The Tainted Cup (Shadow of the Leviathan Book 1)

In The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett, a Hugo Award–winning and bestselling fantasy mystery, a high imperial officer is found dead in Daretana’s grandest mansion—apparently killed when a tree burst from his body. The bizarre crime falls to Ana Dolabra, a famously brilliant but eccentric detective rumored to solve cases without ever leaving her home and to always wear a blindfold. Her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered for the job, is both fascinated and exasperated by her unorthodox methods. As they investigate, the pair uncover a conspiracy that reaches deep into the Empire’s heart. Blending the cleverness of Holmes and Watson with imaginative world-building, Bennett crafts a witty, twist-filled mystery that feels both familiar and refreshingly original.