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In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire's reach, a Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air, vanishing from a room within a heavily guarded tower, its door and windows locked from the inside. To solve the case, the Empire calls on its most brilliant and mercurial detective, the great Ana Dolabra. At her side, as always, is her bemused assistant Dinios Kol. Ana soon discovers they are investigating not a disappearance but a murder, one of surpassing cunning carried show more out by an opponent who can pass through warded doors like a ghost. Worse still, the killer may be targeting the high-security compound known as the Shroud, where the Empire harvests fallen titans for the volatile magic found int heir blood. Should the Shroud fall, the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic which allows its wheels of power to turn. Din has seen his superior solve impossible cases before. But as the death toll grows and their quarry predicts each of Ana's moves with uncanny foresight, he fears she has at last met an enemy she can't defeat. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
A Drop of Corruption ably follows up the first book with an even deeper interrogation of themes of power and justice. Ana and Din are brought to the kingdom of Yarrowdale, an ancillary polity to the Empire, that is currently involved in negotiations to be annexed and is home to The Shroud, an immense biological workshop that extracts the powerful and deadly reagents that the Empire depends on.
A treasury official involved in these negotiations has been killed in an impossible way, vanishing from a locked room high up a tower. Ana quickly determines that this murder is impossible, and that the murdered official was an imposter, with slightly less improbably knowledge of the details of Imperial security. Their foe is an equal match for show more Ana, a master of patterns and human weaknesses, on a fatal mission.
Having established the basics of his setting and characters in the last book, Bennett is free to play with the mystery and explore the personal lives of his characters. There's a lot to enjoy here. show less
A treasury official involved in these negotiations has been killed in an impossible way, vanishing from a locked room high up a tower. Ana quickly determines that this murder is impossible, and that the murdered official was an imposter, with slightly less improbably knowledge of the details of Imperial security. Their foe is an equal match for show more Ana, a master of patterns and human weaknesses, on a fatal mission.
Having established the basics of his setting and characters in the last book, Bennett is free to play with the mystery and explore the personal lives of his characters. There's a lot to enjoy here. show less
‘A Drop of Corruption’ (2025) is the sequel to ‘The Tainted Cup’ (2024), which won the 2025 Hugo Award for Best Novel. It was one of my favourite reads in 2025 last year. It was stunningly original, exotic, exciting, and delivered a solid mystery.
While I’d hoped that ‘A Drop Of Corruption' would match its predecessor, I hadn’t really expected it to. I reasoned that its impact would be lessened because I already knew the world the story was set in, the personalities of the two investigators, and their peculiar relationship, so nothing would feel as strange or as new as it did in the first book. I’m happy to say that I was wrong. ‘A Drop Of Corruption’ was just as breathtaking as ‘The Tainted Cup'.
I promise never to show more underestimate Robert Jackson Bennett again.
So, how did he do it?
Firstly, he set the story in a kingdom that had, for many years, been in the process of being assimilated into the empire, and on which the empire had become dangerously dependent. The slow pace of the transition and the increasing strategic importance of what the kingdom produced created a liminal environment that was fundamentally unstable. That instabilty affected the behaviour of everyone who lived there: the senior officers of the empire who had slowly started to exceeded their authority or transgress against the expected codes of conduct; the Royal Court that was fracturing between those who resisted and those who sought to profit from the change, and the common people in whom the possiblity of becoming citizens of the empire had raised hopes and expectations that were not sustainable in a monarchy. The story was structured to allow me to see how the empire looked to those outside it, and to explore some of the most unpleasant aspects of having a King as the source of all power.
Secondly, the biochemical engineering was even stranger than in the previous book. The Shroud was an awe-inspiring creation: huge, alien and dangerous, it altered everything and everyone it touched, even the empire that had created it. The augers were fascinating, pitiable and horrifying in equal measure. Their adaptations pushed the boundaries of what a mind could be and still be considered human. Then there was the way the Wardens had been altered, gifting them an ability to sense the world through scent more powerfully than through vision.
Thirdly, he continued to develop the personalities of the two investigators and reshape their relationship in ways that made them more engaging but also hinted at secrets still to be revealed.
Finally, he wrapped all of this around a labyrinthine, blood-soaked mystery, with a talented, ruthless, violent villain at its heart. The complexities of the plot were revealed slowly, but the tension never lessened. I admired that every twist in the plot revealed another form of corruption: sometimes banal venality, sometimes the undermining of personal ethics, and sometimes physical changes that defiled, diminished or destroyed those affected. The sense of being in the presence of abominable contamination was overpowering.
I think 'A Drop Of Corruption' was another outstanding achievement. It’s shortlisted for the 2026 Hugo Best Novel award. I hope that it wins. show less
While I’d hoped that ‘A Drop Of Corruption' would match its predecessor, I hadn’t really expected it to. I reasoned that its impact would be lessened because I already knew the world the story was set in, the personalities of the two investigators, and their peculiar relationship, so nothing would feel as strange or as new as it did in the first book. I’m happy to say that I was wrong. ‘A Drop Of Corruption’ was just as breathtaking as ‘The Tainted Cup'.
I promise never to show more underestimate Robert Jackson Bennett again.
So, how did he do it?
Firstly, he set the story in a kingdom that had, for many years, been in the process of being assimilated into the empire, and on which the empire had become dangerously dependent. The slow pace of the transition and the increasing strategic importance of what the kingdom produced created a liminal environment that was fundamentally unstable. That instabilty affected the behaviour of everyone who lived there: the senior officers of the empire who had slowly started to exceeded their authority or transgress against the expected codes of conduct; the Royal Court that was fracturing between those who resisted and those who sought to profit from the change, and the common people in whom the possiblity of becoming citizens of the empire had raised hopes and expectations that were not sustainable in a monarchy. The story was structured to allow me to see how the empire looked to those outside it, and to explore some of the most unpleasant aspects of having a King as the source of all power.
Secondly, the biochemical engineering was even stranger than in the previous book. The Shroud was an awe-inspiring creation: huge, alien and dangerous, it altered everything and everyone it touched, even the empire that had created it. The augers were fascinating, pitiable and horrifying in equal measure. Their adaptations pushed the boundaries of what a mind could be and still be considered human. Then there was the way the Wardens had been altered, gifting them an ability to sense the world through scent more powerfully than through vision.
Thirdly, he continued to develop the personalities of the two investigators and reshape their relationship in ways that made them more engaging but also hinted at secrets still to be revealed.
Finally, he wrapped all of this around a labyrinthine, blood-soaked mystery, with a talented, ruthless, violent villain at its heart. The complexities of the plot were revealed slowly, but the tension never lessened. I admired that every twist in the plot revealed another form of corruption: sometimes banal venality, sometimes the undermining of personal ethics, and sometimes physical changes that defiled, diminished or destroyed those affected. The sense of being in the presence of abominable contamination was overpowering.
I think 'A Drop Of Corruption' was another outstanding achievement. It’s shortlisted for the 2026 Hugo Best Novel award. I hope that it wins. show less
Let’s do a happy reader dance
My wise book friends told me that the second book is even better than the first, and they were right. I wish I could give six stars.
Din and Ana go to the jungles of Yarrow, a kingdom that is soon to become part of the Empire. Say hello to delicate political manoeuvring and secret negotiations. A high imperial official is dead and the details are gruesome. What starts as a clever locked room mystery becomes a story about a pursuit of a criminal both brilliant and deadly; about hubris; about good intentions that pave the road to you-know-where; about good governance and colonialism; about responsibility and duty; about the drug that is power.
Din is in a dark place at the start of the book. He doubts his show more calling, the work of an investigator is tough and unrewarding. I loved Din’s character arc here! It was not unexpected, but it was done well. All the revelations about Ana were chef’s kiss. So were the Ana/Din dynamics and the way their relationship (friendship!) developed. Give me more.
This world continues to amaze and terrify. I like that there so much “biological magic” that is fascinating and very scary. Or are we in the realm of “any sufficiently advanced technology…”, written as a fantasy? I think we are, I think we are.
I also need to warn you, the book was unputdownable! I guessed the final revelations about the villain way in advance, but it was still very satisfying. Have I read too many mysteries? On the other hand, the author was winking at me a lot between the lines.
Listing all the things I loved will result in a very long review, so I’ll stop here, I think. Waiting for book three is going to be tough!
Quotes I liked:
”Usually I had to put Ana in a room with someone senior and allow her to frighten them witless to get what we needed.”
”…though the Legion defends our Empire, it falls to us to keep an Empire worth defending.”
”Justice is not a terribly satisfying task, is it?”
”This work can never satisfy, Din, for it can never finish.”
”But is he a villain, or simple political swine? It is often hard to tell those two apart.”
”But a prideful creature can talk themself into believing that every deed they do is legitimate. Thus, they both giddily and greedily spin their own doom.”
”To serve is a tremendously humbling thing. How easy it is to mistake glory and fame for duty! But duty is thankless, invisible, forgettable – but oh, so very necessary.” show less
My wise book friends told me that the second book is even better than the first, and they were right. I wish I could give six stars.
Din and Ana go to the jungles of Yarrow, a kingdom that is soon to become part of the Empire. Say hello to delicate political manoeuvring and secret negotiations. A high imperial official is dead and the details are gruesome. What starts as a clever locked room mystery becomes a story about a pursuit of a criminal both brilliant and deadly; about hubris; about good intentions that pave the road to you-know-where; about good governance and colonialism; about responsibility and duty; about the drug that is power.
Din is in a dark place at the start of the book. He doubts his show more calling, the work of an investigator is tough and unrewarding. I loved Din’s character arc here! It was not unexpected, but it was done well. All the revelations about Ana were chef’s kiss. So were the Ana/Din dynamics and the way their relationship (friendship!) developed. Give me more.
This world continues to amaze and terrify. I like that there so much “biological magic” that is fascinating and very scary. Or are we in the realm of “any sufficiently advanced technology…”, written as a fantasy? I think we are, I think we are.
I also need to warn you, the book was unputdownable! I guessed the final revelations about the villain way in advance, but it was still very satisfying. Have I read too many mysteries? On the other hand, the author was winking at me a lot between the lines.
Listing all the things I loved will result in a very long review, so I’ll stop here, I think. Waiting for book three is going to be tough!
Quotes I liked:
”Usually I had to put Ana in a room with someone senior and allow her to frighten them witless to get what we needed.”
”…though the Legion defends our Empire, it falls to us to keep an Empire worth defending.”
”Justice is not a terribly satisfying task, is it?”
”This work can never satisfy, Din, for it can never finish.”
”But is he a villain, or simple political swine? It is often hard to tell those two apart.”
”But a prideful creature can talk themself into believing that every deed they do is legitimate. Thus, they both giddily and greedily spin their own doom.”
”To serve is a tremendously humbling thing. How easy it is to mistake glory and fame for duty! But duty is thankless, invisible, forgettable – but oh, so very necessary.” show less
This was an amazing epic fantasy mystery with complex worldbuilding. Dinios Kolhas been chosen as the investigator for the mysterious Ana Dolabra. He was somewhat disappointed to be assigned to the Justice Department when he would prefer to be part of the Legion battling the magical leviathans that descend on the empire each year. Justice doesn't seem to have the rewards or the glory that serving on the Wall has.
This newest case has Ana and Din traveling to Yarrowdale. It is on the outskirts of the Empire and still not part of it though an agreement will have the kingdom join the empire in just a few short years. Yarrowdale is a crucial site for the empire though. It is the place where the bodies of slain leviathans are taken so that show more their magic can be extracted and used for many things that keep the empire going.
At first the case seems simple if slightly baffling. A treasure official who has come to discuss details of the adopting of Yarrowdale into the empire has disappeared from his locked tower room. Then parts of his body are discovered leagues from where he disappeared deepening the mystery.
The disappearance of the official is just the tip of a very big iceberg that could threaten the empire itself if Ana and Din can dig to the bottom of the case quickly.
This was an excellent story filled with plot twists and complexity. I enjoyed learning more about Ana and watching Din come to his own conclusions about what his future role should be. show less
This newest case has Ana and Din traveling to Yarrowdale. It is on the outskirts of the Empire and still not part of it though an agreement will have the kingdom join the empire in just a few short years. Yarrowdale is a crucial site for the empire though. It is the place where the bodies of slain leviathans are taken so that show more their magic can be extracted and used for many things that keep the empire going.
At first the case seems simple if slightly baffling. A treasure official who has come to discuss details of the adopting of Yarrowdale into the empire has disappeared from his locked tower room. Then parts of his body are discovered leagues from where he disappeared deepening the mystery.
The disappearance of the official is just the tip of a very big iceberg that could threaten the empire itself if Ana and Din can dig to the bottom of the case quickly.
This was an excellent story filled with plot twists and complexity. I enjoyed learning more about Ana and watching Din come to his own conclusions about what his future role should be. show less
I love Robert Jackson Bennett's body of work. There are only two of his books I have not read, but I love every one of those I have. In fact, if I look back, I've rated every one of those books as five-star reads. I feel no shame in saying that streak continues with A DROP OF CORRUPTION, book two in the Shadow of the Leviathan series.
I love Mr. Bennett's work because his stories are intelligent, well-crafted, and always unique. His worlds are fascinating in their foreignness and complexity. He builds those worlds seamlessly within the story, avoiding tedious paragraphs of nothing but exposition. The characters he creates are equally memorable, vibrant, and real, and his characters run the gamut from ordinary people to gods to inanimate show more objects.
Most importantly, he writes damn good stories. A DROP OF CORRUPTION is essentially a locked room murder mystery, done in his unique style. His version of Holmes, Ana Dolabra, is not just an eccentric this time around. She's almost monstrous at times, and I will say that her meals make for some of the most disturbing scenes in the entire novel. And that includes the extremely mutilated dead bodies Ana and Din are there to investigate.
As for the mystery, it is as intricate as you expect, but he never makes it impossible to understand. For as intelligent and clever as his stories are, Mr. Bennett excels at ensuring readers follow along with Ana's hypotheses and understand the complicated mechanics of the Empire and its various customs. He uses the mystery to answer questions about Ana's and Din's past as well as to flesh out the Empire, its past, and its current political issues.
By the end of A DROP OF CORRUPTION, you know Mr. Bennett is still leading his investigators down a certain path. The path is visible, but what is at the end remains a mystery. While we know more about Din's motivations and Ana's more unusual characteristics, there is still a lot that continues to be hidden from us, and that is half the fun of reading his stories. Mr. Bennett never rushes a story, but each scene builds upon the next much as a layer of bricks builds a wall, and his pacing is as careful and deliberate as a mason's is. The payoff is an overall story well worth the wait, with each book in the series providing enough entertainment and clues to keep you going. Fans of fantasy and Sherlock Holmes novels need to check out the Shadow of the Leviathan series and recognize the brilliance of Mr. Bennett for themselves. show less
I love Mr. Bennett's work because his stories are intelligent, well-crafted, and always unique. His worlds are fascinating in their foreignness and complexity. He builds those worlds seamlessly within the story, avoiding tedious paragraphs of nothing but exposition. The characters he creates are equally memorable, vibrant, and real, and his characters run the gamut from ordinary people to gods to inanimate show more objects.
Most importantly, he writes damn good stories. A DROP OF CORRUPTION is essentially a locked room murder mystery, done in his unique style. His version of Holmes, Ana Dolabra, is not just an eccentric this time around. She's almost monstrous at times, and I will say that her meals make for some of the most disturbing scenes in the entire novel. And that includes the extremely mutilated dead bodies Ana and Din are there to investigate.
As for the mystery, it is as intricate as you expect, but he never makes it impossible to understand. For as intelligent and clever as his stories are, Mr. Bennett excels at ensuring readers follow along with Ana's hypotheses and understand the complicated mechanics of the Empire and its various customs. He uses the mystery to answer questions about Ana's and Din's past as well as to flesh out the Empire, its past, and its current political issues.
By the end of A DROP OF CORRUPTION, you know Mr. Bennett is still leading his investigators down a certain path. The path is visible, but what is at the end remains a mystery. While we know more about Din's motivations and Ana's more unusual characteristics, there is still a lot that continues to be hidden from us, and that is half the fun of reading his stories. Mr. Bennett never rushes a story, but each scene builds upon the next much as a layer of bricks builds a wall, and his pacing is as careful and deliberate as a mason's is. The payoff is an overall story well worth the wait, with each book in the series providing enough entertainment and clues to keep you going. Fans of fantasy and Sherlock Holmes novels need to check out the Shadow of the Leviathan series and recognize the brilliance of Mr. Bennett for themselves. show less
I am continually surprised at how much I enjoy this series. The books are murder mysteries, but they are not my usual cozy mystery. The deaths in this series are often gross, and there's also frequent body horror in the books. I am not a fan of body horror normally.... but here, it doesn't bother me for some reason. (Perhaps because it seems written matter-of-factly instead of for shock value?)
The plot is very straightforward on the surface: someone was killed, something was stolen, and someone is plotting sabotage. There are a lot of twists under that surface, though, and I wasn't able to see the full picture until the denouement at the end. I was always happy when I figured out a small piece of the puzzle before it was revealed, but I show more didn't come close to figuring out the big picture.
That's okay though, because I loved watching the characters figure it out! And speaking of the characters, I really enjoyed getting to see more of Ana and Din. There were a few new supporting characters who I really enjoyed as well. One of them in particular I hope turns up in future books. show less
The plot is very straightforward on the surface: someone was killed, something was stolen, and someone is plotting sabotage. There are a lot of twists under that surface, though, and I wasn't able to see the full picture until the denouement at the end. I was always happy when I figured out a small piece of the puzzle before it was revealed, but I show more didn't come close to figuring out the big picture.
That's okay though, because I loved watching the characters figure it out! And speaking of the characters, I really enjoyed getting to see more of Ana and Din. There were a few new supporting characters who I really enjoyed as well. One of them in particular I hope turns up in future books. show less
Oh my goodness, you must get into this series right now. I first discovered The Tainted Cup (Book 1) thanks to Aardvark Book Club's February 2024 pick, and I was instantly pulled in. I devoured it and needed more, immediately. Bennett’s writing style is captivating. I adored Din and Ana and couldn't get enough of this herbaceous, Attack on Titan meets Sherlock Holmes fantasy world. So, when I spotted this sequel on NetGalley, I screamed. Despite my terrible review ratio, I requested it with no expectations, but a few hours later, I got the approval email and was grinning like Ana. I would've finished it that night if it weren't for my pesky day job.
This sequel has all the familiarity of an old, medieval world with a fresh and show more progressive twist. The way new concepts are introduced without overwhelming or spoon-feeding definitions is gorgeous. You learn about the world alongside inexperienced characters. There were so many jaw-dropping moments that I was racing through the pages to find out what happened next. I don’t want to spoil anything but trust me, you need to read this series. A physical copy of the final version will be so satisfying to add to my collection.
I’m genuinely desperate for a massive-budget adaptation and a theme park! I know this series will explode, and I’m so excited to be along for the ride. Now, the agonizing wait begins for the next one.
The biggest thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for early access to this book. show less
This sequel has all the familiarity of an old, medieval world with a fresh and show more progressive twist. The way new concepts are introduced without overwhelming or spoon-feeding definitions is gorgeous. You learn about the world alongside inexperienced characters. There were so many jaw-dropping moments that I was racing through the pages to find out what happened next. I don’t want to spoil anything but trust me, you need to read this series. A physical copy of the final version will be so satisfying to add to my collection.
I’m genuinely desperate for a massive-budget adaptation and a theme park! I know this series will explode, and I’m so excited to be along for the ride. Now, the agonizing wait begins for the next one.
The biggest thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for early access to this book. show less
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- Canonical title
- A Drop of Corruption
- Original publication date
- 2025-04-01
- People/Characters
- Dinios "Din" Kol; Anagosa "Ana" Dolabra
- Dedication
- To the Spaniards--Mantente amable, mantente tonta.
- First words
- Preface: Before there was memory, before there was history, there were the leviathans: the colossal, monstrous creatures that lumbered ashore each wet season and went wandering the plains, bringing death and panic with them.
Chapter 1: I'd thought the jungles of the eastern Empire to be oppressively hot, but as I sat in the prow of the little canal boat and felt the sweat slip down my brow, I decided the north was, without question, far worse. - Quotations
- “I feel akin to the disappointed maiden during her first night in the marital bed—the more I pull at what I find, the more I find to my liking!”
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)I leaned close to Ana and began to speak.
- Original language
- English
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- 25,838
- Reviews
- 65
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- English, German
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- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
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