DocoftheDarkArts | The Tainted Cup

The Tainted Cup

Robert Jackson Bennett

Save to Your Books

100% of affiliate revenue supports DocoftheDarkArts

A Holmes and Watson–style detective duo take the stage in this fantasy with a mystery twist, from the Edgar-winning, multiple Hugo-nominated Robert Jackson Bennett.

“Superbly blends mystery and fantasy . . . Give me more of this world and these characters ASAP!”—#1 New York Times bestselling author Meg Gardiner.

In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.

Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home. At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance.

Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective. As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.

By an “endlessly inventive” (Vulture) author with a “wicked sense of humor” (NPR), The Tainted Cup mixes the charms of detective fiction with brilliant world-building to deliver a fiendishly clever mystery that’s at once instantly recognizable and thrillingly new.

Get the Bindery app

Posts about this title from DocoftheDarkArts

DocoftheDarkArts\ \ Bob Stuntz\ \ • Dec 14 2025

Updates and My Top 10 of 2025

10 books

DocoftheDarkArts\ \ Bob Stuntz\ \ • Nov 25 2025

Weekly Reading Update: 11/16 - 11/22

I had another really good reading week.

9 books

Posts about this book from across Bindery

vellichor ventures\ \ Shawn Berry\ \ • Apr 27

Join for free

Shadow of the Leviathan is my new favorite series

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennet is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It is funny, suspenseful, and full of some of the coolest magic I’ve read in a book in years. #bookish #booktube #booknerd #bookshelf #reading

6 books

The Bibliothecary\ \ Samantha\ \ • Apr 14

Join for free

\ \ Upgrade for $5 or login](https://bibliothecarybooks.binderybooks.com/item/oBti5QfdmxXjDD9odCha/)

EARLY ACCESS | recent reads: lake monsters, biopunk detectives, re-reads of old favorites, and bad YA dystopians

In which I discuss the books I've read recently..

♡ Join THE BIBLIOTHECARY: patreon.com/thoughtsontomes or https://bibliothecarybooks.binderybooks.com/ ►► Bibliothecary members get perks such as early access to videos, written posts, podcast-like ramblings, witchcraft book reviews and sharing about my personal craft, a year long interactive reading challenge, seasonal readalongs, and more!

★ Reading spreadsheet I use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twhrdlRfnRs&t=626s ► End screen song: Magic Forest - Kevin MacLeod

★ FREELANCE EDITING SERVICES: https://tinyurl.com/editing-services -- I'm currently accepting clients for developmental editing and manuscript evaluation (I'm full for 2026 - I may open up additional editing slots later in the eyar depending on schedule so send me an email to get on the waiting list). I am still accepting book coaching clients for all of 2026. I'm interested in working with adult fantasy and scifi, especially Hades and Persephone retellings, stories involving polyamory, and mental health rep. I offer free editing samples of your first 1,000 words to make sure we are a good fit.

➝ DISCLAIMER: This video is not sponsored. All opinions are my own.

WHERE TO FIND ME ► BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/thoughtsontomes.bsky.social ► Storygraph (alternative to goodreads): https://app.thestorygraph.com/profile/thoughtsontomes ► Instagram: @thoughtsontomes ► Tiktok: @thoughtsontomes_

MORE THAN BOOKS? ★ Check out The Bibliothecary! I used to discuss witchcraft and other topics on my other channel but that content has all moved to The Bibliothecary: https://bibliothecarybooks.binderybooks.com/

REVIEW/BUSINESS INQUIRES ➝ Email: thoughtsontomes@gmail.com ➝ Review Policy: https://thoughtsontomes.tumblr.com/reviewpolicy -- due to the volume of email requests I get, I do not accept review requests from indie or self-published authors at this time

12 books

The Coterie\ \ Mikah Mia Reads\ \ • Mar 30

Join for free

\ \ The votes are in and we are reading The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett in April! Part fantasy and part mystery, I think this is going to be a really fun book to read together 👀 Don’t forget to check the Discord for this month’s giveaway winner!\ \ And if you’re behind on reading These Burning Stars (like I am), I’ll be leaving that forum up this month to give any stragglers a chance to post their thoughts if they’d like!](https://thecoterie.binderybooks.com/item/ce1HN9dsQNycfuWSjWSU/)

APRIL PICK: The Tainted Cup

1 book

The Coterie\ \ Mikah Mia Reads\ \ • Mar 27

Join for free

Poll:\ \ what should we read in April? \ \ It’s time to vote on our April book club pick! Each of these are robust fantasies that come highly rated and recommended by the online book community. Can’t wait to dive into one of these with you this month! Voting will close on Monday, March 30th 🗳️\ \ The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay\ \ Hauntingly evocative of medieval Spain, this is both a brilliant adventure and a deeply compelling story of love, divided loyalties, and what happens to men and women when hardening beliefs begin to remake — or destroy — a world.\ \ Theft of Swords by Michael Sullivan\ \ Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles—until they are hired to pilfer a famed sword. What appears to be just a simple job finds them framed for the murder of the king and trapped in a conspiracy that uncovers a plot far greater than the mere overthrow of a tiny kingdom.\ \ The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett\ \ Featuring an unforgettable Holmes-and-Watson style pairing, a gloriously labyrinthine plot, and a haunting and wholly original fantasy world, The Tainted Cup brilliantly reinvents the classic mystery tale.\ \ Join for free or login

April Voting 🌷

3 books

The Bibliothecary\ \ Samantha\ \ • Mar 25

Join for free

The Tainted Cup GUSH | EARLY ACCESS

In which I discuss my spoiler filled thoughts on The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett... Spoiler free review: https://youtu.be/RKc9adI7fSo

★ Reading spreadsheet I use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twhrdlRfnRs&t=626s ► End screen song: Magic Forest - Kevin MacLeod