The Lion’s Tusk

Ana and Din Mysteries #2.5

by Robert Jackson Bennett

An eccentric detective turns to the fantastical to solve a cold case in a short story by the Hugo Award–winning author of The Tainted Cup.

On a long carriage journey with her assistant Din, brilliant investigator Ana Dolabra ponders a solution to an impossible crime that has remained unsolved for centuries. A lavish wedding for two noble scions of the Empire descended into chaos when the newlyweds were found murdered in their marriage bed. But Ana—an expert in ancient myths, awakened beasts, and magic—knows that nothing is impossible, only unimaginable.

Robert Jackson Bennett’s The Lion’s Tusk is part of the Magic & Mystery collection, puzzle-box mysteries from top fantasy authors. They can be read or listened to in one enchanting sitting.

Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Short Stories, Audiobook, Fiction, Novella, Mystery Thriller

38 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 28, 2026

About the author

Robert Jackson Bennett is a two-time award winner of the Shirley Jackson Award for Best Novel, an Edgar Award winner for Best Paperback Original, and is also the 2010 recipient of the Sydney J Bounds Award for Best Newcomer, and a Philip K Dick Award Citation of Excellence. City of Stairs was shortlisted for the Locus Award and the World Fantasy Award. City of Blades was a finalist for the 2015 World Fantasy, Locus, and British Fantasy Awards. His eighth novel, FOUNDRYSIDE, will be available in the US on 8/21 of 2018 and the UK on 8/23.

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

⟡ ݁₊ . I enjoyed this one! It made me laugh and the writing/narrating reminded me of The Princess Bride, which made it fun to read. 🤭 The mystery was quite interesting, and I was partially right about who did it. It is kinda gory, so if that's not something you like to read, there's your heads-up. 😁👍🏼

All in all, this was a pretty good read! 💛

⋆˚࿔ Thank you to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review! All opinions and statements are my own. ⋆˚࿔

──── ୨୧ ────

The Magic & Mystery Collection
#1 The Wednesday Witches Book Club
#2 Miss Gentle and The Case of the Very Flat Monk
#4 A Labyrinth of Honeybees
#5 The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious
#6 Battle of the Round House
#7 The Cairndale Orphan

[Ricarda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really need to get my shit together and finally pick up the arc for book three. Shadow of the Leviathan is one of my favorite ongoing fantasy series, and this short story really reminded me of my love. My beloved detective duo Ana and Din are traveling across the empire, probably from one strange murder case to the next. On the way Ana starts to tell Din about yet another strange murder case, but this one happened 182 years ago and was never fully solved. The story reads like one long monologue from Ana, but there are frequent jabs at Din, so their fun dynamic shines through anyway. The historical case is all about the wedding of an unlikely couple and the multiple people who hold a grudge against them, about old nuptial traditions and fabled gifts. It's a short case of course, but it wasn't superficial at all and turned out to be equally gross and peculiar as the murders in the novels. It simply was super interesting to read. It also just makes sense to me that Ana would go through historical files when she's bored and start solving them on her own. It fits her infinitely clever character so well. I really have no complaints here whatsoever. I think this might even be a nice short introduction to the world as it captures its essence quite perfectly. In any case it's a neat addition to an already fantastic series.

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The bronze plaque claimed the emperor told this ancient family that the tusk would give them great fortune, so long as their hearts were pure—yet should they stray, it would bring them sorrow and ruin.”


Apparently, they are traveling. The narrator feels the need to fill the silence with the story of a murder mystery from centuries ago.

The Kartan clan, and the marriage of Caldor to Naram.

A wedding for the ages: He is a carousing manwhore; she is a crafty genius.

A (former) suitor, a priest, and a (female) military captain all have grudges against the newlyweds.

The tusk of the horned lion is the abbot’s wedding present.

Veosoar insect 🪲 and an insidious plot.

The writing style is odd. Something about his tone does not work. Deliberately obtuse and inaccessible.

Interesting solve, but somewhat of a snooze.

Paltry world-building. Hard to care about any of all this when it’s so long ago, and so fantastical.


“My heart only aches to know what nature of sacrifice she made.”
“Sacrifice? What do you mean?”
“I shall not say. I will not impugn her name, not with her flesh still warm.”

[Melanie (meltotheany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley

✰ the collection on amazon
✰ the collection on goodreads

ana and dinn are traveling somewhere together via carriage, and ana decides to tell him a murder mystery that happened almost 200 years ago, and how she believes she has finally figured all the pieces out! and the setting of this puzzling tale is a wedding, where the bride and groom are forming very different, but much needed, alliances. after the vows, and other things that are very funny how ana tells dinn, they are presented with gifts, one being the title of this short story. and ana breaks it all apart, and puts in all together again, like she always does best.

this is part of probably my favorite ongoing fantasy series right now. also, i am currently on season three of attack on titan (finally, i know i know) and i feel like it just makes me love and appreciate this story even more. so many discussions on inherited wealth and power and the evil things people will do to continue to accumulate more and more and more. i really enjoyed this and this story alone was the reason i chose to review this entire collection!

trigger + content warnings: blood, death, murder, gore, insects, vomit mention, and implied homophobia in past (in a negative light)

blog | instagram | youtube | wishlist | spotify | amazon

1.) The Tainted Cup ★★★★★
2.) A Drop of Corruption ★★★★★

♡ Magic & Mystery Amazon Collection Reviews:
➛ Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk by Travis Baldree
➛ The Wednesday Witches Book Club By Sarah Beth Durst
➛ The Lion’s Tusk By Robert Jackson Bennett
➛ A Labyrinth of Honeybees By Heather Fawcett
➛ The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious By Scott Lynch
➛ Battle of the Round House By Tananarive Due
➛ The Cairndale Orphan By J. M. Miro

[Andrei(Drusca) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice story

[Marcie Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿, 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲!

I love Ana and Din, but this one fell a little flat for me. I much prefer these stories when we get more of the two of them together, especially their banter, and this mystery just didn’t grip me in the same way as the first two.

I’m also still waiting for more of the bigger mythology around the leviathans and Ana’s connection to them. That’s the part I’m most curious about, so even though this instalment disappointed me a little, I’m still very much invested in continuing the series.

[Tabitha (Reading Tabby) · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you've read any of Shadow of the Leviathan, and loved it, you'll love this. I don't think you really need to ready any of them before reading this one but I think having read the first two books will add more flavor to the story. At least being familiar with the dynamic between Ana and Din is recommended for ideal reading as she does have little back and forths with him lol

I really enjoyed the mystery of this one, I don't think it was a super easy solve but nor did it feel like it came out of left field. I really liked how it was all explained at the end, it felt like it made sense, which I appreciate in mysteries lol and this one really is so good! Robert Jackson Bennett is just so freaking good at this stuff, like how even

Loved the ending~

[Hirondelle (not getting all notifications) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind of a teaser, the next book is coming out next week, a short story set between the last and future book, this time totally from the PoV of Ana, a narration of a historical mystery case and her solution for it. It is basically pefectly done in all ways, the mystery is intricate and the solution surprising but the clues laid out fairly, the voice, the details about the world (and a short reflection on the state of their society). Its only flaw, and it is not quite a flaw but the thing preventing me to rate the full 5 stars, is how "minor" it is - it is interesting and perfectly done, but it just feels like a bonus extra.

[TL *Humaning the Best She Can* · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for free with Kindle Unlimited and Audible audio
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Narrator did a good job but this was meh for me..not good, not bad.. Just okay.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only reason this isn't getting a full five stars is that I wanted to hear Din's side of the "conversation," because I love Din.

[4.5 stars]

[✘✘ Sarah ✘✘ (former Nefarious Breeder of Murderous Crustaceans) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sort of disappointed by A Drop of Corruption when I read it and wasn't in much of a hurry to read A Trade of Blood, the latest installment in the series. Well, that was until I read this short 😬. Now I think I'm ready for more Ana and Din shenanigans in my life. (And they better be good, or else...



· Book 1: The Tainted Cup ★★★★
· Book 2: A Drop of Corruption ★★★
· Book 3: A Trade of Blood · to be read

[Chantaal · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's an Ana & Din story, it's gonna be 5 stars.

[aria ✧ · Rating 4 out of 5]

── 4.0✦

I’d like to think Ana was telling Din this case on their way to Sapirdad in book three.

[Alex Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Ana and Din, and this was a nice little foray into a mystery during one of the twosome’s many coach rides.

But one of the things that makes RJB’s Ana and Din Mysteries so good? It’s patience.

He doesn’t rush their stories.

He takes time and we slowly unravel abjectly horrible and distressing mysteries.

And I’m not sure that works as well in something like this, a short story/novella for an anthology. It wasn’t a bad story, it just didn’t really feel like what I have come to adore from these characters.

I also question if you can effectively read this as a standalone. I mean, you probably could but you’d be very confused. Which for an anthology where most stories are meant to stand up on their own two legs, feels a little teeny bit of a misnomer.

Anyway. Read it if you like A & D. Don’t judge the series on it. And don’t be put off reading their escapades in future if you aren’t a huge fan. Die hard fans will love it, despite its few flaws.

3.0/5.0

[Danny_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good standalone mystery. Short, but well-done.

I cannot wait for Book 3! Will immediately be starting it when it comes out.

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i can read about Ana & Din forever

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A true locked door mystery told via a detective to his apprentice that involves a couple of disgusting bodies and a fair few suspects. I liked the narration style, of a detective going through the notes from a cold case, analysing the facts and clues. The story itself I didn't expect to be so funny yet also pretty gross. Enjoyable though. It makes me want to read the Ana and Din series.

[Magdalena · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did. At first I struggled with the unfamiliar world, names, and terminology, especially in such a short story. But once I settled into the story, I was completely captivated. I loved the way Ana recounted an old cold case to her young assistant as they traveled together. Her storytelling was witty, engaging, and full of personality, and the gruesome murders made for a fascinating fantasy mystery. I'll definitely be reading more by Robert Jackson Bennett.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions are my own.

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short story from Anna's point of view; a story to entertain them during travel, and to whet the reader's appetite for the next Bennett release.

"The wedding was scheduled, planned, and prosecuted much as one might an invasion."

[CC · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting (and slightly horrifying) story, but too short and that's not Ana's voice!

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ana and Din Mysteries are my current favorite fantasy series, so I was delightfully surprised to see an unexpected short story featuring them release. And while Ana and Din only briefly appear as the narrator and audience in the recanting of a centuries-old unsolved mystery — which Ana, naturally, has figured out — that mystery was still a captivating story. Framing it as a tale told to Din by Ana over a long carriage ride only added to the story's charm, as you could so clearly hear her voice in the telling of it. The added background on the historical Empire was also a nice detail for fans of the series.

[Carm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hmm. I don’t think this one’s for me. What’s that? Murder bugs? Tell me more. Sex sheets? I’m listening. THE CAT DIDN’T DO IT?! Well… I stand corrected.

[Shelby · Rating 4 out of 5]

this one has it all - a murder mystery, a poirot lookalike, ana rage baiting din, and nasty bug stuff

[Spad53 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ana Dolabra is a wonderful character, and here she’s at her best. Poor Din is in for a long carriage journey as she unravels this murder story.
The lions tusk is short, funny and to the point, wonderful after the last book I read. A Trade of Blood is out, I believe yesterday, so this was a nice distraction, and means I can wait a while for my next shot of Ana & Din.

[Bee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was fine. I suspect half my indifference to it might be that it's not the same narrator as the OG series, so it missed a lot of the nuance and inflection that makes Ana such a great character. But the story too was simply her telling Din about a mystery she thinks she's solved, so it never really grips in the same way. It's fine.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short but remarkable novella about a cold case resolved by Ana . The lion’s tusk is imaginative brutal and left us breathless at the end. Robert Jackson Bennett is really the master of investigations.

[franci.bonni · Rating 5 out of 5]

100% time to pick up The Tainted Cup! This was a great first introduction to the author.

[Moin✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short, fun little murder mystery fully narrated by Ana to Din. A newlywed couple found horribly dead and various evidence/testimonies.

The guilty person is easy to surmiss once you get a few specific hints, but it is still a fun way to piece all the puzzle pieces together. Naram, the bride, whom we have not heard her speak at all had a lot of of character development fowhile we got her background for such a short story and honestly? I can sympathize to an extent. Her husband, Caldor, didn't really have any, but ok.

Nothing great, but still fun!

[Aldi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, GROSS, I love it!

Extra points for Ana's voice.

Too short, alas, but a nice tonic for my post-Trade-of-Blood book hangover.

[Diana · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

I recognized this author as the creator of the Ana and Din mystery series that I have really been enjoying. Upon reading this, I was very pleased to discover Ana and Din are the characters in this short story!

True to the style of the Ana and Din mysteries, the crime in this story is quite gruesome!

Upon finishing I noticed that GR has this categorized as “Ana and Din mysteries 2.5”. However, fans of the series needn’t worry about reading this short story out of order. The Lion’s Tusk is Ana telling Din about an old case from her past.

Magic and Mystery Collection:
Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk - Travis Baldree ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
The Wednesday Witches Book Club - Sarah Beth Durst ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
The Lion’s Tusk - Robert Jackson Bennett ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
A Labyrinth of Honeybees - Heather Fawcett ⭐️⭐️💫
The Wizard Who Kept Himself Suspicious- Scott Lynch ⭐️⭐️
Battle of the Round House - Tananarive Due ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Cairndale Orphan - J.M. Miro ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️