Back in the 20th Century, Rex Stout created a mystery solving duo: Nero Wolfe was a corpulent genius who seldom left his brownstone and his aide, Archie Goodwin, would conduct investigations and bring back clues and evidence that Nero Wolfe would use to solve the mystery. Rex Stout wrote 33 novels and 41 novellas and short stories featuring Nero Wolfe.

Robert Jackson Bennet “borrowed” Rex Stout’s template and added a few “tweaks.” Ana Dolabra is a tiny woman genius who wears a blindfold because she can’t stand overstimulation. Her assistant, Dinios Kol, is a “modified” human who has the ability to remember EVERYTHING. Together, they work together to solve baffling crimes. The previous two Ana and Din mysteries, set on a planet ruled by the Empire and endangered by gigantic leviathans, introduced a complex world. The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption (my review is here) kept me involved and faked out until the final Reveal.

The latest Ana and Din book, A Trade in Blood, explores the feud between two families (shades of Romeo and Juliette) where the beautiful daughter of the leader of one family is killed by the son of the leader of another family. But the crime is mysterious and Din discovers more suspicious deaths.

Ana is convinced the deaths lead to the powerful rulers in the Past and their secret technologies.

If you’re a Nero Wolfe fan, you’ll find these modified mysteries just as challenging as Rex Stout’s work. If you’re a fan of Science Fiction and Mystery mashups, you’ll be delighted with A Trade in Blood. GRADE: A