The dazzlingly dark, immersive, immaculately researched and exquisitely entertaining gothic historical mystery from the Top 10 Sunday Times bestselling author of Catherine: A Retelling of Wuthering Heights and The Fascination – Dangerous is out now in paperback!

A glorious evocation of one of the most flamboyant, controversial literary figures of all time, as Essie Fox blends fact and fiction to see the disgraced Lord Byron turn detective to clear his name and uncover a killer on a rampage in Venice.

Book blurb

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…

Dangerous: The riveting, dazzling new historical thriller from the SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING author of The Fascination

My thoughts

I am delighted to be on the paperback BlogTour of Dangerous by Essie Fox. I originally shared my thoughts on this book when it was published in hardback last year.

… the genius of the author … has conjured up a wonderfully atmospheric and compelling narrative weaving a fascinating and fantastic tale …

Janet – LoveBooksReadBooks

I simply loved this book. A terrific and beautifully crafted story. It appealed to my enjoyment of a good mystery, a dark tale. Along with the gothic atmosphere, historical fact and fiction running through makes it absolutely fascinating.

Read my full, original review of Dangerous by Essie Fox

Thanks

Many thanks to Anne at RandomThingsTours for the invitation to join this Virtual Book Tour for Dangerous and to the incredible Orenda Books for originally providing an eARC for the purpose of reading and sharing my thoughts last year on Dangerous by Essie Fox.

Virtual Book Tour

Why not take a look at these wonderful blogs over the coming weeks? Then check out the links below to purchase your very own copy of Dangerous.

Information

Published: Orenda Books Ltd| 9th April 2026 (paperback) | 320pp | ISBN:9781916788459

Buy: Orenda Books | Amazon | Bookshop.org (affiliate link) | Hive | Your local library | Your local bookshop

Author

Essie Fox was born and raised in rural Herefordshire. After studying English Literature at Sheffield University, she moved to London where she worked for the Telegraph Sunday Magazine, and then George Allen & Unwin, before becoming self-employed in the world of art and design. 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, was selected as The Times Historical Book of the Month. Essie’s Victorian gothic novel, The Fascination, debuted at No 10 on the Sunday Times bestseller list. Her authorised retelling of Wuthering Heights also became an instant bestseller and sold 4000 copies in hardback in the first two weeks. Essie is also the creator of the popular blog: The Virtual Victorian and a podcast: Talking the Gothic. She has lectured at the V&A, and the National Gallery in London. She lives in Windsor.

Essie Fox website

Books

All books can be purchased at Bookshop.org (affiliate link) | Your local bookshop | other online retailers | or from Your local library 

The Last Days of Leda Grey | The Goddess and the Thief | Elijah’s Mermaid | The Sonambulist

Orenda Books

The Fascination | Dangerous | Catherine: A retelling of Wuthering Heights

Sunday Times bestselling author, Essie Fox’s books have been shortlisted for the British Book Awards and featured on Channel 4’s TV Book Club