(Synopsis from the back cover):
«Bruce Wayne is dead. The young heir to the Wayne empire disappeared seven years ago. His vast fortune has been given away, and the crime wave that began with the brutal murder of his parents has turned Gotham City into a living hell. The last holdouts against corruption–the cops who can’t be bought, the D.A.s who can’t be intimidated–are outnumbered and outgunned. They need help... fast.
A world away, in a dank Himalayan prison, a nameless, hardened man fights every day to survive. He has spent seven years scouring the globe, studying the criminal mind, looking for an answer to the ugly riddle of his childhood. But something has been looking for him, too. Here, in the darkest places of his own anger, Bruce Wayne will discover his destiny–and an ordinary man will become a legend.»
Novelization of the film of the same name (belonging to the "Dark Knight" trilogy), by director Christopher Nolan, released in 2005.
It's well written, but it's a bit gloomy and dark, sometimes pessimistic.
It could present values such as overcoming fear, personal responsibility in the face of social evil, sacrifice for the common good, renouncing revenge as a guiding principle, self-control and discipline, and the rejection of murder as an ethical limit. It also emphasizes the need to avoid becoming what one fights against.
Violence is a central element of the story; its intensity is high and constant, and it presents an ambiguous view of revenge.
The novel is set in seedy criminal underworlds. There are some intense scenes that might be a little frightening for a young child.
There is no explicit sexual content, and the language is not overly vulgar.