Dangerous by Essie Fox

Book Blurb

Fiction can be fatal…

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

SCANDAL

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…

MURDER

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…

My Review
Lord Byron is one of our most famous poets, not only for his poetry but also for his decadent lifestyle. In Dangerous Essie Fox has taken his time in Venice, and turned into an evocative and atmosperic murder mystery. I was lucky enough to have a copy of this book as part of the blog tour from Orenda and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours.

Lord Byron, described by an ex-lover as ‘mad, bad and dangerous to know, makes for the perfect literary hero whose life doesn’t really fictionalisation. I love the fact that Essie Fox has him as the central character in this book and that she has chosen to set it during his time in Venice. Byron was infamous for his life of excess, he was a womaniser with a long list of paramours, he was charming, good looking, and of course a wonderful poet. All of these traits are captured brilliantly by Essie Fox, her writing bringing to life the essence of who he was.

Dangerous is very much a murder mystery with a touch of romance. Byron is accused and arrested for the murder of two prostitutes, and he has to try and work out who has framed him;he has ammased several enemies over the years. Essie Fox works many threads into this mystery, and even though I tried to work out who and why I didn’t. The writing was evoctive and captured the reality of Venice in the summer; the smell of the canals, the stench on the streets, the heat and the awful conditions in The Leads prison all set against the luxury of the many Palazzo’s, the literaty salons, and the opulent dress and jewels. With Byron there has to be a romance, and after deciding to stay away from women after a vengeful paramour he falls in love straight away with a Countess.

I loved reading Dangerous, it ticked so many boxes of my favourite things in a book. I have always had a fascination with Byron, the man and his beautiful poetry, probably one of the first celebrities, and certianly the most scandalous in his lifetime. The detail in the writing paints a colorful picture of Venice as well as the charming and charismatic Byron and the other characters. The inclusion of quotes from Byron’s poetry were the icing on the cake for me. I have loved Essie Fox’s previous books and this is my favourite so far, as captivating and mesmerising as its’s central character; a sensational and seductive read.