The Detective & The Unicorn

by Michael Angel

When a warlock from the magical world of the Morning Land murders Derek Ridder's friend, the LAPD detective gets a new partner. Her name's Tavia, and she's a brash, driven unicorn filly. She identifies the killer as Sir William Teach, the one man she's sworn to capture or kill at all cost.

Together, Derek and Tavia race to uncover Teach's dark plans to unleash an ancient evil in order to conquer both of their worlds. Their path takes them through Los Angeles and deep into the fantasy realm of the Morning Land.

Along the way, they discover what can break a mythical creature's heart, what can heal death itself, and whether or not one needs to be virgin-pure in order to touch a unicorn.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Mystery

368 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 11, 2011

About the author

Michael Angel's fictional worlds range from the former Soviet province of Ozrabek to the magic-filled realm of Andeluvia.

His eBooks, audio books, and paperbacks populate shelves in 12 different languages. However, despite keeping a keen eye out for globe-trotting epidemiologists, unicorns, or galactic marshals, none have yet put in an appearance on Hollywood Boulevard.

THE PLAGUE WALKER PANDEMIC MEDICAL THRILLERS~
The Devil's Noose
The Reaper's Scythe
The Blood Zone
The Wildfire Pathogen
The Plague Walker (A Leigh Austen Short Thriller)

FANTASY & FORENSICS ~
Centaur of the Crime
The Deer Prince's Murder
Grand Theft Griffin
A Perjury of Owls
Forgery of the Phoenix
Assault in the Wizard Degree
Trafficking in Demons
A Warrant of Wyverns
The Conspiracy of Unicorns
Dragon with a Deadly Weapon
Forensics and Dragon Fire (Fantasy & Forensics Novella)

APOCALYPSE WITH A SIDE OF GRILLED SPAM ~
Episode One
Episode Two
Episode Three
Episode Four
Season One Compilation

STANDALONE SF/F NOVELS~
The Detective & The Unicorn
The Wizard, The Warlord, and The Hidden Woman
I Married the Third Horseman

THE AMANDA LOVE UNIVERSE ~
A Shovelful of Stars
Pay To Pray
Dogfight
A Planet Torn
Fringe Space Tales (Amanda Love Compilation)

COLLECTIONS & SHORTS~
Never Mind the Princess, Save the *Dragon*
Treasure of the Silver Star
Sylph
Gatekeeper and Goddess
So a Dragon, a Muse, and an Alien Walk Into a Bar...
Predators and Prey
Deepest Fears
Three Acts of Courage
Strange Powers, Stranger Places
Crisis Points
Love's Origins
Cyber Son
Cantaloupes and Wild Shoshone
Vala Staffwielder
Little Girl Lost
Love's Labors and Lies
The Haute Couture Time Traveler
Blood, Sweat, and Fears (an 18-story compendium)

Michael Angel's welcome mat is out at MichaelAngelWriter.weebly.com. Or, feel free to stop by and say 'hello' to the kind folks who publish his material at BantyHenPublishing.com.

Reviews

[Leiah Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

“To die, to sleep -
To sleep, perchance to dream - ay, there's the rub,
For in this sleep of death what dreams may come...”
― William Shakespeare, Hamlet

I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow. – Maya Angelou
____________
The photo of a snow-white Pegasus in the company of the President of the United States had made the front page of the Los Angeles Times twice now. Both times this happened, someone close to me has been killed.

Derek Ridder knows about death. About loss, and pain, true. But most of all, he knows about Death. A Los Angeles cop, he sees humanity at it’s very worst; it’s darkest, cruelest moments. Three years ago, he saw that front page photo only moments before his beloved wife, Beth, died – the victim of a suicide who decided to take many with him when he parked in the path of an oncoming train. And the second time.

The second time nearly drove him mad.

Now, Derek Ridder’s life has been turned upside down, his niece and sister-in-law threatened, and the very fate of our world, The Other World as it is called by those who populate the dimension which has paralleled and overlapped our own, may come down to whether or not Derek, and those who help him, can find the key to destroying a man – a man who is also a Monster.

It is called The Morning Land. A land of pegasi and unicorn, of dryads and wizards and all manner of things that go bump in the night. And in this land, a wizard has gone mad, threatening our world, and his, with total annihilation at the teeth and claws of a demon horde.

He had dead, doll’s eyes, like a sharks.

Stuck in the middle of a war, Derek must do all he can to save the worlds, to take out the wizard who will use both technology and magic to become the mighty foot on the throat of our world.

There are so many ways to be brave in this world. Sometimes bravery involves laying down your life for something bigger than yourself, or for someone else. Sometimes it involves giving up everything you have ever known, or everyone you have ever loved, for the sake of something greater. – Veronica Roth, Allegiant

Much like Hamlet, Derek’s life had lost all meaning. But will he reach beyond, into what and who he was before, and use his pain to save his world? And possibly, his own soul?

Much like others of his work, such as Centaur of the Crime or The Deer Prince’s Murder, there is a strong fantasy theme throughout, which harkens back to the original Grimm, were fairies weren’t cute little winged creatures, and Red Riding Hood’s story was filled with blood. Angel’s works cross the boundaries of reality and magic, of this world and the next, and for all of their vast readability and notes of humour, there is lying underneath a dark pool of pain – and an immeasurable depth of hope.
______
If you follow my reviews you will know that Mr. Angel and I have a working relationship, and yes, the author gave the book to me. What must be taken into account is that we have that relationship because I truly enjoy his work. If he were to blow it, well, I would let you know. However, as always, Michael charmed me with his wit and wisdom, his humor and understanding. This book is highly recommended for lovers of Urban Fantasy and Fairy Tales. And anyone else who simply loves a well-crafted tale. Enjoy!

[Paula Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do you love Urban Fantasy novels ? Have you read The Hunt of the Unicorn by CC Humphreys or Thomas Sniegoski's A Kiss before Apocalypse series ? This is what "The Detective and the Unicorn" reminded me of as the novel starts in the world of LA and ends up with our characters in a mystical world called Morningland which I loved that name as it definitely went with the unicorn theme. The novel starts when a warlock from Morningland is found murdered , the Warlock's friend is a detective in the real world and now it's up to Derek to find out who killed his magical warlock friend. However, is new partner in solving crimes is not like you or me - it is a unicorn named Tavia and she knows exactly who killed the warlock. The pair team up to capture Teach as they discover he is planning to unleash an ancient evil over both Morningland and Earth which will create a major saradoodledom (chaos). Can Derek and Tavia solve not only the crime of who killed their friend but the entire two world's civilisation before apocalypse happens.
One thing that I loved in the Detective and the Unicorn is that Michael brought into the novel alot of the Unicorn Myths from the point of it's horn which can either kill someone or heal somebody , whether in order to tame a unicorn that you have to be a pure virgin as we saw in CC Humphrey's book "The Hunt of the Unicorn".

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the title implies, this novel is a different kind of urban fantasy, or perhaps just a fantasy, as the ‘urban’ soon disappears, but who cares? The novel is kick ass fun!

In a world where the Morning Land is now a member of the United Nations, Detective Derek Ridder is thrown into an investigation involving a threat not only to the Morning Land, but also to our entire world. His partner in the investigation is none other than the Warder of Cavilad’s daughter – Tavia the unicorn.

Author Michael Angel provides a wonderful, realistic touch to both these complex characters (who knew unicorns were complex). The story combines both the feel of detective stories of old, and the wonder of fantasy in an action-packed fantasy that follows the characters from Derek’s to Tavia’s world and back again. A VERRY fun romp, and touching as well. I can hardly wait to read the sequel. Please.

[Knits Reads Games Sings]

I started reading this thinking it would be hilarious. Sort of... Dirty Harry is unwillingly partnered with one of the My Little Pony ponies. To my surprise, it was played straight. Seemed like a missed opportunity, but I rolled with it. Playing it straight was original in its own right.

Things were going fine until we learn a little bit about how life works in the magic world, known here as The Morning Land. Apparently, Unicorns use humans as cannon fodder during their cycle of wars. Any human who doesn't want to serve in that capacity is exiled to the Red March, where subsistence living would apparently be a step up. That really doesn't make the unicorns sound like great people, frankly, but the opposition killed Derek's partner, and kidnapped and terrified his niece. Then they travel to The Morning Land, and Derek eventually meets other unicorns.

I did not have "racist unicorns" anywhere on my bingo card for things I might encounter in fiction, but that's the best way to describe them. The way they talk to Derek reminds me of how racist white people are portrayed speaking to black people pre-civil rights, or how rich snobs are portrayed talking about the poor or the help. He is so far below them he's not worth being polite to, or treating like a person. Of course, this doesn't sit well with Derek. There's a blow up where Tavia has to come to the rescue, after which she's furious.

And, ok, there are certainly reasonable reasons for her to be angry: (a) her brother was just a dick to her friend/partner; (b) Derek lost his temper and attacked someone who could easily kill him; (c) the meeting was set up by the dryads, and could've gotten someone seriously hurt; (d) she never explained how humans and unicorn society worked, or what was expected, which was a massive oversight on her part. But no. The reason she's upset is because Derek didn't give the unicorn the respect he deserved. She even goes so far as to tell him that if he doesn't like this "tradition" he should join Teach (the enemy) because she can't stand the sight of him.

And after a few moments thought--which, to be fair, is a great thing about Derek's character, that he will reconsider if he made the right move--he agrees with her.

No. Not just no, but FUCK no. It's entirely possible to understand there are different norms he'll have to work with for the duration, while still acknowledging that there's nothing right or good or tolerable in a society that treats people like they are worthless. And Tavia should grasp that, too.

I'm simply too viscerally angry to keep reading. DNF.

[Aelvana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Derek Ridder never had much interest in the fantastical creatures from the Morning Land that contacted Earth. He was more invested in doing his job as a cop and trying to get over the loss of his wife. But that was before a call brought him face-to-face with a warlock. Now he's somehow ended up with the unicorn Tavia as his partner as they hunt down the madman who wants to open Earth to demons . . .

I received this book for free as a gift.

If you've seen the author's other series (Fantasy & Forensics), this has no relationship, despite a rather similar premise.

I loved this. The characters all have a lot of depth, especially those like Coombes, the unidentified-agency agent, who would have been easy to write as stereotypical given his relatively minor role. I loved that Coombes kept showing his humanity. I also appreciated that Derek seems to work at a hard but mostly functional police department with a boss and co-workers who look out for him. And Thunderbolt (the Wonder-Colt) was hilarious. Kids will be kids, no matter the species . . .

Tavia and Derek play well off each other. They're both guardians of the peace, with serious personalities and a lot of smarts. Derek doesn't take long to adjust to her as a partner, and while he doesn't have her knowledge of magic, he also doesn't have her blind spots. It's interesting to see how their histories have so many common points, even though they're from vastly different backgrounds. And I liked that Tavia points out that it's possible to lose the one you love without death necessarily being the cause---that just because one loves deeply, truly, and well doesn't mean everything will work out.

I also really like the exploration of various fantasy races. Unicorns, pegasii, dryads, the werewolf-like yena . . . they have their familiar points, but they're also drawn up in new and interesting ways. Like unicorns as predators as much as herbivores. Or like a pegasus diplomat, and how things work out for him. Or certain creatures being able to run faster than a speeding car. Or, my favorite, a MALE sphinx (who is just as cat-like as one might expect. Which is to say arrogant, ruthless, a bit cruel, and not interested in much outside of himself). There's a surprise in each chapter, but overall it all hangs together very well.

If I have one small criticism, it's that it feels Tavia should have picked up on the reason for her own immunity to William Teach's mind control a while back, and only been confused at how Derek was also able to resist. After all, she knows a good amount about magic, and it doesn't seem that the ultimate cause was that obscure to someone of her education.

Overall, this is a fast-paced and fun ride, especially for those who wanted a "first contact" type story to be with a fantasy world instead of an alien race. I rate this book Highly Recommended.

See my reviews and more at https://offtheshelfreviews.wordpress....

[CNickerson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting, exciting book

I loved the idea of a unicorn in our world and Tavia didn't disappoint. Derek was an complex character. Good characters, action, plot and worlds.

[Dixie Goode · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not sure how I lost track of this book, but as I constantly upload new books, sometimes the ones I am reading slip several pages deeper into the kindle. I'm sorry. I was given this book by the author after I had read and loved a couple of his other novels and I really did enjoy this one as well, once I found it again.

This is a mystery, a detective story with a magical twist, and a love story most of all. Derek Ridder is a good guy, and has not one but two worlds to save. He also has a niece who sees him as the hero he can be. The problem is, he sees himself through eyes clouded by the grief of having failed to save the woman he loved from a suicidal man who used her train as his method of suicide.

It will take facing a really evil crazy man, finding an impossible new love, learning magic and making a huge and unexpected sacrifice before you reach the end of this story, but even if, like me, it takes you over a year to get to the end, it will have been worth it. For those who love wizards and fairies and unicorns and good versus evil, cute baby Pegasus added as a bonus.

[Vampire Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Michael Angel is an author who knows exactly what he is doing when he takes you down the path that leads out of this world.

Detective and The Unicorn is part detective story, part fantasy, but at its heart it's a love story about kindred spirits. It balances a fine line between fantasy and reality without throwing out the doctrine of Suspension of Disbelief. You've just got to love explosive-rune throwing unicorns and previously stationary tree elementals who've figured out that a Diesel engine truck can move their trees and potted soil.

The magic system is slight and could have used more explanation, but stands on its own.

The blending of worlds makes for interesting cross overs between technology and magic.

But its the love story on this one, its the idea that through great loss can come great strength.

I found myself looking forward to the next reading period. And the next book.