A Trade of Blood

An Ana and Din Mystery

By: Robert Jackson Bennett

Detective Ana Dolabra must prove a condemned man’s innocence and confront a terrifying magical technology in this fantasy-mystery from the bestselling author of The Tainted Cup, winner of the Hugo and World Fantasy awards.

The heir to one of the Empire’s most powerful families sits in jail, accused of murder. His hands are covered in the victim’s blood, and he can neither deny his guilt nor explain his actions.

But if the great detective Ana Dolabra cannot save him from the noose, the farming canton of Sapirdad will explode into war, threatening to plunge the whole Empire into starvation and chaos.

As Ana investigates—her assistant Dinios Kol, as ever, acting as her eyes and ears—she fears her task is even more daunting than it seemed. For this murder is just the latest in a deeper, subtler web of death, woven by a mastermind with an ancient weapon at his disposal.

With their customary skill, Ana and Din pursue their adversary through the canton’s wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses. Yet even they are not prepared to learn the horrifying secret behind their opponent’s powers.

Critic reviews

Praise for The Tainted Cup

Hugo Award winner World Fantasy Award winner
A New York Times and NPR best book of the year
Edgar Award nominee Locus Award finalist


“Like an endearing fantasy version of Knives Out.”—TJ Klune, The New York Times

“Utterly addictive.”—The Washington Post

“Masterful . . . The next adventure of Din and Ana can’t come soon enough.”—NPR

“A genre-spanning mystery masterpiece.”—Reactor