The Venetian Heretic: The Master of Historical Fiction' Sunday Times

By Christian Cameron

In a city of masks, no one is what they seem . . .

Englishman Richard Hughes has survived a stint as a galley slave and is now a free man in Venice, where he enjoys a modest life as a fencing master.

He believes he has long-since left behind the ideals that landed him in slavery...until he stumbles across an attempted murder close to home. As he hunts for the red-masked assassin who is picking off the city's Libertini, Richard and his new rescued friend 'Philip' are drawn into a conspiracy that stretches from Venice to the Vatican and beyond...

This is the Venice of waterfront palaces, romance, Carnivale and gondolas - but also of sharp swords, lawless criminals and ruthless assassins; based on real events and richly brought to life by the master of historical fiction, Christian Cameron.

'Cameron is a true master of the genre . . . skilful, humorous and finely wrought' - Ben Kane, bestselling author of The Eagles of Rome series

'Agile and rapier-sharp' - Chris Lloyd, award-winning author of the Occupation series

'A masterclass in historical adventure' - Miranda Malins, author of The Rebel Daughter

READERS LOVE THE VENETIAN HERETIC:

'An excellent story, quite different than the usual military stuff for which the author is deservedly renowned so quite refreshing in many ways' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'This book was fantastic . . . Cameron is very quickly becoming a favourite author of mine' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Cameron's Venice has a sense of place, of history, and feels at once grand and intimately human' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'Absolutely brilliant novel, made deep and real by a massive amount of research, but Cameron's ability to create plausible and interesting characters shines through' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

'It is a masterful blend of historical fiction and mystery, further cementing Christian Cameron as one of the very best in the genre' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1398716111
• ISBN13: 9781398716117
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Orion
• Length: 320 Pages