Dangerous - by Essie Fox (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

When the disgraced Lord Byron is associated with the deaths of women in Venice, he turns detective to unveil the killer and clear his name. A dazzling, riveting historical mystery by the author of the Sunday Times bestseller, The Fascination.

`Brooding and brilliant´ A.J. West

`What could so easily have been a risible premise for a novel becomes, in Fox's expert hands, the starting point for an atmospheric thriller´ Sunday Times

`As mesmerising and charismatic as Byron himself can ever have been ... a magnificent gothic tale of scandal, secrets and murder´ Janice Hallett

`Evokes all the grimy charisma of eighteenth-century Venice ... a mystery as sinuous as the city's alleys and canals. I was enthralled´ Elizabeth Fremantle

`A dark treat ... splendidly gothic and impressively researched´ Andrew Taylor

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Fiction can be fatal...

Living in exile in Venice, the disgraced Lord Byron revels in the freedoms of the city

But when he is associated with the deaths of local women, found with wounds to their throats, and then a novel called The Vampyre is published under his name, rumours begin to spread that Byron may be the murderer...

As events escalate and tensions rise - and his own life is endangered, as well as those he holds most dear - Byron is forced to play detective, to discover who is really behind these heinous crimes. Meanwhile, the scandals of his own infamous past come back to haunt him...

Rich in gothic atmosphere and drawing on real events and characters from Byron's life, Dangerous is a riveting, dazzling historical thriller, as decadent, dark and seductive as the poet himself...

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`A plot as labyrinthine as the Venice backstreets, told in dazzling prose; suspenseful, seductive stuff´ Erin Kelly

`Brilliant, daring writing ... a darkly delicious Venetian tale of murder and mystery´ Anna Mazzola

`Essie Fox expertly weaves fact and fiction in this gloriously gothic thriller ... Venice becomes the atmospheric backdrop to Byron's daring attempt to catch a killer´ Anita Frank

`Sumptuous, entertaining and glorious´ C.S. Green

`Fox is the queen of darkly glittering gothic fiction ... a tale so compelling I devoured it in one sitting´ Louisa Treger

`Many writers have tried and failed to capture the Byronic quintessence, but the brilliant Essie Fox has succeeded admirably. She proves that the poet and rake remains fascinating because he is, indeed, mad, bad and Dangerous´ Alex Larman

`A heady and intoxicating brew ... scandalously scintillating´ Kate Griffin

`A gorgeously clever thriller´ Amanda Craig

`A ravishing tale of murder, lust and thwarted ambition ... a sumptuous, decadent delight´ Emma Carroll

`A deliciously gothic and beautifully written historical thriller starring the ultimate bad boy hero, Lord Byron´ Frances Quinn

`An incredibly evocative and atmospheric book that captures the Byronic soul in all its beauty and madness´ Victoria Dowd

`Deliciously dark and everything I hoped it would be´ Paul Burston

`An engaging historical mystery tale in which the dissolute poet turns sleuth to clear his own name´ Julie Anderson, Time & Leisure Magazine

`A dark, disturbing treat, impeccably researched and compellingly told´ Bridget Walsh

`What a ride! Gripping and atmospheric´ Caroline Lea

`A delicious dish of decadence ... fastidiously researched, richly imagined, full of wonderful descriptions of Venice´ Michael Stewart

About the Author

Essie Fox was born and raised in rural Herefordshire, which inspires much of her writing. After studying English Literature at Sheffield University, she moved to London where she worked for the Telegraph Sunday Magazine, then the book publishers George Allen & Unwin - before becoming self-employed in the world of art and design. Always an avid reader, Essie now spends her time writing historical gothic novels. Her debut, The Somnambulist, was shortlisted for the National Book Awards, and featured on Channel 4's TV Book Club. The Last Days of Leda Grey, set in the early years of silent film, was selected as The Times Historical Book of the Month. Her latest novel, The Fascination is based in Victorian country fairgrounds, the glamour of the London theatres, and an Oxford Street museum full of morbid curiosities. Essie is also the creator of the popular blog: The Virtual Victorian. She has lectured on this era at the V&A, and the National Gallery in London.