Back in action
DVB returns from the other side of the world
Welcome to the free newsletter of David (D. V.) Bishop, author of the Cesare Aldo historical thrillers set in Renaissance Italy. This time: thoughts after four weeks away…
Visiting Aotearoa New Zealand
I spent the past four weeks away, much spent in my homeland of Aotearoa New Zealand. Most of the time I was visiting whanau or friends, alongside decompressing and relaxing after a very busy 2025. Writing a new novel, promoting the previous book, teaching and more all drain the batteries, so a rest was welcome.
But I also found time to sneak in a few visits to several bookshops (see the photos above) and had an event hosted by the wonderful Wardini Books in Havelock North. I first went there in 2023 and was delighted to return. It gave me a chance to thank a reader who suggested a plot moment that featured in A Divine Fury.
There is a wonderful website called Bookhub NZ that enables anyone to see which books are in stock at their local independent shop. That proved very helpful, leading me to visit The Picton Bookshop, Emma’s at Oxford, The Women’s Bookshop and Almo’s Books in Carterton, along with several more.
Alas, I couldn’t get to all the shops stocking my Cesare Aldo historical thrillers and some were sold out thanks to a $15 paperback promotion run recently by Macmillan Australia. (Unlike the UK, books attract sales tax in NZ and most are imported which drives up prices further, unfortunately for local readers.)
It was a joy to meet booksellers at Scorpio Books in Christchurch, and at Unity Books in Wellington and in Auckland, thanking them for supporting my series. Without booksellers and librarians, most readers might never hear about our stories and novels. Special thanks to Gareth & Lou at Wardini for promoting my books!
Early reviews for Shadow of Madness
I’ve been sharing my next Cesare Aldo with other authors to see what they think of it. This process - known as blurbing - aims to build anticipation. Shadow of Madness isn’t published until July 9th, but pre-orders make a big difference to a novel’s prospects (you can pre-order a copy of Shadow from Bert’s Books here).
Happily the next Aldo adventure is winning plaudits from my fellow writers. Here are a selection of early quotes about the book which might help whet your appetite for it:
Shadow of Madness is a book to savour. With a set-up as pleasing as Murder on the Orient Express, and a gloriously weird and wonderful cast of characters, the story doesn’t let up for a single moment. A superb addition to the Cesare Aldo universe, as well as a great standalone story in its own right - Anna Caig, author of The Wise Witch of Orkney
Plotting is excellent and I didn’t guess anything in advance. Aldo is three-dimensionally interesting, someone with a complex past who has developed through the series. Absolutely loved it! A contender for my favourite Cesare Aldo novel - Fiona Forsyth, author of the Lucius Sestius historical thrillers
A brilliantly absorbing and atmospheric thriller that is vividly imagined and utterly immersive. The labyrinthine plot has more twists and dark corners than the isolated ospedale setting itself. Both the characters and settings are so richly evoked, you’ll find yourself fully immersed in this chilling historical thriller. - Jamie West, author of Murder at the Matinee
It doesn’t get much creepier than being trapped in a remote asylum run by monks. D. V. Bishop turns the claustrophobia and paranoia up to the max in this fantastic instalment of the Cesare Aldo series -- L. C. Winter, author of Spider, Spider
A page turner! Love the setting, Black Narcissus meets Shutter Island vibes. Who doesn’t love an unsettling whodunnit in a creepy asylum run by nuns and monks!!! -- Claire Whitfield, author of Poor Girls
10,000 borrowers
This week I got the annual Public Lending Right statement which details how many readers and listeners borrowed my hardbacks, paperbacks, audiobooks and ebooks from British public libraries between July 2024 and June 2025. Turns out my Cesare Aldo historical thrillers were borrowed more than 10,000 times in those 12 months!
The first Aldo - City of Vengeance - was most popular, with A Divine Fury in second and Ritual of Fire a very close third. The Darkest Sin came in fourth, but by less than 50 borrowings. Carnival of Lies was only published in the last month covered by this statement so it hardly figured, but I expect it will do well in the 2025-2026 period.
The PLR is a brilliant scheme, compensating authors for their work being borrowed from public libraries with a small payment (12.4 pence this year) for each instance. This year’s total will be my highest ever, which is gratifying. It’s a delight to know people are reading the Aldo novels as that is why I write them. Grazie mille!
My plans for 2026
I will be launching Shadow of Madness with a plethora of different events, but there is plenty of work to be done before that novel is published on July 9th. For example, the page proofs should reach my inbox soon, giving me a last chance to correct any glaring errors. After that the text will be locked for printing.
In February I start writing a new novel. Right now I can’t say too much about that, but I’m considering using at least part of this free newsletter to chart my progress, giving you the chance to see it being created as that happens. Not quite sure how this will work, but it could make an interesting experiment…
Last but not least, next week’s newsletter will be my 100th missive via Substack. Subscribers have grown from a dozen regular readers two years ago to hundreds of you now. By way of thanks, I’ll be running a competition for those based in the UK to win signed paperbacks of all five Cesare Aldo novels.
Apologies to those of you living outside the UK, but postage and customs charges make it impractical to send physical books overseas – sorry! But I will run a separate competition for those of you beyond the UK who subscribe. For details about both contests, make sure to read next week’s newsletter. Onwards!
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