My enormous thanks to Karen at Orenda for a surprise copy of Dangerous by Essie Fox. Having so loved Essie Fox’s The Fascination, reviewed here I was thrilled to receive it. It’s my pleasure to share my review of Dangerous today.
Dangerous was published by Orenda on 24th April 2025 and is available for purchase here.
Dangerous
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…
MYSTERY
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…
My Review of Dangerous
The poet Byron finds himself accused of murder.
Dangerous is not a novel. It’s a complete work of art written by an author at the top of their game. I loved it.
With both real and created characters, I can’t begin to imagine the time and effort that has gone into researching Dangerous. As well as being thoroughly entertained by the story, I discovered so much about which I had previously been ignorant so that this is a story that takes the reader back in time on a journey just as vividly as any time machine might manage .
Of course Byron is the star. He is depicted as a multi-faceted, complex man who feels as dynamic and charismatic on paper as he obviously was alive. The aspects of the novel in the first person – letters, diary entries – give a fascinating insight into his personality. I found Essie Fox’s Byron completely mesmerising. Arrogant, a flawed womaniser, careless with the needs of others such as his sexual partners and his daughters, he is also shown to be vulnerable, sensitive and deserving of pity as well as admiration. With the narrative structure bookended by Reverend Barber, I confess I finished Dangerous shedding a brief tear over Byron.
Byron aside, however, all the minor characters feel just as convincing. The reader will, of course, recognise some names, but fabricated others are woven in so skilfully that it’s impossible to separate fact and fiction. They all add depth and richness to the historical setting to this wonderful tapestry of a book.
Speaking of setting, Dangerous is a sublime feast for the senses. Venice is a pulsating, living creature. The miasmas, the filth, the grandeur – think of any aspect of Venice and Essie Fox has illustrated it to perfection. There’s an opulence to the writing in a style that fits the era and yet it is completely accessible. I thought this was incredibly skilful writing.
The plot is so clever. With smatterings from Byron’s poetry framing the fast paced chapters, in Dangerous there is intrigue and drama so that I found myself swept up in the story.
If you are looking for beautifully wrought literary fiction, read Dangerous. Read Dangerous too if you love historical fiction, or gothic fiction, or murder mysteries or if you want to travel vicariously. If you want to be steeped in a sense of time and place through meticulous research and imaginative storytelling, Dangerous is equally the book for you. I thought it was astonishingly good and simply not to be missed.
About Essie Fox
Essie Fox was raised in Herefordshire, on the borders of Wales. After studying English Literature at Sheffield University she worked in magazine and book publishing, before developing a career in commercial illustration.
Always an avid reader, Essie now writes gothic novels. Her debut, The Somnambulist, was shortlisted for the 2012 National Book Awards, and featured on Channel 4’s TV Book Club. This was followed by Elijah’s Mermaid, and then The Goddess and the Thief. The Last Days of Leda Grey was selected as The Times Historical Book of the Month. The Fascination became an instant Sunday Times bestseller.
Just published in April 2025 is Dangerous – a dark mystery set in Venice and based on the life of Lord Byron.
Essie has been a guest on UK radio stations, including Woman’s Hour. She has lectured at the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the National Gallery in London, as well as appearing at many literary festivals and events.
For further information, find Essie on Instagram and Facebook or visit her website and follow her on Bluesky and Twitter/X @essiefox.
English (US) · 