Welcome to my weekly segment, Waiting on Wednesday, where I look at upcoming books that I am planning to order and review in the next few months and which I think I will really enjoy.  Stay tuned to see reviews of these books when I get a copy of them.  In this latest Waiting on Wednesday post, I highlight an exceptional upcoming fantasy crime novel I already know is going to be one of the top books of the year with A Trade of Blood by Robert Jackson Bennett.

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Over the last couple of years, few authors have impressed me as much as the incredible Robert Jackson Bennett.  An established fantasy author with some outstanding series under his belt, Bennett has been wowing readers for years with his complex and elaborate stories.  However, it is Bennett’s latest series that has really showed the world just how good he is, with the incredible Shadow of the Leviathan series.

Set in a fantasy empire constantly besieged by giant sea monsters, the Shadow of the Leviathan series feature exceptionally clever fantasy crime novels that see an unnaturally gifted investigator and her troubled assistant solve impossible murders that threaten to sabotage the safety of the nation.  The series started with The Tainted Cup that perfectly introduced the characters and the setting, while also featuring a great story of murder, deceit and intrigue.  Thanks to its clever fantasy elements out outstanding mystery, The Tainted Cup ended up being one of my favourite books of 2024, and I had such a great time getting through this incredible read.  Due to how awesome the first book in the series was, I ended up reading the sequel, A Drop of Corruption as soon as I could last year.  This sequel ended up being just as good, if not better, than the first book in the series, and I loved the new elaborate mystery and scenario that Bennett came up with.  A Drop of Corruption ended up getting another five-star rating from me, as well as being one of my favourite books of 2025.

After having such an incredible time with the first two Shadow of the Leviathan books, I’ve made sure to keep an eye out for the next book in the series, and I am very happy that a third entry is coming out soon.  This next entry is the very promisingly titled A Trade of Blood, which is currently set for release in August 2026.  Featuring another awesome fantasy crime narrative, A Trade of Blood has a ton of potential, and I really love the sound of this cool upcoming novel.

Plot Synopsis:

In the canton of Sapirdad, two of the Empire’s most powerful families are moments away from going to war with each other, their hundreds of retainers gathered with swords drawn. If blood is spilled, the whole of the empire may be plunged into starvation and chaos.

To deescalate matters, someone must do the impossible: prove that one family’s eldest son is innocent of a gruesome and unforgivable murder, despite the incontrovertible evidence against him.

It is with this undertaking that the great detective Ana Dolabra is tasked, her assistant Din at her side—and the two find themselves racing with great speed and little dignity to the scene.

As ever, the impossible proves little obstacle for the deadly combination of Ana’s intellect and Din’s keen eye, and mere hours after riding into the dusty town, Ana glimpses the greater pattern behind the crime. A deeper, subtler web of death is being woven in plain sight, by a mastermind with an ancient magical technology at his disposal.

But even Ana’s uncanny insight is of little use when each new suspect she uncovers ends up dead–with each new killing calculated to bring tensions between the two rival clans past the boiling point. And as Din pursues their adversary through the canton’s wild ranges, sprawling ranches, and reeking slaughterhouses, he finds his loyalties divided in unexpected ways.

I already love the sound of A Trade of Blood, and it looks like Bennett has another outstanding fantasy murder mystery in store for us.  This upcoming novel has a great synopsis behind it, and I am very curious to see both the initial crime that the protagonists need to uncover to avoid a civil war, as well as the resulting killings that intend to stoke the conflict even further.  It will be very interesting to see the protagonists, Ana and Din, try to solve this case while dealing with their own issues at the same time, and I am very curious to see how Bennett will test this unlikely pairing going forward.  The inclusion of another extremely devious villain for this book, seems particularly promising, and I look forward to seeing the resulting battle of wits between the antagonist and the unstable but brilliant Ana, which will no doubt be entertaining and clever.

Based on how damn good the last two Shadow of the Leviathan novels turned out to be, there is no way in hell I am missing out on A Trade of Blood later this year.  Robert Jackson Bennett has been on an absolute roll with this series, which I have no doubt he will easily continue with this third book.  I will be grabbing A Trade of Blood no matter what this year, but after reading the exceptional synopsis above, I am even more excited for this epic upcoming novel.  I have no doubt at all that A Trade of Blood is going to be one of the very best novels of 2026, and it is one of the books I am most looking forward to this year.