A Drop of Corruption

An Ana and Din Mystery

By: Robert Jackson Bennett

Narrated by: Andrew Fallaize

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • ONE OF BOOKPAGE’S TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • AN ELLE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR

The eccentric detective Ana Dolabra matches wits with a seemingly omniscient adversary in this brilliant fantasy-mystery from the author of The Tainted Cup.

“Wonderfully clever and compulsively readable . . . another winning blend of fantasy and classic detection.”—Publishers Weekly

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 that they are investigating not a disappearance but a murder—and one of surpassing cunning, carried 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 in their blood. Should it fall, the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic that 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 that she has at last met an enemy she can’t defeat.

Critic reviews

“Utterly addictive . . . Great fantasy detective stories are too rare, but Bennett . . . more than delivers.”—The Washington Post

“A thoroughly satisfying delight from start to finish.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Superb . . . [Bennett] writes the kind of fun, propulsive work that kept my teenage self scouring the shelves for the next installment.”—Locus

“A genre-spanning mystery masterpiece.”—Reactor

“A Drop of Corruption lives up to, and . . . surpasses, the high bar The Tainted Cup set last year . . . once again delivering a tantalizing mystery that will leave you guessing to the very end.”—Polygon

“This Holmes and Watson–like investigative duo are compelling to follow, and the truly epic fantasy world where the series is set, with its falling empire, corrupt politics, and magic pharmacopeia engineered from monster blood, takes the familiarity of mystery and creates a truly fantastic fever-dream of a world and a story.”—Library Journal, starred review

“While criminal masterminds are too often limited by the imaginations of their creators, author Robert Jackson Bennett has crafted a plot that’s impossible to predict but perfectly believable once all the pieces come into clear view . . . A labyrinthine mystery supported by a compelling cast, A Drop of Corruption is a strong second entry in the logbook of Ana Dolabra.”—BookPage, starred review

“Fans of the . . . series will be pleased to reenter this fantastical mystery world and to explore more of Ana’s confounding abilities and Din’s personal struggles.”—Booklist, starred review

“Bennett’s wonderfully clever and compulsively readable sequel to 2024’s The Tainted Cup offers another winning blend of fantasy and classic detection. . . . Bennett skillfully integrates humor and magic into the complex puzzle plot and plays fair with planting clues for the reader.”—Publishers Weekly

“A grand entertainment, as ever with Bennett’s richly imaginative yarns.”—Kirkus Reviews

Predictable

The first novel I felt like I was sufficiently surprised, while I found this one too outwardly predictable. With characters not catching obvious signs, that even I, an uneducated bumpkin could.

Another great book by a terrific author with sublime narration

About the narration: the narrator elevates this book by granting each main character not only a distinct voice but one that matches them. The narration captures the personalities so well, and at no point did I ever have to wonder who was speaking. A book I so enjoyed the sound of.

About the book: I have read/listened to all the major fantasy books by Robert Jackson Bennett. From the divine cities, then Founders, now this series. In this series the author once again envisions a very unique and quite fascinating world that keeps growing. The characters are all unique and get their time to shine and develop.

There are clear inspirations from other great works in the genres (detective duos, whodunit, and fantasy mysteries) but this are inspirations in the best of ways, and do not feel derivative.

The book is able to artfully weave its own murder mystery into the larger world it lives in, granting depth to new and old characters.

I have waited for this book since the day I finished the first one, about a year ago. I was not disappointed.

This book also overcame one criticism I had of the first one: I got lost in some details that I found hard to recall throughout the book. This was not the case here. I might revisit the first one soon.

I recommend this book in audio form, and strongly so.

I’m hooked

I’ve not been a fan of Fantasy, but this novel and its predecessor convinced me to give the genre a chance.
Extremely well written, the plot is excellent, the narration is excellent, the whole thing is excellent. 10/10

Another amazing mystery

I have really enjoyed this series so far. Such a fresh take on crime mysteries with a fantastic fantasy twist. The narrator's voice fits the characters to this tale perfectly. Looking forward to more.

Excellent

So I got the physical version of this but after listening to the first book I found reading it alone, I was missing something. And that something is the narrators voices for Ana and Din. So I happily bought the audiobook. I am mainly a mystery-thriller-horror reader but I this series has all of that plus fantasy. I give it my highest recommendation.