diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/kolbasa/consumer/ConsumerSchemaHelpers.kt b/src/main/kotlin/kolbasa/consumer/ConsumerSchemaHelpers.kt
index c1fd785..50a44fd 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/kolbasa/consumer/ConsumerSchemaHelpers.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/kolbasa/consumer/ConsumerSchemaHelpers.kt
@@ -137,34 +137,39 @@ internal object ConsumerSchemaHelpers {
         val scheduledAt = resultSet.getTimestamp(columnIndex++).time
         val attempts = resultSet.getInt(columnIndex++)
 
-        val data = when (queue.databaseDataType) {
-            is DatabaseQueueDataType.Json -> {
-                val data = resultSet.getString(columnIndex++)
-                approxBytesCounter.addString(data)
-                queue.databaseDataType.deserializer(data)
-            }
+        val id = Id(localId, shard)
+        val data = try {
+            when (queue.databaseDataType) {
+                is DatabaseQueueDataType.Json -> {
+                    val data = resultSet.getString(columnIndex++)
+                    approxBytesCounter.addString(data)
+                    queue.databaseDataType.deserializer(data)
+                }
 
-            is DatabaseQueueDataType.Binary -> {
-                val data = resultSet.getBytes(columnIndex++)
-                approxBytesCounter.addByteArray(data)
-                queue.databaseDataType.deserializer(data)
-            }
+                is DatabaseQueueDataType.Binary -> {
+                    val data = resultSet.getBytes(columnIndex++)
+                    approxBytesCounter.addByteArray(data)
+                    queue.databaseDataType.deserializer(data)
+                }
 
-            is DatabaseQueueDataType.Text -> {
-                val data = resultSet.getString(columnIndex++)
-                approxBytesCounter.addString(data)
-                queue.databaseDataType.deserializer(data)
-            }
+                is DatabaseQueueDataType.Text -> {
+                    val data = resultSet.getString(columnIndex++)
+                    approxBytesCounter.addString(data)
+                    queue.databaseDataType.deserializer(data)
+                }
 
-            is DatabaseQueueDataType.Int -> {
-                approxBytesCounter.addInt()
-                queue.databaseDataType.deserializer(resultSet.getInt(columnIndex++))
-            }
+                is DatabaseQueueDataType.Int -> {
+                    approxBytesCounter.addInt()
+                    queue.databaseDataType.deserializer(resultSet.getInt(columnIndex++))
+                }
 
-            is DatabaseQueueDataType.Long -> {
-                approxBytesCounter.addLong()
-                queue.databaseDataType.deserializer(resultSet.getLong(columnIndex++))
+                is DatabaseQueueDataType.Long -> {
+                    approxBytesCounter.addLong()
+                    queue.databaseDataType.deserializer(resultSet.getLong(columnIndex++))
+                }
             }
+        } catch (e: Exception) {
+            throw MessageDeserializationException(id, e)
         }
 
         val meta = if (receiveOptions.readMetadata && queue.metadata.fields.isNotEmpty()) {
@@ -192,7 +197,7 @@ internal object ConsumerSchemaHelpers {
         }
 
         val message = Message(
-            id = Id(localId, shard),
+            id = id,
             createdAt = createdAt,
             processingAt = processingAt,
             scheduledAt = scheduledAt,
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/kolbasa/consumer/MessageDeserializationException.kt b/src/main/kotlin/kolbasa/consumer/MessageDeserializationException.kt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1cd58c7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/kolbasa/consumer/MessageDeserializationException.kt
@@ -0,0 +1,17 @@
+package kolbasa.consumer
+
+import kolbasa.producer.Id
+
+/**
+ * Thrown by [ConsumerSchemaHelpers.read] when a queue row's payload cannot be deserialized into a [Message].
+ *
+ * The receive CTE has already updated `remaining_attempts` and `scheduled_at` for the row by the time
+ * deserialization runs, so [kolbasa.consumer.connection.ConnectionAwareDatabaseConsumer] catches this
+ * exception and skips the row instead of letting it propagate. If it were rethrown, the surrounding
+ * transaction would roll back the visibility-timeout bookkeeping and the poison message would be
+ * re-selected on every tick, blocking the queue.
+ */
+class MessageDeserializationException(
+    val id: Id,
+    cause: Throwable
+) : RuntimeException("Failed to deserialize message $id: ${cause.message}", cause)
diff --git a/src/main/kotlin/kolbasa/consumer/connection/ConnectionAwareDatabaseConsumer.kt b/src/main/kotlin/kolbasa/consumer/connection/ConnectionAwareDatabaseConsumer.kt
index 7b620cd..fbf469e 100644
--- a/src/main/kotlin/kolbasa/consumer/connection/ConnectionAwareDatabaseConsumer.kt
+++ b/src/main/kotlin/kolbasa/consumer/connection/ConnectionAwareDatabaseConsumer.kt
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import kolbasa.cluster.Shards
 import kolbasa.consumer.ConsumerOptions
 import kolbasa.consumer.ConsumerSchemaHelpers
 import kolbasa.consumer.Message
+import kolbasa.consumer.MessageDeserializationException
 import kolbasa.consumer.ReceiveOptions
 import kolbasa.consumer.sweep.SweepHelper
 import kolbasa.producer.Id
@@ -69,7 +70,14 @@ class ConnectionAwareDatabaseConsumer internal constructor(
                     val result = ArrayList<Message<Data>>(limit)
 
                     while (resultSet.next()) {
-                        result += ConsumerSchemaHelpers.read(queue, receiveOptions, resultSet, approxBytesCounter)
+                        try {
+                            result += ConsumerSchemaHelpers.read(queue, receiveOptions, resultSet, approxBytesCounter)
+                        } catch (_: MessageDeserializationException) {
+                            // Skip the row. The receive CTE has already decremented remaining_attempts and pushed
+                            // scheduled_at, so the row will be retried (and eventually expire / move to DLQ).
+                            // Rethrowing would roll back the surrounding transaction together with that bookkeeping,
+                            // pinning the poison message at the head of the queue forever.
+                        }
                     }
 
                     result