Capac Raimi arrives in the city to join his uncle’s business, that of small time gangster. He quickly learns the ropes but soon finds himself brought to the attention of The Cardinal. The Cardinal is the gangster who runs the entire city and nothing happens in this city without the the knowledge or approval of The Cardinal.Life is great for Capac; he may just be the heir that the Cardinal has been looking for. But Capac realizes all is not as he thought it was when people start to disappear and no one remembers them. It is as if they had never existed at all. Thus Capac is propelled forward trying to find these missing people, without The Cardinal’s knowledge which is a very dangerous game to play, and at the same time find out just who he is himself.This is such an intricate plot with twists and turns that kept me reading into the small hours of the night. I found myself gasping out loud at each revelation that the author threw at me. Each turn of the plot left me stunned and eager to read on. This is a wonderful read.The book is peopled with an eccentric mix of characters. From The Cardinal, who has an almost superhuman rage when angered, to Conchita, an elderly woman with the face of a teenager, to the strange religious cult of blind men who only appear when fog rolls over the city.This is a dark fantasy, set in a violent world and fortunately, the first in a series. I hope I don’t have to wait too long to read the next one! Highly recommended!Of note, you may not recognize the author’s name, D.B. Shan, as he is most well-known as Darren Shan, the author of numerous Young Adult books of terror. This is his first adult novel.