The Kiss of Death is the companion/follow-up vampire novel to My Swordhand is Singing. If you haven’t read the first novel then whilst doing so, will help you enjoy this one even more, but The Kiss of Death works perfectly well as a standalone as well, so doing doing so is not necessary.

When he receives a  strange letter, that may be related to the disappearance of his father, Marko leaves his home and travels to Venice.

When he arrives he meets, Sorrel, the girl who sent the letter in the first place. She is initially distant and aloof, having expected more help to arrive.

Marko eventually learns that his father and Sorrel’s were acquaintances, and in fact, were together on the night Marko’s father disappeared.

Unfortunately, Sorrel’s father can’t explain what happened as he has been unable to sleep for some time and is suffering from some form of madness, that none of of the cities doctors (both real and charlatans) have been unable to help. Marko’s father, a doctor had been his last hope.

As they begin to follow the only trail available to them, Marko and Sorrel slowly begin to unravel the mystery, but it is a trail not without danger, and twice their lives are saved by a mysterious stranger.

This mysterious stranger, Peter – the hero from, Swordhand – has his own quest, his lifetime search for The Shadow Queen, has brought him to Venice, and it becomes obvious it’s entwined with Marko and Sorrel’s own story.

‘Death comes in many forms, but in Venice death comes by water…’

Despite the initial distance between our hero and heroine, there are some wonderfully tender moments between them, as they begin to bond, and discover what exactly has happened to their fathers.

I can’t say enough good things about the depiction of Venice, it is without doubt a brilliant piece of writing, with few words, Sedgwick, manages to create a richly detailed setting, and I say it, every time I review one of his books, but Sedgwick is a master at creating atmosphere. You are there, every step of Marko and Sorrel’s way, with the fog lapping around your ankles.

Whilst it is a fantastic example of concise storytelling – and as I say, little is missing in terms of vivid world building, atmosphere, and characters or plot – I wanted more. In fact it is a testament to Sedgwick’s writing that I probably wouldn’t have been satisfied if he’d written a book twice as long!

[rating:4.5/5]

Watch the author talk about the book here:

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Buy, The Kiss of Death by Marcus Sedgwick, from The Book Depository.