Murder Between the Worlds

Between the Worlds #1

by Morgan Daimler

In a world where mortal earth and Fairy overlap someone is torturing and killing young women. The police don't have any good leads but they may have a suspect so they turn to Allie McCarthy, occult bookstore owner, to help them understand the ritual behind the murders. Allie wants to help, but solving murders isn't her forte - old, rare books are what she knows best. Unfortunately for her it seem that a book might be at the center of it all, and she is the key to catching someone who definitely doesn't want to be caught. Can Allie help the police find the killer before the killer finds her?

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Paganism, Mystery

271 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

My name is Morgan Daimler. I have had my poetry and prose published in different places including various anthologies, Circle magazine, Witches and Pagans magazine and Pagan Dawn magazine. I am the author of the urban fantasy series Between the Worlds and (through Cosmic Egg Books) the high fantasy novel Into Shadow. I've written more than a dozen non-fiction works through Moon Books including Fairy Witchcraft, Pagan Portals: the Morrigan, Fairies: A Guide to the Celtic Fair Folk, A New Dictionary of Fairies, and Pagan Portals Aos Sidhe

Reviews

[Amy nicole Giles · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read

I have read many of Morgan Daimler's other religious and spiritual works. I was not sure when I saw that they had written fiction whether it would be of a similar quality to their non fiction works. I was pleasantly surprised. The story was engaging and built a world and characters I want to see more of. I will definitely keep reading!

[K.S. Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am always a bit iffy when it comes to fiction involving the Other Crowd. I find most people lean toward the "twee fairies", rather than do the research and reveal the darker aspects. I went into this knowing that Morgan Daimler was well versed on the subject and loved the world they have created.

The Sundering and it's impact on both the human and Fairy worlds is original. The effects it has when one approaches the border between them is a really interesting take, based on what many have experienced when their lives are intertwined with the Other Crowd.

I really enjoyed this book and am glad that I was able to get the first three novels together, so that I can continue reading immediately.

[Arie Farnam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to review this book because it was supposed to have interesting Pagan themes. I was a little turned off by the title, because I'm not a formula mystery reader. But I figured I would give it a try because I was offered a free review copy with the idea that I could post any kind of review I wanted. And I was very pleasantly surprised... astounded really. This is not a formulaic mystery. It's fascinating speculative fiction about what might happen if the human world and the legendary world of Faerie were to partially merge. There is a murder mystery in the plot but there is much much more - great modern fantasy atmosphere, wonderful prose, lovable characters, realistic dialogue - in short, all the things I find in such short supply in fiction. I have been so overloaded with work these past few months that it is very hard to get my attention (as my children know all too well) and this was the only book to really succeed in the past three months. Out of the last twenty books I have read, including a few by famous authors, this one stands out as the best without any close competition.

[Raven · Rating 2 out of 5]

I generally like Earth/Faery crossover as a story, but this one just didn't do it for me. I can kind of tell that it was a first novel; it's not much of a mystery when you know nearly from the get-go who the major villain is, and his motivations seem kind of thin and hard to believe. (I don't think that most villains who see themselves as doing the necessary evil would go "oh well, guess I have to torture, rape and murder you, sorry, it's for the greater good" with no particular affect, for example. Either he's sociopathic and doesn't actually care, or he sees himself as a good man and that gets to him, but the middle ground made him hard to find credible.) Similarly, the characters talk a lot about the changes in their lives, but they could have done with some "show, don't tell". Our heroine masters her amazingly rare powers in no time flat without really needing to struggle with it, and everyone is duly impressed. I did like the idea of how the Elven Guard are different than human cops, and the exploration of the social differences had a lot of potential -- I would have liked to see more of that in the story.

[Echo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so captivating that I stayed up until 6 am to finish it. Very intriguing plot and I can't wait to read the rest of the series. For folks who might need it, this book is definitely a thriller, and includes things like murder (unsurprising), torture, sexual assault, and rape, so if those are tough subjects for your, read at your own risk.

[Ik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyable. I bought the e-book and I was a bit put off by all the errors: mostly missing punctuation (about every other sentence), but also things like 'you're' where it should be 'your' and etcetera. Is the actual book like this as well or is it an e-book thing?
The story itself is great, though!

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story of mystery, magic and elves.

[Autumn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, and one of the most fascinating takes on Fae/Elf culture and I have no doubt that it's because Morgan Daimler knows their stuff.

Aside from the actual credibility of the lore and a solid grasp on what magic really is (human side at least), the story itself is riveting. This is one of those page turners where you can't put it down...and end up staying awake until 3am because you're dying to see what happens next.

As of right now I'm #TeamJess and I can't wait to see where it all goes from here. Healthy mix of romance, queerness, Fae and Elf lore and culture and mystery to fully have me engaged.

[Celeste · Rating 3 out of 5]

plot was great but depth wasn’t there

The plot and plot pacing was fantastic - they physical layout was a little jarring, but that’s neither here nor there.

What was lacking was the depth - everything felt very shallow between the MCs attraction because we just…didn’t know how they felt. There was no in-depth window into anyone’s thoughts, feelings, decisions or motivations. This made it hard to get emotionally invested in the characters and their relationships.

But it was a quick read and the plot / world balding itself is really interesting! That’s what kept me hooked.

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thrilling story! Could hardly put the book down, as the world was woven expertly together. Reminded me a bit of Kim Harrison's Hollows series, the way the world suddenly and irrevocably changed and humans and magical creatures have to reckon with each other. I had some trouble buying into the main romantic love interest, but I may be biased towards his rival, as I am a sucker for dark, handsome, and wounded. ;) Overall, if you love urban fantasy, this is an excellent foray into that realm. Looking forward to digging into the rest of the series.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good story. I liked Allie as well as the characters around her. Allie was a compelling pov and very likable. I loved the world building. The world the author created was an intriguing one with lots of interesting depth which will be fascinating to watch play out as the series continues. Overall a good book and I will be continuing.

(Warning for attempted rape and multiple rapes off page.)

[Kira Hagen · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Between the Worlds" series is sort of like cozy mysteries set in a world where Faery and Earth have sort of smushed together. I like more action in my books personally, but if you've every wanted one of those British TV mysteries where some quaint little town is absolutely dripping in blood and the bookstore lady needs to go solve another murder (but with elves!) these books are go-to.

[SallyRose Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery & Elves-Great Combination

When the murders began we don't know but Allie is connected, somehow. The Elves & humans have to work together to solve this mystery, her life depends on it But how does one reconsile one's heart in the middle of the chase?

[Gwen Clayton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting

I read this book because I know the author to be an expert in fairy folklore and I wanted to see how they would write a fiction story using fairy characters. It was interesting to read about elves and humans interacting in a borderland between the two realms..

[William Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well.done

Excellent work. I'm looking forward to reading successive installments in this series. Different enough from previous Urban Fantasy books that I don't automatically assume I know what will happen next. Its a nice change.

[Mabh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunning

I adore this world Morgan has created. Her characters are fully formed and intriguing and the magical/urban fantasy elements are perfect.

[Mike Lighty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

While Morgan is no Holly Black, this was an enjoyable read. I intend to read the rest of the series.

[Boho Beannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting world but it did drag at times. It didn’t grab me and I’m not sure I’ll continue series

[Mary T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good mystery.
I found it very hard to put the book down as totally enjoyed reading it. I am looking forward to reading the next book.

[Elen Sentier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well worth reading if you like Urban Fantasy.

Urban fantasy has been getting more and more popular since the millennium and Murder Between the Worlds puts a good new take on this. Daimler has built her world around the one we know but … there was an event called the Sundering a hundred years ago which means that now the Faer folk’s realm and our Earth are very closely entwined. This has caused lots of “political” effects” and problems along with a lot of anger, fear and disgruntlement on both sides.

We’re introduced to a very grisly murder from page one, and it’s one of a series of killings which the two human police officers in charge of the case cannot fathom and involve the Elvish Guard to help. They go to find an “expert” and turn up Allie McCarthy, occult bookstore owner, who has a reputation around the town for knowing lots about magic. It turns out that she does … and she doesn’t.

The action gets going … giving us crotchety elves, a policeman who hates elves and is very nasty about it, a love-at first-sight which is gorgeous, and a group of people who are quite unused to thinking badly of others and so make all the usual mistakes this causes. Well, except for one, that is. He is an outcast and has a load-and-a-half of nous, common sense and cynicism as well as some difficult personal issues. I really felt his depths and would like to know much more of him which may happen as I gather this book is the first of a series.

It turns out Allie has a magical gift from her combined faery and human ancestry. She’s never really cottoned to this and it seems to have made her quite a placating and somewhat gullible sort of person. She has to begin to come to terms with it in order to save her own life and this grows her quite a bit. Hopefully we’ll see more of this growing in the next book.

I would also really love, to have more background – how did the sundering come about? Who did what and when and how and what for. It reminds me of le Guin’s Hainish worlds coming across the ability to mind-speak and the utter confloption that caused – imagine being able to see when someone was telling the truth, or not? Politicians as a species cease to exist! Good idea! The sundering gives me the feel that it offers both humans and the Faer folk a way to grow and change. It also seems that both like change somewhat worse than do cats!

I would have liked a bit more wildness. The world is still fairly tame despite the sundering. I fell in love with the kelpie who has befriended Allie, would love more of him and his mates. I could also do with a bit faster pace but again this is me, I tend to get the point with people and situations pretty quickly and want to see how they play out rather than go over them.

My biggest worry with the book is the lack of, or bad, proof reading. There were really bad howlers throughout the book, like mix-ups with there/they're/their, and where instead of were, as well as you're for your and vice-versa. Punctuation errors were a bit too common as well and made me have to read some sentences more than once to understand them. That’s distracting and takes me out of the story.

I like Allie and I’m very much looking forward to the next book in the series where Allie can develop further; and not just Allie but the other characters too, including that kelpie and the elves, I want to know more of them and their backgrounds. And I’d quite like it if Allie’s cousin could turn out to be the bad-ass as I really dislike her!

It’s a good book, kept me turning the pages, I’m really looking forward to the next one.

[Maya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was certainly a surprise to me. I loved the world building going on in this book, it wasn't so obvious that I felt bored, and it wasn't non-existent that I couldn't imagine the world the story was set in.

The characters were all interesting, and they behaved in the manor that I thought they should based one who and what they are. I loved watching all the relationships (romantic and otherwise) that were happening between the characters, and I loved watching the main female lead find her strength.

I might have known who the killer was (because we were given a glimpse early on), but all the twists and turns in the story kept me interested. In fact, I was so interested that I read the whole book in one sitting.

If you are looking for a work of fiction, with a realistic portrayal of the elves and Fairy and a good murder story to boot then do yourself a favor and pick up this book.​

[Chris Hippe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific book

This is an excellent read. Full of suspenseful twists, diverse and complex characters , and very adept magic. I read it in a day and am starting the next. Well done

[Nicole Hansen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Hoping for a sequel!!

[Brenda Lively · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story. Thoroughly enjoyed it and am looking forward to reading rest of the series.