Something nasty in the CityDB Shan is the not very well disguised alias of prolific award-winning children’s author Darren Shan – but you wouldn’t want your kids reading this.Bringing his dark side well to the fore he revels in this strangely magical and mysterious but compelling and well-disguised horror story.Quick-witted and cocksure, young upstart Capac Raimu arrives in The City determined to make his mark.As he learns the tricks of his new trade from his Uncle Theo – extortion, racketeering, violence – he’s soon well on his way to becoming a promising new gangster.Then he crosses paths with The Cardinal…and his life (and the tone of the book) changes forever.The Cardinal is a mystical and frightening figure who rules the City with a grip of steel and an air of fear. Nothing happens above or below ground that doesn’t reach the Cardinal’s ears. His rule is absolute.But as Capac begins to discover the extent of the Cardinal’s influence on his own life he is faced with hard choices.As his ambition soars ever higher he will learn all there is to know about loss and the true cost of ultimate power. He’ll even find out why the Cardinal’s private office is littered with lifelike puppets.DB Shan has scored with a well written, taut horror-mystery that grips the reader from page one. It’s a can’t-put-downer that suspends any hint of disbelief with the mastery of its execution.Well worth the money.