The Kiss of Death. Marcus Sedgwick

Though generically named, "The Kiss of Death" is a fantastically original and exciting novel, full of blood, danger, thrills, mystery, and legions of the undead. It is sequel of sorts to My Swordhand Is Singing, in that it features Peter and his father's sword from the previous book, though here the attention turns to two new protagonists. Perhaps it's better described as a companion piece to its predecessor, as although it's not necessary to have read "Swordhand", familiarity with who Peter is and his experiences in his own story will add a certain weight to his doings here. Best described as a Gothic horror- mystery, "The Kiss of Death" begins with a letter addressed to persons unknown, detailing the writer's desire to murder its recipient. It is baffling to Markus, the son of the man who wrote the letter, who only knows that it is in his father's handwriting and that he has disappeared after traveling to Venice to help a friend. Marko leaves his mother and siblings to go in search of his father, sailing to Venice and meeting with the daughter of his father's patient: Sorrel Bellini. Sorrel is the girl who sent Marko's father's letter back to his family, along with a plea for help. With plenty of problems of her own concerning her insomniac father who is steadily losing his grip on sanity, she's none too pleased to see that the inexperienced and unworldly Marko is the only aid that arrives. But Marko is just as determined to find his father as Sorrel is to help her own, and together the two of them begin an investigation across the murky depths of Venice. What follows is a twisty, terrifying plot that brings back the enigmatic foe from the previous book; the Shadow Queen. To say more about her would be to give away a few important plot points, but Sedgewick manages to infuse some tragedy in her character with the inclusion of a fairytale that outlines her own mysterious past and motivations. But for the most part the action centers on Marko and Sorrel as they wend their way closer to their fathers and to each other on a mystery that takes them into some truly creepy and frightening scenarios (imagine spending the night in a monastery with two decapitated corpses in the next room, or sneaking onto a haunted island where plague victims were once sent to die). They make a good pair, with his optimism and naivety offset against her cynicism and world-weariness. Along the way they are joined by an enigmatic figure who hunts the Shadow Queen, a familiar face from the previous book, although greatly changed and perhaps not for the better. (Minor quibble, the character of "Sofia" is now re-spelt as "Sophia" for no clear reason). Sedgewick writes in simple but evocative prose, and is a master at gradually accumulating clues and ratcheting up the suspense as each chapter goes by. Remarkably lean and straightforward in its plotting, not a single word is wasted in the gradual build-up of the mystery, and elements that are introduced early in the b