A Trade of Blood (Ana and Din Mysteries #3) by Robert Jackson Bennett

In many ways, the Khanum Empire is a reflection of the real world. And, A Trade of Blood is a timely reminder of the remarkable power of fantasy to capture the dynamisms of this world.

Robert Jackson Bennett has become one of my favourite authors in recent times. Normally, I’d keep track of upcoming works by my favourite authors. This time, though, I somehow managed to miss the fact that a new instalment in this series would be out.

So, imagine my surprise when I saw someone post on X some weeks ago of A Trade of Blood! There was no way I wasn’t going to pick this one up.

Synopsis

Din and Ana find themselves yet again at the heart of another murder mystery, this time, in one of the inner rings of the Empire.

What at first appears to be a family feud in the Romeo-Juliet style turns out to be much more complicated. With two powerful families on the verge on a war that could destabilize the economic heart of the empire, it falls to Din and Ana to unravel the thick-knotted puzzle of the murder. For all those implicated, it will be a convolution of broken hearts, family reunions and unraveled secrets that grant more than just a peek at the dark foundations of the Khanum Empire.

Thoughts

In all honesty, I found the author’s end-of-book notes to be more profound than anything in the story itself. A Trade of Blood lacked all of the pulsating thrill of The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption. The inclusion of music to what has so far been an organic-matter-based sort of magic system seemed like an interesting aspect of this mystery. It only, in my opinion, served to eliminate most of the horror/fear factor needed to make the plot properly engrossing.

For spells, it felt like I, as the reader, merely stood on the fringes of the story, observing ongoings, rather than being sucked straight into the heart of things.

This is not to say, however, that it was a terrible book all round.

In A Trade of Blood, we learn more about the economy of the Khanum Empire, especially in its dealings with flesh. Some readers would be quick to overlook this bit, choosing instead to focus on the murder mystery and the big reveal at the end. But, it’s quite telling that the author himself felt compelled to explain that aspect of the book after the story had ended.

Verdict

In many ways, the Khanum Empire is a reflection of the real world. And, A Trade of Blood is a timely reminder of the remarkable power of fantasy to capture the dynamisms of this world.

While this latest instalment falls far below the heights of the first two books in the series, it’s still a fantasy murder mystery worth the while for any reader looking for a break from regular action fantasy.