PROCESSION OF THE DEAD by Darren Shan. This fantasy is set in a rather dystopian future city where sin and crime reign supreme and is the first book in The City series. Capac Raimi arrives in this city with a plan to make it big in this world of evil. He goes to work for The Cardinal – the legendary boss of the city. He appears to be on a fast track to power, but he has an attitude that keeps getting him in trouble. He asks a lot of questions, makes too many of his own decisions, and actually shows some strange initiative. He meets sinister and exotic people along the way. A tattooed assassin, a group of blind Incan priests who come out during fogs, the owner of a “company” eatery, as well as a charming lady who has the face of a young girl but who is rather old. Capac becomes obsessed with his past – he cannot remember it before he arrived in the city. He also wants to know why people he know and like disappear without a trace and no one even remembers them. He needs to solve the riddle of the Ayuamarcans of which he is one. There is murder, gore, and violence to spare. In fact, Raimi finds out that he himself relishes killing. The book is dark and heavy with menace. Noir fantasy, if you will. This whole book has the feel of a computer game escaped to print. The Incan theme is carried on throughout the novel. Timely. Incidentally, Darren Shan is well known for his novels for young adults. This is his first novel for adults.