Synopsis
The Crime Writers' Association Historical Dagger Winning Author
'Brilliant' – Ian Rankin
'Full of dash and atmosphere' – The Times
Venice. Winter, 1539.
When Cesare Aldo learns of a conspiracy to assassinate Duke Cosimo de’ Medici, he is hired to protect the ruler of Florence – with his life, if necessary. The deadly attack that follows leads to bodies, bloodshed . . . and something far more dangerous.
Those behind the plot obtain a journal of the duke’s containing explosive secrets that – in the wrong hands – could destroy all of Florence. Aldo must hunt down those responsible and reclaim the journal, or face banishment from the city and everyone he loves.
The trail leads him towards the one place Aldo has sworn to never return, a city of masks and lies where he has no allies and far too many enemies: Venice.
The fate of a dynasty rests on his shoulders – if he can make it out alive . . .
Carnival of Lies is the fifth Cesare Aldo mystery by D. V. Bishop, preceded by A Divine Fury, City of Vengeance, The Darkest Sin and Ritual of Fire.
'A brilliantly entertaining historical thriller that twists and turns like the very calli and canali of Venice itself' – Philip Gwynne Jones, author of the Nathan Sutherland Venice mysteries
Details
26 June 2025
9781035041978Reviews
I have very much enjoyed this series to date, and this one takes Aldo out of his beloved Florence and dumps him in Venice during Carnivale.James Oswald, author of For Our Sins
A brilliantly entertaining historical thriller that twists and turns like the very calli and canali of Venice itself - I had no idea where it was going! A very, very clever ending and a hell of a cliffhanger!Philip Gwynne Jones, author of the Nathan Sutherland Venice mysteries
Carnival of Lies is an absolute scorcher. A swashbuckling masterpiece, laced with intrigue, treachery and unexpected tendernessOrlando Murrin, author of Knife Skills For Beginners and Murder Below Deck
A brilliant seriesAnna Mazzola, author of The Book of Secrets
