DC Comics Novels - Batman: The Court of Owls : An Original Prose Novel by Greg Cox

**An original novel pitting Batman against the Court of Owls, a secret society of wealthy families that's controlled Gotham for centuries using murder and money.** Beware the Court of Owls, that watches all the time Ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed Speak not a whispered word about them, or they'll send the Talon for your head. --a nursery rhyme The Court of Owls is a criminal secret society that has existed in Gotham City since the 1600s, led by some of the city's wealthiest and most influential families. They employ deadly trained assassins known as Talons, taken as children from circuses such as the one where Dick Grayson's parents were killed. These children are trained to become the assassins known as Talons. Bruce Wayne came to the Court's attention when he announced plans to reinvigorate Gotham, threatening their control. They sentenced him to death, bringing themselves to the attention of Batman. Though they suffer defeats, the Court continues to fight to retake control of the city's underworld - a fight that has gone on for centuries. Copyright © 2017 DC Comics. BATMAN, THE COURT OF OWLS, and all related characters and elements © & TM DC Comics and Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. An original novel pitting Batman against the Court of Owls, a secret society of wealthy families that's controlled Gotham for centuries using murder and money. For generations, an apocryphal cabal has controlled Gotham from the shadows, wielding fear and violence through its undead assassins, the Talons. THE COURT OF OWLS. Dating back centuries, its leaders are men and women of wealth and influence who meet in secrecy, hiding their identities behind stark white masks. Employing science and alchemy, they sought to kill Bruce Wayne who, as Batman, dealt them their greatest defeats. Even then they faded back into the darkness, and he could not eliminate them entirely. Now, Gotham City is plagued with a series of brutal murders in which mutilated bodies are burned almost beyond recognition. Batman and his allies--including Nightwing and Batgirl--quickly realize that the Talons have returned, yet the reason for the killings remains tauntingly unknown. As the heroes seek answers, their path stretches back more than a century. Should the Owls obtain what they seek, it could grant them power that no one could counter. With each moment that passes, more victims appear. Batman must stop the Talons before they kill again