Marko is summoned by a letter to Venice, in search of his father who has gone missing. He finds Sorrel, whose father has gone mad, and a mystery that appears hopeless to solve. He is determined to try, however and it is soon obvious that finding the one father is the only way to cure the other. But this is Venice, where a facade of elegance, sophistication and ritual tries to hide underlying decay, danger and corruption.

Venice is perfectly suited to Sedgwick's Gothic sensibilities and the city he describes in the first part of the novel, superficially mannered and beautiful but harbouring evil in its heart, is mirrored by the languid prose that is abruptly lacerated by violent events. As is usual with Sedgwick, the great strength of this novel is the evocation of atmosphere. Plotting is a more hit-and-miss affair when it comes to the Sedgwick canon. The Kiss of Death is, however, a palpable hit in this regard, making this one of his best novels. ( )

Now this is a proper novel about vampires - and they don't even make an appearance properly until later in the book. It's also a proper book about Venice, set during the end of the winter carnevale - approaching the start of Lent, when Venice becomes a masked city of revellers.

Marko, a doctor's son, comes to Venice after receiving a strange letter from his father Alessandro, who had travelled there to attend an old friend Simono, a glassmaker, who was seriously ill. When he arrives, he finds his father has disappeared, Simono has gone mad and his daughter Sorrel is at the end of her tether, worried that her father will die and that their house is cursed.

Strange things are happening in and around Venice involving a band of celebrants with a strange tattoo.They will come to a head during the festival when the new Doge takes his seat, and it seems that Simono is somehow involved in these events. It becomes a race against time for Sorrel and Marko, (who as you may expect, begin to fall for each other) to solve the mystery and to find Alessandro.

This Gothic 18thC Venice in winter is wonderfully realised. You can smell the stench, hear the water constantly lapping on the piles, and feel the damp and gathering dread in the fog. It's also all the better for the vampires coming from Eastern Europe folklore, rather than any modern romantic interpretation. This is a sophisticated novel for teens steeped in a sense of time and place, and a cracking good adventure. ( )

This is the first Marcus Sedgwick book i have read and if all his books are as good as this one i can see me buying and reading everything else he writes.

The book opens with a mysterious letter written by the father of one of the main characters, Marko. This leads him to travel to Venice where he meets Sorrel and together they set out to try and save both their fathers. We meet many other characters in the book who each help or hinder the two main characters.

I must say that i really enjoyed all the descriptions and explanations which Marcus gives through the voices of Marko & Sorrel about Venice and its inhabitants. I also very much enjoyed all the action that goes on throughout the book.

I have to admit here that i actually sat down one morning just to see what this book was like fully intending to put it down and get ready for my day but i remained in my PJs all day just so i didn't have to put the book down!

I would say that this book is definately one for fans of Scott Lynch. ( )