#91 in Fantasy
New out August 4, 2026
A Trade of Blood
- 405
- Pages
- about 7 h
- Reading time
- NYT bestseller · 1 week on the list, peaked at #10
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Our view
“A Trade of Blood” sets a well-built murder mystery in an inventive fantasy Empire, and that world is its richest asset. The detective Ana Dolabra and her assistant Dinios Kol must save an heir found with a victim’s blood on his hands before a farming canton slides into war. Some readers guess the motive early and still enjoy how neatly and steadily the case unfolds. Two earlier “Shadow of the Leviathan” novels come before it.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
An unthinkable crime. A fatal conspiracy. A suspect without a trace. The heir to one of the Empire's most powerful families sits in jail, accused of murder. His hands are covered in his victim's blood, and he can neither deny his guilt nor explain his actions. If the great detective Ana Dolabra - along with her assistant Dinios Kol - cannot save him, the farming canton of Sapirdad will explode into war, plunging the Empire into famine and chaos. But this murder is only the latest in a subtle web of death, woven by a mastermind with an ancient weapon at his disposal. Ana and Din have faced terrible crimes before. But as they pursue their adversary through wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses, even they are not prepared for the horrifying secret behind their opponent's powers . . . Eccentric yet 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 award-winning The Tainted Cup.
Reading order · Shadow of the Leviathan
Full order & progress →- A Drop of CorruptionStart here
8.78.7 / 10 - A Trade of BloodThis book
8.58.5 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 9.0 across 197 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 57% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Fantasy average of 8.0. That is how 8.5 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 9.0 | 197 | 100% |
Frequently asked
How long is A Trade of Blood?
It has 405 pages — shorter than 76% of the ranked books in Fantasy.
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You will also find this book on the New books page, with the other titles of the last twelve months.
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