Neonjade

How is law enforcement affected when we allow alien cohabitation here on Earth? The Better Part of Darkness answers this from a very personal perspective. Charlie Madigan, protagonist and narrator, is a tough-as-nails single mother police detective whose divorce and death are triggered through alien criminals. Her death isn’t the worst crime committed against her, though. The hard work begins when she’s brought back to life.

Genre: Urban Fantasy

My Rating: 7.5 out of 10

Outside of a scene where Charlie gives a V8 Mustang its head on I-85, the book’s cover blurb on reality is dead on. (I’ve never been through Atlanta at any time, on any major road, where you could take a moped full speed to anywhere.) The twists Kelly Gay makes to Atlanta Underground and area landmarks are beautiful. The descriptions add a touch of exotic to an already interesting and diverse part of town. Some of them are a tad redundant, but that goes away as the story builds steam.

I especially like that Charlie is Charlie throughout the whole book. Kelly Gay makes no cop outs with her character to advance plot. Charlie is definitely female. She is aware of and affected by her sexuality. It adds some challenges to her life, but she deals with them just like she deals with every other challenge she encounters. She either buries it for later examination or beats the living daylights out of it!

You do discover that there is more to Ms. Madigan than a stereotype tough guy, but it takes a bit to surface, so the beginning was a little slow for me. As the interactions between Charlie and her family and friends deepened, and as her internal conflicts wrapped tendrils of humanity around her character, so did my desire as a reader to see her through each trial. Near the end, while the conflict is building to final climax, I laughed and cried with Charlie. To me, caring equals great story.

From mid-story, following a jump from a moving car while wearing a dress and heels, example of language, tempo and reminder of a smile I had:

I searched the bag for my wallet, pulling out three bucks and some change. At least the counter wasn’t too far away. Wincing, I shuffled forward in the torturous black pumps and ordered a large sweet tea and a chocolate chip cookie.

The clerk lifted an eyebrow at my appearance. “You all right?”

With a wry half-smile, I handed him the three bucks. “Yeah. you’d be amazed what a clearance sale at the Apple Store does to some people.”

He froze. “There’s a clearance sale at the Apple Store?”

“Yeah. Ends today though.”

“Dude. Really?”

“I nodded. “Yeah. Sorry.”

The door jingled. The clerk looked beyond me and gave a nod to the new person. No, I corrected, smelling the distinct scent of tar. Not a person. A jinn. Shit.

Be aware that many details are not tied up in the end. The Better Part of Darkness is obviously intended to be part of a series. The ending is satisfying enough that it doesn’t let you down too terribly, though, so I didn’t mind.

I did mind the few typos I stumbled across, and the mix up of names on pg. 308 annoyed me (confused where two characters were and what they were doing). Overall though, I recommend The Better Part of Darkness for a fun read.

Have you read Kelly Gay’s The Better Part of Darkness? Please share your impression with a comment.