D. V. Bishop
D. V. Bishop writes the acclaimed Cesare Aldo historical thrillers set in Renaissance Italy. These have won the Crime Writers’ Association Historical Dagger, the Ngaio Marsh Award and the NZ Booklovers Award. The novels have also been shortlisted for the McIlvanney Prize, the CWA Gold Dagger and the Wilbur Smith Adventure Writing Prize. He writes a weekly free newsletter about life as a writer. In his copious spare time Bishop leads the creative writing postgraduate programmes at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland, writes scripts for The Phantom comics character, and is completing a PhD in Creative Writing at Lancaster University in England. He says sleep is for tortoises.
D. V. Bishop can be found at:
Free newsletter: dvbishop.substack.com
Website: dvbishop.com
Bluesky: @dvbishop.com
Instagram: @cesarealdo
Tell me what inspired you to write your novel?
Carnival of Lies is a historical thriller set in Renaissance Venice. My Cesare Aldo novels usually take place in Florence or surrounding areas of Tuscany, but this book takes Aldo deep into the Serene Republic. Unsurprisingly, it was inspired by a trip to Venice many years ago. It’s such a memorable, distinctive city and I can remember thinking how befuddling it would be to navigate without any kind of map.
What came first the characters or the world?
Carnival of Lies is the fifth book in my Cesare Aldo series, so the character came first. But for this novel it was definitely the setting which inspired much of the story.
How hard was it to get your first book published?
The first Aldo novel, City of Vengeance, was published in February 2021 during lockdown which brought all sorts of challenges. Fortunately for me, much of my work was already done before the pandemic sent everything sideways.
How long did it take to write?
City of Vengeance was written across 17 months around my day job leading and teaching three postgraduate creative writing programmes at Edinburgh Napier University in Scotland. Oh, and I was working on a PhD at the same time. The novel got done; the PhD continues…
Do you have a writing playlist? If so, do you want to share it?
I’ll listen to a playlist on a loop while drafting a novel, and it changes for each book to match the tone of the tome I’m writing. For Carnival of Lies it was The Pigeon Tunnel by Philip Glass and Paul Leonard-Morgan, the soundtrack to an illuminating documentary about the thriller writer John Le Carré.
How many publishers turned you down?
When City of Vengeance was out on submission it was turned down by a good handful of editors. Then three editors at different publishers all wanted it at once, which was heartening. I’ve been published by Pan Macmillan for all of the Aldo novels.
What kind of reactions have you had to your book? What’s the favourite reaction you’ve had to your book?
Carnival of Lies has had a great response from readers and other authors. It was longlisted for the 2025 McIlvanney Prize, and Sir Ian Rankin called it ‘brilliant’ which made my year. I had that printed on a t-shirt!
What can you tell us about your next book?
Shadow of Madness is my sixth historical thriller. It sends investigator Cesare Aldo to an asylum high in the hills above Florence, searching for answers about his past. But a blizzard traps Aldo at the asylum with monks, nuns, brutal guards and the most dangerous prisoners in Tuscany – and then the murders start… Shadow of Madness goes full Gothic, pushing Aldo to his limits and far beyond. It’s coming June 2026 from Macmillan.
Carnival of Lies
Do you take notice of online reviews?
I do, even though I know they’re for readers, not writer. It fascinates me to see what people take from a particular novel. Besides, I’ve got a pretty thick skin.
Would you ever consider writing outside your current genre?
Before the Cesare Aldo novels I wrote nearly 20 tie-in novels based on pre-created characters and worlds such as Doctor Who, Judge Dredd, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Warhammer. I’ve already written science fiction, fantasy, horror, spy thrillers, war stories and more. I also used to script episodes of the BBC TV drama Doctors, plus costumed hero comics (The Phantom) and original graphic novels.
What did you do before (or still do) you became a writer?
I’ve been a daily newspaper journalist, magazine sub-editor, comics editor (2000AD), and now I teach postgraduate creative writing. But all of that was writing-adjacent, so you’d probably have to go back to my days dishwashing in a Latin American café to find a job where I wasn’t writing anything at all.
Which author(s) inspire you?
C. J. Sansom, Abir Mukherjee, Anthonia Hodgson, S. G. MacLean, Vaseem Khan.
Which genres do you read yourself?
Mostly crime, often with a historical setting.
What is your biggest motivator?
I’m compelled to write. If I don’t, my dreams become way too vivid. Basically, I need to empty my imagination on to the page regularly for my own sanity.
What will always distract you?
The internet.
How much (if any) say do you have in your book covers?
I’m traditionally published so get consulted on the covers for my Cesare Aldo novels. The team at Pan Macmillan do an amazing job, so there’s little to say most times. There was one where my agent and I asked for a different approach; the proposed cover was great, but it just didn’t represent the book it would have been on.
Were you a big reader as a child?
Voracious. The public libraries where I grew up in New Zealand had a limit on how many books you could get out and I was always on that limit.
What were your favourite childhood books?
Agaton Sax. The Robber Hotzenplotz. The Adventures of Rama. And all the Doctor Qho noveliations published by Target Books. It’s my dream for BBC Books to commission me to write the novelisation for a Doctor Who television adventure.
Do you have a favourite bookshop? If so, which?
I’ve too many favourite bookshops to list (we’re spoiled for choice with amazing indie bookshops in Scotland where I currently live), but my local Atkinson-Pryce Books is wonderful and walking distance!
What books can you not resist buying?
I’m a sucker for Ronald Hugh Morrieson.
Do you have any rituals when writing?
The looped playlist mentioned above. I start writing at the beginning of an hour. Three coffees a day, but only three.
How many books are in your own physical TBR pile?
About 30 if we keep to books acquired in the last twelve months still waiting to be read. Over 100 otherwise!
What is your current or latest read?
This is How You Lose The Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone. It’s not my usual kind of read, but a need-read for my teaching. Happily, it is quite brilliant!
Any books that you’re looking forward to in the next 12 months?
Murder at the Hotel Orient by Alesandra Ranelli, coming May 2026.
Any plans or projects in the near future you can tell us about?
I’m planning to write a standalone historical romp featuring the Contessa Valentine Coltello, a character from the Cesare Aldo novels. I’m quite besotted by her. It’s beyond my control.
Any events in the near future?
I’m at Moffat Crime Fest in Moffat on October 4th; the Mallaig Book Festival in the Highlands on November 9th, Venice Noir in Italy on November 15th, and at Wardini Books in Havelock North, New Zealand on January 8th, 2026.
What inspired you to write the genre you do?
I’ve always loved crime stories, and been fascinated by the city of Florence, especially during the Renaissance. Combine those things and you get my Cesare Aldo historical thrillers.
