The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

At the borders of the empire, contagions are abundant, and leviathans threaten the outer rings. The blood of those same leviathans is a key ingredient in magically transforming people to grant powerful abilities. Dinios “Din” Kol is one of those fortunate enough to have been altered. Due to his extremely enhanced memory skills, he has become an “engraver” and these skills are perfect in his role as a new assistant to Ana Dolabra, perhaps, the greatest living detective. And now that the body of a high-level magistrate has been found, murdered by means of aggressive plants exploding from inside his body, Ana and Din have been assigned the case.

While Ana brings her genius for detective sleuthing, she is also an eccentric who prefers to wear a blindfold most of the time so as to not let her vision interrupt her thinking. Din’s perfect memory is ideal for interrogating suspects and witnesses and is able to “play-back” the facts verbatim if required. Useful in discovering discrepancies, to be sure. The murder mystery is off and running, despite the fact that both Ana and Din have secrets of their own.

Author Robert Jackson Bennett has proven many times before that he is a master at building original fantasy worlds, demonstrating in-depth world-building with all the trappings you’d hope for. This first novel in a new series proves it once again. This is a rich world, with unusual circumstances, cultures, and motivations. The reader is plunged into the middle of it all, but Bennett is adept at providing the knowledge necessary for understanding without resorting to massive info dumps that bog down the plot.

Many reviewers compare the mystery elements of this novel to a Sherlock Holmes/Watson experience, but I think a much better analogy are the works of Rex Stout. Here, Din is the fact finder, the one who goes out and about gathering evidence much like Archie Goodwin. We get most of the story from his perspective. Ana, like Nero Wolfe, largely remains behind and waits for the information to come in where she then analyzes, deduces, and brings her genius to bear.

The entire novel moves along swiftly as more deaths occur, and the danger level rises. Din discovers more about himself but his anxiety over his secret threatens to overwhelm him. I loved discovering new abilities in other characters, engineered enhancements like strength, amazing math skills, and another that I shall not divulge for fear of spoilers. There are numerous characters from all walks of life thrown into the mix and like many fantasy novels, the names are not common to our experience and can be tough to keep track of. This is “smart” fantasy to be sure, neither a D&D adventure nor a Hercule Poirot murder mystery. No matter what you call it, it is exceptional, and certainly a fun read. I look forward to the next book in the series, not only for another complex murder mystery but also to learn more of this unique world.

Highly recommended.

Callback for a Corpse by Teel James Glenn

Moxie Donovan is a freelance reporter and movie studio promotion specialist in 1930’s Hollywood. He’s married to a beautiful up-and-coming red-headed actress named Maxie. After the murder of one of Moxie’s sources, they find themselves embroiled in an old-fashioned whodunnit. Fortunately, they are able to move in the circles of the Hollywood movers and shakers but when further murders occur, they begin to wonder if they are in over their heads.

I’ve always been a sucker for early Hollywood mysteries, especially those involving a wise-cracking protagonist. So, I was prone to like this one coming in. It’s my first novel by this author but I can happily report he certainly turned in a fun and engaging story here. Moxie is the lead character and, indeed, the story is told through his first-person narration. He doesn’t shy away from shining the spotlight on his own foibles but his love for his beautiful bride, Maxi, doesn’t take a back seat to anyone, even when Moxie finds himself amidst many a beautiful starlet.

The author unleashes his extensive knowledge of early Hollywood and how it worked. He also sprinkles in a lot of cameos from real people, including Bela Lugosi, newly-minted Roy Rodgers, and many others that were less familiar to me. The dialog is snappy and energetic. Moxie, in many ways reminds me of characters such as Shell Scott, getting themselves into the deep end but always with a verbal comeback as sharp as a razorblade.

Looking forward to reading more in this series from the good folks at Bold Venture Press.