CJ Sansom meets Shakespeare in Love - a historical thriller with a swashbuckling twist and a hero like you've never seen him before

When he's caught out by one ill-advised seduction too many, young William Shakespeare flees Stratford to seek his fortune.

Cast adrift in London, Will falls in with a band of players - but greater men have their eye on this talented young wordsmith. England's very survival hangs in the balance, and Will finds himself dispatched to Venice on a crucial embassy.

Dazzled by the city's masques - and its beauties - Will little realises the peril in which he finds himself. Catholic assassins would stop at nothing to end his mission on the point of their sharpened knives, and lurking in the shadows is a killer as clever as he is cruel.

Suspenseful, seductive and as sharp as an assassin's blade, The Spy of Venice introduces a major new literary talent.

"The Spy of Venice is a playful and inventive debut. The dialogue is wonderful, and Will's banter with his fellow actors sparkles." Antonia Senior, The Times

"Entertaining and ebullient . . . The author knows his Shakespeare backwards (the Venice setting has been carefully chosen), rejoices in its wordplay, loves his allusions and has a good time with his characters. So did I." Elizabeth Buchan, Daily Mail

"A Venetian romp" Telegraph