Series profile
Shadow of the Leviathan
An ongoing fantasy mystery about an eccentric investigator, her assistant, and an empire altered by leviathan blood.
- Status
- Ongoing series
- Published
- 2
- Commitment
- Medium series
- Audience
- Adult / Crossover
Reading route
Start with the profiled opening volume.
1 of 2 volumes profiled
- 1Fantasy CompassThe Tainted CupBook profile
The Tainted Cup
An investigator and her magically altered assistant examine a murder caused by a tree erupting from a body.
The cases resolve individually, but the world and partnership continue across the series.
Series intelligence
Before you start the series.
Where to begin, how much the complete reading path asks of you, and whether the central story has an ending.
- Linear reading order
- Still continuing
- 2 published books
Where to start
Start with The Tainted Cup and continue in series order. The central story is designed to be read linearly.
- The Tainted Cup
The intended starting point for the continuous central story.
2 books are published, and the central series is still continuing.
The full published path is a medium-length series spanning 2 books.
Best if you want
- Fair-play mysteries inside an inventive biological fantasy world.
- A recurring detective partnership and expanding imperial conspiracy.
Think twice if you need
- A completed series or traditional medieval magic.
- Romance as a meaningful part of the central promise.
Outside the score
Reader context
Series information guides suitability and commitment. Matrix scores remain attached to individual books.
Reader advisories
- Violence
- Horror elements
- Grief and loss
Editorial record
Sources and review
Matrix v1.0 / calibrated / high confidence / reviewed 2026-08-06