The Tainted Cup is a cross-over book that mixes a mystery story with a fantasy setting. Ana Dolabra is a genius police investigator who rarely leaves home. She is assisted by Dinious “Din” Kol, who has perfect recall and can therefore be Ana’s eyes and ears. The story is told from his point of view. Ana sends him out and then gets him to describe what he saw and heard exactly. In a Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, or Nero Wolf and Archie Goodwin type of dynamic, Ana is always several steps ahead. This is the mystery story side.
The story takes place in the Empire of Khanum, which is made up of cantons, each ruled by a different political faction. As might be expected, the various officials may or may not be cooperative and may have their own agendas. The case involves a high ranking engineer found dead with a tree that has grown through his body, which suggests a weaponized plant contagion. Oh yes, in this world there are plants and animals that exist as the result of past ecological disasters and lab escapes. Along the sea there is a great wall that was built to keep giant leviathans out and the army and engineers are responsible for maintaining and defending it. As the story unfolds, an attack is imminent, which adds some urgency background to the story.
The Tainted Cup was the 2025 Hugo Award for best novel and I think it won due to how well the combination of genres worked. It is a fun and well written story and the audio book was narrated by Andrew Fallaize, who did an excellent job with the voicing. It is the first in a trilogy, but is self-contained and satisfying.