The Dark Circus

Seeing is believing in the Dark Circus, where truth and illusion collide, and where the heart of a holy conspiracy pounds…

At an art auction in Madrid, Elías Segado, a religious art appraiser and detective, is getting ready to secure a painting for the bishop of Cartagena. But in a brilliant sleight of hand, the iconic work is stolen, drawing Elías into the confidence of its corrupt and seductive thief.

Her name is L. Raised by her uncle in a threadbare circus, she lived by the twisted rules of the carnies she grew up with. Exploited for public awe, and ritually abused for private pleasure, L came to endure all that was encouraged by the circus’s perverted sense of righteousness. Debauchery is the only thing she trusts. But behind the curtains of the Dark Circus is a greater secret to be avenged. And she needs Elías Segado to help expose it.

As their worlds of sacrilege and devotion collide, so do temptation and indulgence—and a faith in both good and evil, where morality is just another illusion. But to survive the mystery, Elías must also dare to accept something more shattering: everything he and L have in common.

Ana Ballabriga and David Zaplana ran into one another for the first time in Valencia when he was studying engineering and she was a student of psychology. Their shared passion for the art of storytelling inspired them to spin the tale of their first novel, After the Cartagena Sun. A few years later they also tried their hands at video production, with results that inspired them to establish their own firm, ADN Visual, for which they’ve received several prizes for short features and documentaries. Ana and David are also the authors of Gothic Morbid, Switched in Time, and The Dark Circus, which won the Amazon Indie Prize in 2016.

Both live in Cartagena, Spain. They’re busy with work, writing, and taking care of their two children.