Review - A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett

 

It was a pleasure once more to step into the world of Ana and Din, the intrepid investigators of the Shadows of the Leviathan series by Robert Jackson Bennett. This third book sends them to an area of the Empire more familiar to Din, the city of Lacanthim. Initially, it seems like they have been assigned to a clear cut and unintriguing case of the murder of a beautiful girl, part of a struggle between two aristocratic families. However, the crime is a strange one and the motives of the survivor, the main suspect, and the ruling Burav and Armenta clans of the district are unclear. What follows is the solving of a murder mystery that will prove a strong test for Ana's problem-solving abilities.

This third instalment of the series is once again a triumph of world building, and the ever-present, unusual environment finds ways to permeate through the entire story and its characters. The clans have been fighting a long battle over the valuable animal and plant grafting and harvesting  businesses of the area. There are ways these two families have exploited to breed and control altered beasts, which involve the hiding or willful ignoring of unpleasant and immoral practices. The atmospheric descriptions of the altered forest, the effects of a substance that can infect people's minds and the ancient religion of the Daljen are sophisticated bits of the background that blend in thoroughly with the main story. Din also encounters his sister, who is bound up with one of the clans, and both of them find their situations similar in having to deal daily in service to 'cruel' older women.  

There are a number of plot happenings and twists before we get a clear picture of why the initial murder and later crimes occur. Ana and Din are often left guessing, and the solution to the mystery can only be found after the unlocking of secrets and further explorations. Din struggles with temptations, the mutating nature of the 'engraver' alterations to his body and the need to update his feelings about his estranged sister to reconcile with her. There are some fairly ghastly skeletons in the Empire's closet near the end, and once more we step a bit closer to find out Ana's true, concealed nature. 

As always, I enjoyed the vivid eccentricity of Ana's character and the often funny banter she engages in with Din and others. The people in the story are often flawed, or self-centred, or blind to the motives of others. And while Din is the character telling the story, we only get glimpses of his true feelings at times, for example described as 'sad' , which is a clever way of showing and not telling us some of the deeper undercurrents of the story.

It seems like this is a series that will continue for a while longer. I don't believe that is a bad thing at all.

Thanks to Netgalley and DelRey for an ARC of this book.

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⯪ 

 

 

Review - A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett

Cover - A Drop of Corruption (Shadow of the Leviathan, #2) by Robert Jackson Bennett

 

March finds me taking part in the online "March Mavericks" readathon. The first book I've read is the fantasy murder-mystery, A Drop of Corruption by Robert Jackson Bennett.

This second story of inspectors Ana and Din doesn't disappoint. The setting moves to a jungle-forested kingdom, Yarrow, as the intrepid duo become mired in an investigation involving murder and intrigue in a harsh, decadent autocratic culture in a state of decline and denial. There are plot developments involving the all-important extraction of materials from leviathan bodies encapsulated in a bio-shroud, involving vast wealth and vitally central to the Empire's survival.  
 
Once more the characters are well-portrayed, especially the leaders of factions in the Yarrow court and the mysterious group of Apoths. We get to see some light and amusing experiences involving Din, and surprising revelations about the nature of the formidable Ana herself. And the clues, mysteries and unveilings of secrets are bound to keep readers, like I was, engaged till the last minute.  
 
This time round there perhaps was a big of a saggy second third of the story, and some of the vivid atmosphere may have been less than in the first book. But on the plus side, the earlier philosophizing of the characters has been pleasingly trimmed and the cracking dialogue is probably even sharper.

Thanks to Netgalley and DelRey for an ARC of this book.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review - The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

 

I have been making an effort to catch up with books published in 2024, and here's my first installment. Despite admitting I am only an occasional mystery tale reader, everything in The Tainted Cup just seems to my eyes to be done enjoyably right, with sure-footed dialogue and vivid atmosphere. Within the first chapter we are introduced to two appealing main characters, the inspector of the Iudex, Ana, and her apprentice assistant, Din. A variation on Sherlock and Watson, this unlikely pair are plunged deep into a murder case and a conspiracy that will affect the Empire of Khanum.

We get some standard 'murder mystery' plot elements in the initial set up, weirdly macabre crimes and victims, some hidden secrets, a trail of clues and of course 'the hook': we as the reader increasingly want to know why the deaths have taken place. The backdrop is the setting of the sprawling Empire, with its division by wealth and privilege into 'circles'. The third circle is for the least fortunate, as it lies closest to the shoreline and its wall, imperilled by leviathan beasts resembling giant kaiju. Society is structured into layers, with the military, the aristocracy and elite power given to many through arcane 'grafts'. I found it quite accomplished science-fantasy world building.

Ana is the eccentric, mysterious and obsessed inspector, bent towards the investigation like a predatory dog after bone. As her apprentice, Din must take advantage of his own special power of 'engraving', and turn his taciturn manner and even a learning disability to his own advantage. Both Ana and Din show true integrity in their quest to resolve the central mystery. My favourite character, however, is the gruff old soldier, Miljin, who despite his brusque manner and world-weary wisdom often shows compassion and caring to the others.

There are a number of red herrings we meet along the way, and even some enemies revealed as hiding in plain sight. We eventually get to see the real story behind the shady aristocratic Hazas family, in their ruthless quest to increase their own power. And the dramatic revelations, mainly deduced by the delightfully nutty Ana, are given to us in a way that pleasingly resolves the questions we, as readers, wanted to ask. It's quite well-done how details in the sotry that previously seemed unimportant are brought back once more as vital clues in the final solving of the mystery.  My only small gripe was some of the philosophizing about the Empire and the characters describing it in terms of metaphors, less might have better in this area.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐