The heir to one of the Empire’s most powerful families sits in jail, accused of murder. His hands are covered in the victim’s blood, and he can neither deny his guilt nor explain his actions.
But if the great detective Ana Dolabra cannot save him from the noose, the farming canton of Sapirdad will explode into war, threatening to plunge the whole Empire into starvation and chaos.
As Ana investigates—her assistant Dinios Kol, as ever, acting as her eyes and ears—she fears her task is even more daunting than it seemed. For this murder is just the latest in a deeper, subtler web of death, woven by a mastermind with an ancient weapon at his disposal.
With their customary skill, Ana and Din pursue their adversary through the canton’s wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses. Yet even they are not prepared to learn the horrifying secret behind their opponent’s powers.
This series keeps getting better and better. There are so many good things about this third novel, but I need to know more about Ana and her augmentations. Starters, Din’s augmentations are “maturing”, but what exactly does that mean? There was previous mention of engravers going mad, but that it was still years ahead for Din. So what is happening now? Then, WE MET DIN’S SISTER! Or at least one of them. Will Bennett add the rest in another novel soon, or at least start mentioning them more?
I love the mystery, too. How did the girl die? The explanation is great, so please read it. However, I will add that it is tied to the flensing halls. If you have not read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, then you should. Either before or after this, because it can much better describe Din and Tauri’s horror of the flensing halls. But it will also give you an idea as to why they will never be enough.
And that ending? What the heck? Can we have more explanations in the next book? Or even the emperor themselves? I would also like to add that a potential novella could be the history or fables of the Khanum, Daljeni, etc. It would be helpful to include images for your visual readers.
Overall, I rate this novel 5 out of 5 stars.
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