The Tainted Cup

An interesting mystery set in a fantasy world. Featuring two characters, Ana Dolabra and Dinios Kol, that contain mixed features of Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Here, they are investigating the mystery of a man killed when a tree grew out of his body. Solving this actually takes only a few chapters: it is the ramifications of the murder and further discoveries that would take up the rest of the book, and test the abilities of the two characters (and the reader) to solve it.

In this fantasy world, Ana is the detective, making deductive leaps based on the evidence gathered by Dinios. Dinios is an engraver, a person modified via chemistry (made from the flesh of leviathans) to be able to recall every detail seen. But Dinios has a secret recall ability that would also prove crucial in the investigation. Both are living in an Empire, made up of people modified to be stronger, faster, more intelligent, etc., but all driven to protect the empire from the attacks of leviathans from the sea, who emerge every wet season on to the Empire's land. The leviathans, and the protections thrown up to shield the empire from them, would form the world building background to the story.

During the course of the investigation, this reader managed to deduce some points in the investigation and the true identity of one suspect. It would also implicate people who are willing to sacrifice people and entire regions for personal gain, and motivate others who want to get revenge for such abuses.

A fascinating world that shows the investigative prowess of the two characters, but promises more revelations about the world they live in future books.

This was a great read. Like Bennett's "City of ..." series, this one mixes mystery with fantasy and again carries off Bennett's skill in creating a page-turner. Describing The Tainted Cup as crossover or hybrid though doesn't do justice to the variety of narrative and thematic elements appearing in the book. I really enjoyed the world-building of Daretana as a society heavily dependent on plant-based materials and biological sciences. The two primary characters, as detectives, were fascinating and in lesser hands I think would have been difficult to pull off. Bennett however makes them relatable and it is fascinating to watch the trajectories of their development through the book. There are also elements of a domestic spy thriller, as Bennett again visits infighting amongst the bureaucratic concerns of states. If that weren't enough, there are Kaiju elements as well.

I don't always feel surprised reading a Bennett book, but the pages fly by and I never feel as though something is unconvincing or poorly rendered. Very much looking forward to the next one.

Told from the perspective of a rather stick-in-the-mud assistant investigator to a genius detective who has been banished to the hinterlands for unspecified faux pas against powerful people of the Empire, we follow as their investigation goes from strange to dangerous as it threatens powerful people and the very walls the Empire is founded on.

The primary conceit for the universe he creates this time is that genetic alterations are but a flask of chemicals away and the whole Empire is largely run by various highly modified individuals. The narrator has just been given his first modification, making him an engraver, which means he has perfect memory of anything he views or hears or smells. He is the eyes and ears for the investigator, relaying the physical clues to her from which she deduces the rest.

Strongly recommended read! Really well plotted, great characters and a fascinating world for them to run around and get in trouble in.