The second in our Book Review & Literary series, which will, wherever possible, feature current and upcoming releases from British publishers.
DANGEROUS, A Lord Byron Mystery – ESSIE FOX
Orenda Books ISBN13: 978-1-916788-44-2
In 1825, the publisher John Murray published The Works of Lord Byron. The infamous poet had died of a fever in Greece the previous year. Shortly after his death, on May 17th 1824, the poet’s memoirs were burnt by Murray and Byron’s friends, including Hobhouse and Thomas Moore. There is no way to know what was written or even why it was destroyed, we can only speculate. It has left a blank space in the story of this most talented and controversial of poets.
There are myriad ways in which one could fill in the spaces, and in her book Dangerous, Essie Fox fills in the blanks by painting Byron as a disenchanted inhabitant of Venice accused of murder.
The book opens in Hucknall church, which houses the Byron family crypt. St Mary Magdalen is a place I know well; when, like me, you are christened standing above the bones of the Romantic poet, you become somehow life-linked. The church sits in the old mining town of Hucknall, and Byron certainly left his mark; should you visit, you are likely to find any number of small businesses bearing his name.
Almost every student of English Literature becomes infatuated with Byron—the man, the myth, the poet, the genius—it is inevitable, such is his allure.
Set in Venice in the last years of Byron’s life, the first chapter reads like a potted history. Essie Fox thrusts you straight into his world in all its captivating, tragic romanticism. It has epistolary elements, echoing the popular writing style of the early nineteenth century, and the story is most definitely Gothic in its flavour.
There is, of course, reference to the infamous rainy night of storytelling in the Villa Diodati, Northern Italy, which birthed one of the greatest Gothic tales in literature: Frankenstein. The impromptu short story devised for entertainment that night was later developed into a novel by the young Mary Shelley. Also that night, there was mention of a creature called a vampire, and it is this myth Fox explores thoroughly. Did Byron invent the vampire? The Italian Polidori, present that rainy night, wrote a novel, The Vampyre, and thus the legend was born—perfected by Bram Stoker decades later.
The Gothic novel is defined by a pure heroine and an obvious evil antagonist—usually a monk or elderly lord. Though Gothic at its core, Fox’s characters are not so stereotypical and are much more nuanced and interesting.
Does Byron work as a central protagonist? We’re all fascinated by him, but is he likeable? After all, he was mad, bad and dangerous to know. I’ll leave that up to you to decide. Fox has done extensive research, and there is reference to his time as a member of the executive board at Drury Lane. This was something he was loath to give up when he went into exile, and he was a great supporter of female writers, in particular the Scottish playwright Joanna Baillie.
There is mention of Byron’s daughter Allegra—perhaps because she lived with him in Venice for a time—but little of Ada Lovelace, his brilliant daughter who lived to womanhood and, by building on the basics of pattern cards for weaving machines, invented the concept of computer software.
Because of the burnt memoirs, there is an enduring mystery with Byron. Fox uses this missing piece very effectively to create the scenario for her novel. Dangerous is an imaginative weaving of the fabric of his life, with creative stitches where the pattern is lost. It is a languorously atmospheric novel with a gently unravelling, murderous plot. A slow-burning narrative; like a sedately drifting gondola, floating on paragraphs of romantic imagery.
If you are enthralled by Venice, as many of us are, you will enjoy this book with its ornate descriptive prose, which beautifully illustrates the floating city’s crumbling majesty. The consistently evocative imagery is an impressive achievement.
Dangerous is a darkly atmospheric read, published by Orenda Books and released in April 2025. www.orendabooks.co.uk
By Rachael Tearney.
Follow Rachael at @WritesRachael
