A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett – Review

Published: April 1, 2025

Publisher: Del Rey

Series: Shadow of the Leviathan #2

Genre: Fantasy, Mystery

Pages: 432 (Kindle)

My Rating: 5 Stars

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis:
The brilliant detective Ana Dolabra may have finally met her match in the gripping sequel to The Tainted Cup—from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy.

In the canton of Yarrowdale, at the very edge of the Empire’s reach, an impossible crime has occurred. A Treasury officer has disappeared into thin air—abducted from his quarters while the door and windows remained locked from the inside, in a building whose entrances and exits are all under constant guard.

To solve the case, the Empire calls on its most brilliant and mercurial investigator, the great Ana Dolabra. At her side, as always, is her bemused assistant Dinios Kol.

Before long, Ana’s discovered that they’re not investigating a disappearance, but a murder—and that the killing was just the first chess move by an adversary who seems to be able to pass through warded doors like a ghost, and who can predict every one of Ana’s moves as though they can see the future.

Worse still, the killer seems to be targeting the high-security compound known as the Shroud. Here, the Empire’s greatest minds dissect fallen Titans to harness the volatile magic found in their blood. Should it fall, the destruction would be terrible indeed—and the Empire itself will grind to a halt, robbed of the magic that allows its wheels of power to turn.

Din has seen Ana solve impossible cases before. But this time, with the stakes higher than ever and Ana seemingly a step behind their adversary at every turn, he fears that his superior has finally met an enemy she can’t defeat.

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I had high expectations for A Drop of Corruption but I could have never hoped the mystery could exceed that of The Tainted Cup. This book was brilliant on so many levels and I completely loved it! If you’re a fan of a duo reminiscent of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, I’d highly recommend adding this series to your TBR. 

A Drop of Corruption picks up some time after the events of The Tainted Cup. Ana and Din have now been working together through several smaller cases, but have recently been called to Yarrowdale, a port town located within a kingdom not quite within the empire. Here Ana and Din are investigating the disappearance of a member of the Imperial Treasury and what starts as an unusual case only becomes stranger and more complex as the investigation progresses. Not only are Ana and Din navigating the complex political situation in Yarrowdale, but it seems the disappearance (and murder) of the Treasury official may have something to do with the high security compound known as the Shroud that sits in the bay. The Shroud is where leviathans are processed for their various materials and it’s also where experimentation occurs by a secretive group of modified Imperials. 

Though I would love to get into some of the specifics of the story, I truly hate to give away too many details because for me half the fun of a mystery is learning these new little components that can so drastically change the trajectory of the story. I think it’s safe to say we get to learn more about different governmental entities like the Apoths, who wander into the jungles as security and work with dangerous compounds, the Treasury folks who employ a great deal of people with Din’s abilities and also try to broker deals with foreign kings. The Shroud, when we finally get to learn about what it’s for, is a fascinating and terrifying place that we get to see first hand through Din’s investigations. Possibly one of the most exciting parts was learning more about Ana, even though that didn’t happen until the end of the book – a few hints were dropped throughout, but boy, the confirmation at the end was pretty sweet. I can’t wait to see where that particular aspect goes in future installments. 

I am delighted to say that I loved A Drop of Corruption even more than The Tainted Cup, and I am stunned because as I’ve said before, the first book in a series is usually one of my favorites. There’s just something about the discovery and world building that delights me, and I think the continual unraveling of both the mysteries and our characters keeps me engaged. I can’t wait to check out the third installment, which will hopefully release in 2026.