Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

I received an early copy via NetGalley.

This second book in the Shadow of the Leviathan series is somehow more gripping than the first. These books are brilliant: fantasy murder mysteries with a whiff of ancient Rome, overlaid with a veneer of weird horror. Bizarre as the combination is, it works in Bennett's masterful hands.

This mystery is set in an outpost that presents a peculiar mystery: a treasury official vanishes from a locked hotel room, pieces of his body later found in a remote swamp. On the case is Din, a magically-enhanced engraver, meaning he can commit to memory whatever he experiences by aligning it with scent cues. He works for Ana, a Holmesian reclusive genius who is blind, perhaps a lunatic, sometimes driven by bizarre, insatiable hungers and obsessions. She can see patterns no one else can.

This book is an incredibly fast read. I had trouble putting it down. I really hope Bennett continues this series for many more books, as I am in awe of the world and characters he has created.