Mad world

How I wrote Shadow of Madness

Welcome to the free newsletter of David (D. V.) Bishop, author of the Cesare Aldo historical thrillers set in Renaissance Italy. This time: going behind the scenes of my sixth Aldo novel, coming in three weeks (pre-order it here).

Inspiration

For each Cesare Aldo historical thriller I incorporate a different genre or murder method to keep it fresh and challenge myself. The first five featured the conspiracy thriller, closed circle mysteries, vendetta killings, a serial killer and an espionage heist caper. So what fresh genre elements could I adopt for the sixth book in my series?

Snowy cliff edges are dangerous • Photo by Perry Kibler on Unsplash

I decided it was time for Aldo to go Gothic, introducing whispers of a malevolent, ghostly spirit in a remote, isolated institution for the criminally insane. It’s by the edge of a perilous precipice, and then there’s a snowstorm which makes things even more dangerous. Not to mention a murdering lurking in the shadows…

I also wanted to bring Doctor Saul Orvieto to the foreground after his character was largely sidelined in the previous novel, Carnival of Lies. Saul is Aldo’s on-again, off-again lover and best friend in Florence, yet the pair rarely gets to spend any time together. I was determined to focus on the two of them in this story for once!

Setting the story inside what more recently would have been called an asylum required me to research how the mentally ill were treated in Renaissance Florence. The answer was not well, especially where families were unable to keep distressed relatives at home. The incurabili got locked away in inhospitable places, often for life.

The Church was often involved in running such institutions, which added an extra layer of complication for Aldo. His even-numbered novels often have a big religious element to them and this one would be no exception, with monks and nuns working within Ospedali de’ Pazzi (which roughly translates as hospital of the insane).

Perspiration

I began drafting the sixth Aldo novel on 21^st January 2025, and it took me until March 5^th to reach the end of act one. I always forget how slow and painful the first 20,000 words of a new novel are to write, even when I’m returning to now-familiar world of Cesare Aldo and Renaissance Italy for another adventure.

A big part of the challenge is writing my way into the book, discovering how the new cast of characters talk, think and react. Aside from Aldo and Saul, most were new creations for this novel. I did bring back two characters from an earlier novel, a nice Easter Egg for returning readers but not a barrier for newcomers.

One of the cast was inspired by a Reith Lecture which Dr Gwen Adshead gave in 2024, But Aren’t They All Evil? All four of her talks are great, but in this one she tells an anecdote about a prison guard that absolutely informed my thinking for the novel. If you’re in the UK you can listen to the whole lecture here.

I reached 40,000 words by 6^th April, but it took me until 17^th May to write the next chunk after workload pressure from my teaching job threatened to overwhelm me during April (as detailed in this newsletter about Adjusting My Grindset). After that things started to pick up speed again, and I hit the end of act four by early June.

I finished my first draft by July 10^th and, after a thorough cut and polish, the manuscript was submitted to my publisher Pan Macmillan a week or so later. My former editor Alex had left the company but ended up freelance editing the novel; he knows my style and foibles well so the editorial process was fairly painless.

Synopsis

Tuscany. Winter, 1540. Travelling north into the hills above Florence, investigator Cesare Aldo seeks answers about his past. The trail leads him to Ospedale de’ Pazzi, a secure institution for the criminally insane.

Soon after arrived a blizzard engulfs the area, trapped Aldo and his companion, Doctor Saul Orvieto. Even more alarming, their cart driver is found dead. It looks like he fell over a nearby cliff in the whiteout – but Aldo suspects foul play. When a brutal slaying occurs in the ospedale’s central courtyard, it becomes clear a killer lurks among them.

With the snowstorm sealing everyone in and a murderer hunting fresh victims, Aldo’s search for the truth proves deadlier than he could have ever imagined…

Reception

Pan Macmillan chose Shadow of Madness as the title for this Aldo novel, continuing the tradition of me failing to name my own books. It neatly captures the Gothic moodiness and also add to my list of book titles which could also credibly appear as track names on a death metal album (honestly, have a look at them all!).

The hardback, audiobook and ebook will be published on 9^th July 2026. I have a bunch of events over the next few weeks to promote the novel (look on the front page of my site to find out where you can come see me). On publication day itself I’m touring Glasgow bookshops before raising a glass at my local indie, Atkinson-Pryce Books.

Shadow of Madness has attracted some lovely comments from other writers and early reviewers. Fellow author Anna Caig called it ‘a book to savour’, while writer Fiona Forsyth said it was ‘a contender for my favourite Cesare Aldo novel’ and novelist Jamie West described it as ‘vividly imagined and utterly immersive’.

I’ve no idea whether the book will be longlisted or shortlisted for any prizes over the coming months. Such things are a lottery, dependent on whether your novel gets entered, what the competition is like that year, and the taste of judging panels. All accolades are a bonus, it’s the book and the readers which matter most of all.

Nonetheless, I’m reasonably happy with Shadow of Madness. I believe it’s a strong entry in the series, certainly up to the standard of other Aldo novels. That matters, especially since the book I’m writing for publication next year is not a fresh adventure for Aldo, so it will be 2028 before he returns in a new novel. Watch this space!

Progress report

I’m on the cusp of reaching 60,000 words as I write this on Monday night. All things being equal, I should reach another big turning point in the story over the next day or two, but I’ll report back on my progress in next week’s newsletter… Onwards!

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