Venice Noir

Submitted: 31st October 2025

Venice Noir

It’s almost time for Venice Noir – the two day event where the best and darkest of gothic fiction is celebrated. I mean, even the poster is pretty enough reason to want to attend:

Books set in Venice

This year there are so many great authors attending and appearing at the event but a focus on two of them today to showcase the King and Queen of historical fiction in many ways:

DV Bishop

This is a fantastic series of historical novels set in renaissance Italy – Florence mainly – and the stories, characters and atmosphere are superb. Some of the best that I have ever read in historical fiction novels. The assured writing is excellent and I am fully immersed and intertwined in the novels every time. Highly recommended!!

Essie Fox

One of the first authors I ever read and had to immediately buy all of her books. Here is an author who so clearly sits in a gothic throne and builds her own corner of the gothic world and shines doing it every time. Her novels are compulsive and quietly dangerous – you think you’re reading one thing only to find out something else has been going on below the surface. There’s whispers of the other world here too. An author whose books I always ensure I have on my shelves.