title: The Better Part of Darkness (Charlie Madigan, Book 1)
author:  Kelly Gay 
description: Gay debuts with this captivating urban fantasy. Thirteen years ago, mankind officially recognized the existence of paradisiacal Elysia and hellish Charbydon, and the multitude of mythical beings inhabiting them. Now Atlanta is a crossroads for all sorts of creatures, and the Integration Task Force keeps tabs on them all. Recently resurrected single mom Charlie Madigan juggles her personal life with her career as an ITF officer, searching for the source of a deadly narcotic called <I>ash</I>. When her family and friends are caught in the middle of her investigation, Charlie discovers powers she never knew, and a destiny that could destroy the entire world. How far will she go to save her child and her city? Intricate world-building and richly complex characters mix with a fast-paced plot to create a standout start to a new series. <I>(Dec.)</I> <BR>Copyright &copy; Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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  ## The Better Part of Darkness
  
  
    
  
  
  ### Kelly Gay
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Atlanta: it’s the promised city for the off-worlders, foreigners from the
  alternate dimensions of heaven-like Elysia and hell-like Charbydon. Some bring
  good works and miracles. And some bring unimaginable evil….
  
  
  Charlie Madigan is a divorced mother of one, and a kick-ass cop trained to
  take down the toughest human and off-world criminals. She’s recently returned
  from the dead after a brutal attack, an unexplained revival that has left her
  plagued by ruthless nightmares and random outbursts of strength that make
  doing her job for Atlanta P.D.’s Integration Task Force even harder. Since the
  Revelation, the criminal element in Underground Atlanta has grown, leaving
  Charlie and her partner Hank to keep the chaos to a dull roar. But now an
  insidious new danger is descending on her city with terrifying speed,
  threatening innocent lives: a deadly, off-world narcotic known as ash. Charlie
  is determined to uncover the