Exclusive: Aldo 6 title revealed

Plus: The Joy of Harrogate

Welcome to the free newsletter of David (D. V.) Bishop, author of the Cesare Aldo historical thrillers set in Renaissance Italy. This time: I reveal the title of next year’s Aldo novel…

I’ve been running an anagram challenge around the title of my sixth Cesare Aldo historical thriller, due out summer 2026. Everyone was invited to unscramble the letters in Dams of Hades Snow to find the actual title. The challenge ended yesterday, so I can now reveal the official title for next year’s Aldo novel! It will be called…

I delivered the manuscript last Thursday, and can confirm the title is a good match for the narrative. The story takes place in an asylum where there is much madness in the shadows. My publisher devised the name as usual (one of my previous newsletters discussed this), so all credit for that goes to the creative team at Pan Macmillan.

I finished the first draft for Shadow of Madness on June 22, four days before Carnival of Lies was published. Whenever possible, I strive to complete next year’s novel ahead of this year’s coming out. That gives everyone plenty of time to hone the manuscript into the best possible version of itself ahead of that being unleashed on readers.

I set the first draft aside during the publication week shenanigans for Carnival of Lies. That done, I printed out and edited the final seventy pages before going back to re-read the whole things, making notes as I went along. Most got incorporated, while some are waiting to be discussed with my editor when I get feedback in a few weeks.

Photo by Egor Litvinov on Unsplash

I’m still too close to the story to have much perspective on the areas most in need of work. Shadow of Madness* certainly has a different mood to recent Aldos, but shares a few similarities with The Darkest Sin (including the return of two characters from that book). Right now I think it hangs together; beyond that, I am in no position to judge.

(*Chances are this will be the final title, but sometimes these things get changed along the way so I can’t absolutely guarantee that – I’m sure you understand…)

Anagram challenge winners

Lots of people unscrambled Dams of Hades Snow to discover the title. Congratulations to everyone who got it right, and I’m delighted to say that Kath Gordon was randomly chosen from all those entered in the draw to have their name mentioned on the Acknowledgements pages for Shadow of Madness next year – congratulations!

Swans and sofas prove popular anagram fodder • Photo by Yevhen Buzuk on Unsplash

I also received loads of comedy anagrams devised from the letters in Dams of Hades Snow. Swans were a recurring theme, with @Abelian on Bluesky suggesting ‘Doomed Fash Swans’ while Kath Gordon proposing ‘Dead Mosh of Swans’. Sofas also showed up in several entries, including ‘Wham! Sodden Sofas’ by @rogueeight on Bluesky.

The randomly chosen winner from all those entered in the comedy anagram draw was Rob Briggs, whose ‘Wands of Sad Home’ will probably never be on the front cover of a Cesare Aldo novel. But Rob’s name will appear on the Acknowledgements pages for Shadow of Madness next year – congratulations!

I believe another competition is planned for later this month, so keep an eye on future editions of this newsletter for a chance to win. If that sounds vague, it may be because I’ve come down with a heavy cold and am typing this week’s newsletter than a haze of decongestant and used tissues, hoping to get myself better in time for…

The mighty Harrogate!

Harrogate – a/k/a Theakston’s Old Peculiar Crime Writing Festival – is one of the biggest weekends of the year for crime freaders and authors. Hundreds gather in the North Yorkshire spa town for a weekend of enthusing about crime novels of every stripe – psychological thrillers, historical mysteries, cosy calamities and more.

I initially went to Harrogate in 2016 when I was girding myself to start writing the first Aldo, City of Vengeance. At that stage I’d no idea whether the book would ever be finished, let alone published. I had been researching Renaissance Italy for 20 years, but actually starting a draft was terrifying. I need a kick up the behind.

Happily, Harrogate 2016 did that. I went for the whole weekend, including Creative Thursday where great writers offer workshops and masterclasses. The session with Sarah Hilary and Alex Marwood was a highlight, both practical and inspiring, while a character class with Danuta Kean unlocked a key moment for City of Vengeance.

I didn’t go back for three years as I was busy writing, but made a day trip to Harrogate in 2019 to meet my editor Alex Saunders for the first time. The pandemic meant it was 2022 before I was back again to appearing as part of a panel with Louise Welsh, Nicola White and Lesley Thomson, chaired by Paul Burston (see photo below).

I hosted a table at the author dinner in 2023, and got unexpectedly summoned to be on the historical fiction panel last year. This year I’m back hosting a table at the Friday night author dinner, which is always a lot of fun. And I’ll be supporting the Harrogate launch event for Venice Noir 2025, at which I’m a guest this November.

Fingers crossed my head cold has run its course before this Friday!

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