Hello, everyone! Today I’m reviewing one of my most anticipated releases of 2026, A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett. Did this book live up to the lofty expectations set by its predecessors, The Tainted Cup & A Drop of Corruption? Read on to find out!

Brilliant detective Ana Dolabra must prove a man’s innocence to stop a civil war in the third book of the series that began with The Tainted Cup, named an Edgar, Hugo, and World Fantasy Award Finalist and one of the best books of the year (New York Times Book Review, NPR, Elle)—from the bestselling author of The Founders Trilogy.

In the canton of Sapirdad, two of the Empire’s most powerful families are moments away from going to war with each other, their hundreds of retainers gathered with swords drawn. If blood is spilt, the whole of the empire may be plunged into starvation and chaos.

To de-escalate matters, someone must do the impossible: prove that one family’s eldest son is innocent of a gruesome and unforgivable murder, despite the incontrovertible evidence against him.

It is with this undertaking that the great detective Ana Dolabra is tasked, her assistant Din at her side—and the two find themselves racing with great speed and little dignity to the scene.

As ever, the impossible proves little obstacle for the deadly combination of Ana’s intellect and Din’s keen eye, and mere hours after riding into the dusty town, Ana glimpses the greater pattern behind the crime. A deeper, subtler web of death is being woven in plain sight, by a mastermind with an ancient magical technology at his disposal.

But even Ana’s uncanny insight is of little use when each new suspect she uncovers ends up dead–with each new killing calculated to bring tensions between the two rival clans past the boiling point. And as Din pursues their adversary through the canton’s wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses, he finds his loyalties divided in unexpected ways.

***Thank you to Del Rey for providing an advanced copy of the book via NetGalley. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***

I was immediately sucked back into the world of Ana and Din by Bennett’s latest installment, A Trade of Blood. Ana and Din are both such fascinating characters, and I honestly can’t seem to get enough of them. Ana was her usual crass and sly self. Although, her secrets become more and more evident with each passing book. Din had to face some harsh realities in this story, including an evolution of his powers and some reminders of the life he gave up in order to gain them. Blasts from his past rocked him a bit on this case, too, as things became more personal than he expected.

My favorite thing about the books in this series is the way the author melds the mystery and the world-building. It’s a truly astounding feat of the imagination. This world is creepy and weird, and the exploration of its agricultural systems in A Trade of Blood fit the overarching oddness of this world perfectly while also being a twisted reflection of how we produce food in ours. This story provided so much new information about the history and setup of the empire all in service to understanding the how and why of a particular string of murders. I ate up the history of both the larger society and the local family squabbles and am already eager for another serving. lol.

As for the murder mystery in A Trade of Blood, it was gruesome and particularly revolting. The method of the murders made my skin crawl while also being one of the most fascinating things I’ve read lately. I did think the culprits were a bit obvious fairly early on, but there was enough misdirection that I couldn’t be entirely certain. Despite my initial strong suspicions being confirmed, the investigation was an incredibly fun ride of exploring creepy forests and ancient ruins, unearthing family secrets, and examining literal corpses in bloom.

All in all, A Trade of Blood was another fantastic installment of this series. I can’t get enough of Ana and Din, and I’m so happy that there will be more books with them. For as long as Robert Jackson Bennett writes these books, he’ll have my money. lol. If you enjoyed the first two books in the series, I’m sure you’ll like this one, too. If you haven’t started reading these books yet, you are really missing out on something special. This will probably come as no shock, but I rate this book 5 out of 5 stars.

There you have it! My thoughts on A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett. Have you read this latest installment yet? Let me know your thoughts down in the comments.