The Tainted Cup

A Holmes and WatsonΓÇôstyle detective duo take the stage in this fantasy with a mystery twist,from the Edgar-winningmultiple Hugo-nominated Robert Jackson Bennett ΓÇ£Great fantasy detective stories are too rarebut BennettΓÇö[a] rising star of fantasyΓÇömore than delivers.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöCharlie Jane AndersThe Washington Post ΓÇ£A thoroughly satisfying delight from start to finish.ΓÇ¥ΓÇöAmal El-MohtarThe New York Times Book Review In DaretanaΓÇÖs greatest mansiona high imperial officer lies deadΓÇökilledto all appearanceswhen a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the EmpireΓÇÖs borderswhere contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changesitΓÇÖs a death both terrifying and impossible. Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabraa detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all timesand that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home. At her side is her new assistantDinios Kolmagically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to AnaΓÇÖs brilliance. Din is at turns scandalizedperplexedand utterly infuriated by his new superiorΓÇöbut as the case unfolds and he watches AnaΓÇÖs mind leap from one startling deduction to the nexthe must admit that she isindeedthe EmpireΓÇÖs greatest detective. As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itselfDin realizes heΓÇÖs barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana DolabraΓÇöand wonders how long heΓÇÖll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect. By an ΓÇ£endlessly inventiveΓÇ¥ (Vulture) author with a ΓÇ£wicked sense of humorΓÇ¥ (NPR)The Tainted Cup mixes the charms of detective fiction with brilliant world-building to deliver a fiendishly clever mystery thatΓÇÖs at once instantly recognizable and thrillingly new.