In the third installment in the creepy, captivating Larten Crepsley series, young vampire Larten finds out what it means to love...but is he also damned to find out what it means to lose?

Before Madame Octa... Before the Cirque... Before Darren Shan... Larten Crepsley was a young man. This is his story.

After failing his mentor and killing the entire crew of a ship in a bout of revenge for the death of his assistant, Larten is bereft with guilt. He no longer has the drive to live the vampiric life, and hides out in Paris, masquerading as a human. There, he finds some happiness, even falling in love with a girl. But the darkness inside him is too great for humanity, and he is forced to make a choice: hide in the shadows of the human world, or take his place among the vampire clan and protect those weaker than himself. But enemies are waiting, traps are laid, and Larten's path is bound to be strewn with bodies.

A superb addition to the mesmerizing and terrifying world of Darren Shan and Cirque du Freak.