and full of infodumps about why exactly something works one way and not another. Other people really dug it, but I thought the word salad it turned into was hard to follow. Having said that, I’m really glad I gave him another chance, because I think The Tainted Cup is something special.

Dinios Kol (or, Din to just about everybody in the book) is an assistant to Ana Dolabra, something of an investigator in the realm of Daretana. Rather like a certain Sherlock Holmes, Ana is very eccentric, a bit unreliable, and rather brusque and sarcastic to just about everybody around her, but is brilliant at what she does. Din is her eyes, ears, and hands into these investigations, and we follow him as he begins the investigation into the mysterious death of a rather prominent officer involving a tree mysteriously (and gruesomely) growing out of his body. The investigation quickly starts snowballing, and the two find themselves called to the very front lines of Daretana’s most dangerous battlefront against a most massive foe.

Right off the bat I like that, this time around, the magic system is much more subtle, requires less infodumping, and feels more organic (hehehe) to the plot and setting. Rather than it being the pivot point and purpose of the story like it was in Foundryside, it takes a bit of a backseat here where it’s still involved and necessary, but doesn’t feel like you’re being beaten over the head with it. I also really like the overall plot. Once upon a time I lamented to a friend that there was a distinct lack of fantasy murder mysteries. This is exactly in the realm of what I was looking for. It really does feel like a Holmes/Watson adventure, with clues and leads and a mystery that Holmes (Ana) solves early on and Watson (Din, our eyes and ears) struggles to keep up with. The last 10-20% of the book was my favorite section, where things click into place, suspects are hunted, and just enough is left teased and hanging for there to be both a satisfying ending and an anticipated sequel to look forward to.

There’s also a bit of a romance! It’s not a major plot and not a ton of time is spent fleshing it out, but it’s there, and I’m actually kind of hoping it’s continued in the next book.

Keep this one on your radar if you’re a RJB fan, if you’re like me and love the idea of a fantasy murder mystery, or if you’re looking for something fast paced and fun.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a free ecopy in exchange for an honest review.

This was not at all what I expected! Such a fun, entertaining and all-around delightful read.

The two main characters are fantastic and I absolutely adore them and their chemistry. They work well together. Dolabra is eccentric and loveable while Kol is serious and mostly solemn. It's perfect.

The mystery they solved together was fun...a tad gruesome LOL but fun. Definitely get this one on your radar. It releases February 6, 2024.

I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is my first review after a long hiatus from writing them, but I knew that when I came back The Tainted Cup would be one of my first books to tackle. I loved this book so much. So much in fact, I read it as an ARC, and then turned around and purchased it when it came out so that I read it yet again. Our story opens on Dinios Kol arriving at a murder scene. Not your typical murder scene, mind you. Din is presented with a the scene of a man killed by a tree sprouting from his body. Yes, you read that right. Intrigued? What follows is a sweeping story full of magic, intrigue and plenty of danger as well.

I really loved how Robert Jackson Bennett laid out this entire plot. I've already mentioned how quickly it moves, but it doesn't do it at the expense of the reader. We meet Ana Dolabra, Din's boss, and discover that she is an eccentric but utterly brilliant investigator. Our protagonists are tasked with uncovering a most sinister plot, before more people are murdered. If that weren't enough though, Bennett also throws in the very real threat of a leviathan bombarding the city, the further into the rainy season this investigation goes. Ana's intellectual prowess, combined with Din's ability to engrave memories down to the most minute detail, make for a fascinating storyline. This book is impossible to put down once you've started, I can tell you that.

Truly I could gush about the magic system, and the world building, and even the secondary characters for ages. They are all perfectly executed. I'll resist though, and leave all of that for you to uncover. What I will say, is that Robert Jackson Bennett always climbs to the top of my read list because his books are my favorite kind of Fantasy: accessible Fantasy. They are vibrant and fascinating, but also written in a way that any person can come right in and cozy down into. The Tainted Cup is a sweeping Fantasy story, but it doesn't feel cold and unapproachable, and I love it for that.

Much appreciation to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for giving me a chance to read this early.


Robert Jackson Bennett is, by far, one of the most unique fantasy authors of our time. The Tainted Cup only proves how versatile the man is at building worlds, magic systems and characters after such a wondrous series that is The Founders Trilogy. That series kicked ass, and now it's time to rave about this new series, Shadow of the Leviathan.

Colossal Monsters, yes.
Classic Whodunit, yes.
Fast-paced Mystery, yes.
One relatable weird character that makes makes everyone in the book uncomfortable at any given time, yes.

The strongest quality Bennett has is his the way he makes his characters believable in such a demanding and unique environment. He has a staple in his books that gives the reader comfort knowing they'll have a fantastic story from start to finish. The Tainted Cup is awesome in every regard. The setting, story and characters are great. We've got an eccentric female detective that is quick to love and exciting group of events that immediately get the story rolling. This is one of those stories that I'll be thinking about for a long time.

I'm pumped to read the sequel. Until then, I've gotta read Bennett's first trilogy, The Divine Cities.

I received this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a book that I went in knowing nothing about it but the title and the description, and I was wowed. This is an intricately designed murder mystery with political intrigue in a fantasy setting that didn't require a massive info dump to piece together this new world and its rules and language. I throughly enjoyed it and with the ending implying a sequel I will definitely be seeking it out.

As for the storyline, we follow Din, a detective's assistant (Watson) who was changed and given the ability to remember everything he hears, sees and touches and is able to info dump that information to the detective who is a regular Sherlock. In this they investigate the murder of engineers, who maintain a wall from the leviathans (gross giants), and discover death, corruption, and conspiracies against the empire.

In this book you will find: LGBTQA+ characters, graphic death scenes, gay romance that appears at the end of the book, sherlockian style observations, altered people, description of corpses, fantasy plants, poisons, political intrigue, corruption and a whole lot more.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

A low 2 stars. I love mysteries and I love fantasy, but sadly, I really didn't love this.

I don't even know what to say about this book. It was such a struggle for me to even finish it. I was just so bored and didn't care! Nothing in this worked for me, sadly. Neither the characters, nor the writing were engaging.

The characters were flat. They also behaved ridiculously and not in a fun way! They just annoyed the hell out of me! The explanations for the world-building were severely lacking. It just didn't make sense! There were too many puzzle pieces missing. Everything in this book was surface-level. Yet there was time for so many useless and unimportant details.

The writing was too clunky, simplistic and straight-forward for my liking. It contradicted itself and was full of inconsistencies. Some word choices and phrases simply annoyed me. It was also very bitty. Just a series of short moments strung together.

I've read the Foundryside trilogy by Robert Jackson Bennett and while I hated the last book in that series, the first two were so much fun. Neither the world-building nor the magic nor the writing were amazing in that either, but I didn't care! The characters were great to follow, the book made me care and it was an amazing time! None of that happened in The Tainted Cup.

I also felt the publisher blurb was slightly misleading or at least open to misinterpretation. It talked about a “long-suffering assistant” - Din had worked for Ana for only four months before the start of the book. Ana is described as “wearing a blindfold at all times” - that thing comes and goes as it pleases and the text does not keep track of it! And to me, the blurb implied that this book might be a fantasy version of a classic country house mystery, but the mansion wasn't all that important to the plot and the characters moved to a different city early on in the story.

‘The Tainted Cup masterfully blends detective intrigue with fantasy, echoing the iconic dynamics of Holmes and Watson. Din, with his impeccable attention to detail, pairs brilliantly with the thoughtful Ana, making their interactions the narrative's highlight. While the tempo may wane slightly during Din's solo ventures, the overall charm remains intact.

Bennett's prose is crisp, adorned with rich imagery and authentic dialogue. His nuanced humor enriches the tale, ensuring a delightful read from start to finish.

The standout features of this novel are its impeccable pacing and intricate world-building. From the first page, readers are ensnared by the captivating universe Bennett crafts. At its heart, this book remains a murder mystery, even as hints of broader issues linger on the horizon. The narrative never loses its central focus, ensuring a tight, engaging plot.

‘The Tainted Cup' showcases Bennett's unparalleled storytelling, creating a realm that feels vast, yet intimately familiar. I am very much looking forward to the continuation of this enthralling series.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Random House, and the author for the advance copy.