A Drop of Corruption (Ana and Din Mysteries, #2)
About the book
Author: Robert Jackson Bennett
Publisher: Del Rey
More info:
The StoryGraph | Goodreads
Note: Content and trigger warnings are provided for those who need them at the bottom of this page. If you don’t need them and don’t want to risk spoilers, don’t scroll past the review.
Buy and support indie bookstores (+ I earn a small commission):
Bookshop.org (print or ebook) | Libro.fm (audio)
My review
Like the rest of the world (including the WorldCon members who crowned it winner of the Hugo Award last year), I loved The Tainted Cup. I’m pleased to report that in A Drop of Corruption, Robert Jackson Bennet gives us another hella fun Holmes-and-Watson style murder mystery set in the fantastical Empire of Khanum.
The protagonists of the Ana and Din Mysteries series are, as you might guess, Ana (our Sherlock Holmes-coded quirky recluse so brilliant she lives life blindfolded to limit sensory input) and Din (our bisexual John Watson-coded investigator who can hard-code anything into his memory by anchoring it in different scents). They are sent to solve especially tricky murders throughout the Empire. In this book, a treasury officer completely vanishes from a locked room with no sign of foul play (at first glance, of course). As they track a genius adversary who seems to anticipate their every move, we readers are not only treated to an exciting, intriguing murder mystery — but also gradually exposed to a lot more information about both Ana’s background/abilities and the machinations of the Empire.
These books are SO fun, and like other reviewers, I could read a zillion of them and stay happy. I love how they are mysteries first with fantasy worldbuilding second — it makes them extremely consumable while also scratching that fantasy novel itch. I also think you COULD read them as standalones, especially if you aren’t typically a fantasy reader and plan to mostly gloss over the worldbuilding (which is possible even if I don’t personally recommend it!).
A Drop of Corruption was just as fun as The Tainted Cup. I managed to figure out JUST enough of the solution to the mystery that I felt a bit smug and gratified, but not enough to prevent the big reveal from feeling surprising. I also really loved learning more about Ana; she is FASCINATING and a little scary but also hilarious! And of course, Din continues to be the perfectly lovable protagonist.
Great mystery, great characters, great worldbuilding; I hope that the series name change from The Shadow of the Leviathan to Ana and Din Mysteries means there will be lots more books!
Content and trigger warnings
Murder/death
Body horror
Drug use
Slavery
Sexual content (minor)
