The Lion’s Tusk

Magic & Mystery #3

by Robert Jackson Bennett, Hannah Curtis (Narrator)

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

1 pages, Audible Audio

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 • ia for a while · 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.

[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

[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.

[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

[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]

[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.

[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.

[makilah · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐ (rounded up)

I mentioned in my review for A Drop of Corruption (book 2 in the Shadow of the Leviathan series) that I would love a novella from Ana's POV. This was a short story, and I wish it had been longer, but I'll take what I can get! In this short story, Ana recounts an unsolved murder that took place almost two hundred years in the past - that of a bride and groom on their wedding night. It was an interesting mystery that introduced a few different potential culprits, one of whom Ana makes an interesting case for being the most likely suspect.

Like I said, I would have loved to read a longer version of this because like RBJ's other books in the series the murder itself was so bizarre and interesting. Even so, I was pretty hooked on the story for such a short (not even 35 pages short!) read.

[Taylor Jefferson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ana and Din!!! If you haven't read Robert Jackson Bennett's Leviathan series this probably won't be as enjoyable, but I have so I loved it. Decidedly less cozy than the other two books I've read in this novella series. A smart little mystery with a gruesome murder wrapped up in under 40 pages. Best so far.

Series rankings so far...
1. The Lion's Tusk
2. Miss Gentle and the Case of the Very Flat Monk
3. The Wednesday Witches Book Club

[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.

[Promiscuous Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Невелике оповідання з всесвіту "Тіні Левіафана": Ана в дорозі переказує Діну одну стару нерозкриту справу. Боді горор, yay!

[bookslayer★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've established that a bug that wakes from hibernation starts looking for biological traces of animals, chooses the best/healthiest of them, finds it, and infects it. So why did the bug in the story infect two people at once? It was even established that one of the people is big and healthy and clearly the better choice.

I wish Robert Jackson Bennett wrote another American Elsewhere.

[Mina]

I won't be rating this, as it's a very short story. I wouldn't recommend this as an entry to the series, but for those who have read and enjoyed any part of the main series, this is a fun little addition that can be read in one sitting.

It is really exciting to get to hear from Ana's voice (who I adore). The small moments where she deviates from her storytelling to make a comment or respond to Din are delightful. The whole concept of her sharing this cold case with him on a carriage ride is just hilarious. The fact that she has solved this murder is so typical of her.

The murder mystery itself was a decent story. The part relating to the title (lion's tusk) was interesting. However, due to how short the story is, we don't get much time to get invested in any characters or to become fully absorbed in the mystery itself.

I'd say this is still worth a read for Ana and Din fans.

[Carly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a sordid tale!! This short story set in the world of the Shadow of The Leviathan series, in which Ana recounts to Din a murder mystery case study, was quite intriguing. I have yet to do any books from this series on audio so this was a fun change up for me! If you’re already a fan of this series, I think you’ll definitely enjoy this one but I wouldn’t recommend it as a starting off place for getting into the series. It’s Sharp, witty, and leans heavy into some eco horror.

Thank you NetGalley, Brilliance publishing, and Amazon Original stories for this advanced listener copy.

[Krista · Rating 4 out of 5]

“It demands a watchful eye, and a merciless hand. Otherwise, it shall infest us all.”

Robert Jackson Bennett never misses!!

[Enna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and fun! I'll read anything that takes place in this world.

[Me, My Shelf, & I · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an Ana & Din mystery so I don't really appreciate that it's locked behind a paywall of Amazon short story content.

I've read 4 of these mysteries now (having received an ARC of Lynch's contribution) and so far this is the best mystery in the bunch. The magical world is integral to the plot and the solution, the motives are clearly laid out as well as an assortment of clues, and it's overall satisfying in both the telling and the conclusion.

Because it's simply Ana telling Din a story of a murder that once happened in the empire, it can be read as a sort of fable or short history that isn't integral to the series. (Would still rather it was more widely available to people who like to fully complete a series.)

Audiobook Notes:
I wasn't the biggest fan of the narrator for Ana as she came across much older, colder, and clinical than how I've pictured Ana myself. Granted, I've never actually listened to any audiobooks in this universe before since I always end up reading the eARC, so it could well be how she's usually portrayed. But I personally like to imagine her with a splash of mania and a good deal more humor.

[Michael MRBookReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating : 3.5 / 5
Format: audiobook

A fun and brisk dip back into this fascinating world before beginning A Trade of Blood. While the narration was done well, I wish they would have used the original narrator from the novels (who is also voicing the most recent novel, so I can only assume some budget or scheduling BS for why it was someone new) because the only voice here was Ana, and the original narrator does such a superb job with her. So while I was excited I’d get a whole story from Ana, I was a bit disappointed to hear it wasn’t OG Ana.

[katie (bard-maresh) · Rating 4 out of 5]

didn’t realise this was narrated by a character from the Tainted Cup (which i haven’t read, but would like to) but this was really interesting, and definitely a different tone to the previous two stories in this collection. enjoyed the writing style too!

[betta_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
What can I say? I am in awe of this world, minus humidity.

[Zoe Riemer · Rating 5 out of 5]

All this told me is that I need to read The Tainted Cup ASAP.

Thank you to NetGalley for the e-arc.

[Trent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just like the first two novels, this Shadow of the Leviathan short story was at times fun, weird, thoughtful, and gross.

I have said previously that this series does not always click with me, though I get why it's so popular.

One thing I liked about this story was that it was told through Ana's voice, rather than Din's. She is such a bizarre and interesting person, and 'seeing' the world through her eyes, even for a short time, was fascinating.

I think this is a great story for both fans of Ana and Din, as well as readers looking to try RJB's writing for the first time.

[Anne - Books of My Heart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
 

Review copy was received from Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I am loving the  Shadow of the Leviathan series.  I am mostly choosing to read ebook version and then purchase the audio version for rereading. However, this little gem came up on audio review options and I grabbed it.

The Lion's Tusk is a short novella with Ana telling Din the story of a case about a century ago.  She read all about it and the original investigator couldn't figure it out.  Bu Ana could.

Ana spins the story for Din (and us). There is a son in a wealthy house out sewing his seed everywhere, leaving fair headed bastards. Thee is a much sought after beauty from another fine house.  They are now married.  A gift is presented, an ancient relic.  The next morning the couple is dead.

I won't spoil the details and I would definitely not read this as a stand alone.  These books should be read in order and it's much more fun when you already know the world and characters.

I have come to love our main characters Din and Ana.  They are curious and not easily classified.  Din is an engraver, which is an augmented human, who remembers everything and can recite it back.  Ana is an investigator who shuts out stimuli to solve mysteries.   They solve problems with a very Sherlock Holmes style with much observing and witness statements. Din goes out to gather the evidence and report back to Ana. Ana is genius but Din has some skills too.

I am thrilled to be moving on to A Trade of Blood which is being released next month.

Narration:
Hannah Curtis is not the narrator of the rest of the series.  Most of the series is from Din's point of view and the main narrator is male.  She does an excellent performance for Ana's point of view and capturing her personality.  I listened at my usual 1.5x speed.

[Samuel]

Unfortunately very slight in content as well as pages.

I'm a big fan of the other books in the series, and I think it ends up being underserved by its constraints. There's just too much the author wants to squeeze in here for the mystery to get the luxuriating it needs for it not to just feel like cliff notes. I think having the mystery be one from centuries ago dulls one of the best parts of these stories, which is trying to figure out what the detective figured out from their actions/questions. It was fun to see Ana critique the investigator at the time but there was no real feeling to the mystery being solved. I know Holmes stories were frequently much shorter than this but they didn't also have to introduce factions and magical concepts. I didn't mind it and read it all in one go but I'll probably not revisit this like the others.

[Victoria Tezangi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun mystery I was able to get through in no time.

I had such a great time reading this book. The Lion's Tusk sees an eccentric detective solve a cold case from an impossible crime that has gone unsolved for centuries. Despite being a short story the pacing was excellent and kept me engaged the entire time. For me this was an introduction to this series and was different to what I would typically read but it was fun, enjoyable, witty with dark moments that had me totally hooked. I loved the writing style and was a creative and exciting twist in the mystrey genre.


Thank you to Amazon, Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for this advanced copy.

[Kay Norm]

2.5

Full disclosure: if I’d known this was part of a series, I probably wouldn’t have requested it to read along with the other short stories in the collection. Unfortunately for me (& this is by no means the author’s fault), I wasn’t aware of that so I didn’t really connect with it.

It was dark at times, funny at others, I just felt like I was missing something the whole way through which didn’t keep me as engaged as much as I’d have liked. The premise of solving a centuries old cold case though was very intriguing!

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

[Amy Verkruissen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I need a whole book of short story mysteries told by Ana, and I'm not one for short stories normally.
This one is basically Ana, writing to Din about a mystery that took place more than a century ago as she is on a long travel somewhere with nothing else to do.
The story is about a marriage and a horrific way of dying that must be solved by the local investigator. Of course it is told with Ana's usual unfiltered attention to detail which makes her one of my favorite literary characters.
If you've read the books from the Shadow of the Leviathan and enjoyed them as much as I did, you'll love this. If you haven't had the chance to read them please add them to your list, if you are unsure, read this short story and you will definitely get the feel of the series. Highly recommend.