Book discussion: “The Tainted Cup” by Robert Jackson Bennett

On July 19, we'll be discussing "The Tainted Cup", the Hugo-nominated novel by Robert Jackson Bennett.

As always, this discussion is free and open to anybody and everybody. This meetup is hybrid -- we meet both in-person at the Oak Park Public library and online via our Discord channel ("Chicago-SF-book-discussion"). A link with which to log on will be published shortly before the meeting. We meet once a month, normally on the third Saturday.
Follow here on Facebook or our Discord channel for updates.

For those attending in-person, the meeting will be at the Oak Park Public Library, at 834 Lake St, Oak Park, IL (708) 383-8200. The library is close to free street parking to the north (inquire in comments for the best spots), has its own dedicated parking garage, and is within a short walk of both the Metra and Green line train stops. There is also an inexpensive parking garage 2 blocks away at 720 North Blvd. Please be aware that the library's parking garage closes at 5 pm. (For tips on the best street parking, please post a request in the discussion.)
Those who are able to meet in person at the Oak Park Public Library usually have dinner at one of Oak Park's many nearby restaurants afterwards.
_____________________
From the publisher's website:

In Daretana’s greatest mansion, a high imperial officer lies dead—killed, to all appearances, when a tree erupted from his body. Even here at the Empire’s borders, where contagions abound and the blood of the leviathans works strange magical changes, it’s a death both terrifying and impossible.

Assigned to investigate is Ana Dolabra, a detective whose reputation for brilliance is matched only by her eccentricities. Rumor has it that she wears a blindfold at all times, and that she can solve impossible cases without even stepping outside the walls of her home.

At her side is her new assistant, Dinios Kol, magically altered in ways that make him the perfect aide to Ana’s brilliance. Din is at turns scandalized, perplexed, and utterly infuriated by his new superior—but as the case unfolds and he watches Ana’s mind leap from one startling deduction to the next, he must admit that she is, indeed, the Empire’s greatest detective.

As the two close in on a mastermind and uncover a scheme that threatens the Empire itself, Din realizes he’s barely begun to assemble the puzzle that is Ana Dolabra—and wonders how long he’ll be able to keep his own secrets safe from her piercing intellect.