Charlie Madigan
#5573.98 in the official ranking · full ranking
Books 4 books Status Unfinished 2009–2012 Reading commitment Medium Kelly Gay Last reviewed 2026-11-05
Overview
Kelly Gay, an American author, published the Charlie Madigan novels between 2009 and 2012. They are set in Atlanta, thirteen years after the discovery of other dimensions, when beings from the heaven-like Elysia and the hell-like Charbydon live openly among humans. Charlie Madigan, a divorced mother and detective on the city's task force who has returned from the dead, works with her siren partner, Hank, to keep the peace. A fifth novel, The Cold Light of Day, was announced but no release has been confirmed.
Urban fantasy · For Adult
Core Canon: Reading Order (4 works) counts toward ranking
Charlie Madigan Kelly Gay
| Work | Year | Internal chron. | Canon | Rating | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | The Better Part of Darkness | 2009 | 1 | core | 3.74 (5,728 ratings) |
 | The Darkest Edge of Dawn | 2010 | 2 | core | 4.08 (3,254 ratings) |
 | The Hour of Dust and Ashes; The ISBN given is the mass-market paperback, September 2011 per the database listing. | 2011 | 3 | core | 4.15 (2,971 ratings) |
 | Shadows Before the Sun | 2012 | 4 | core | 4.23 (2,139 ratings) |
Atlanta detective Charlie Madigan polices a city where beings from heaven-like and hell-like dimensions live among humans.
Quick answers
- How many books are in Charlie Madigan? Charlie Madigan's Core Canon is 4 books.
- What is the reading order for Charlie Madigan? Publication order, starting with The Better Part of Darkness. Full list and years in the Core Canon table above.
- Is Charlie Madigan finished? Unfinished (2009–2012).
- How much reading does Charlie Madigan take? Medium reading commitment (estimated from 4 Core Canon books).
- How is Charlie Madigan ranked? #557 in this site's official ranking, based on 14,092 reader ratings across 4 Core Canon books. See the full ranking for how this is calculated.
Why is it ranked #557?
Ranked #557 in the official ranking.
- Average reader rating of 3.98 across 4 core books.
- A smaller readership (14,092 ratings), so the score carries less weight of numbers.
- Uneven reception: its books range from 3.74 to 4.23.
- Less than 0.01 behind #556, Mordant's Need (a finer tie-break level decides the order).
- Below the top-10 average of 4.46.
Why explore this universe?
Well rated · 4 books · Unfinished · 14k ratings · Ranks #557 overall
Good choice if you want a moderate-length urban fantasy universe.
Reading order
Publication order (4 Core Canon books)
- The Better Part of Darkness (2009)
- The Darkest Edge of Dawn (2010)
- The Hour of Dust and Ashes (2011)
- Shadows Before the Sun (2012)
Documented internal/story chronology is recorded for every Core Canon book here, and matches publication order exactly, with no divergence to show separately.
Awards (verified)
- No awards found for this universe.
You might also like
Suggestions computed from what Charlie Madigan and each of these worlds have in common on record (subgenre, audience, shape, reading commitment and score), not a documented narrative connection.
- The Checquy Files Urban fantasy / Comic fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.10
- Georgina Kincaid Urban fantasy · Complete · Medium commitment · 4.08
- All Souls Universe Historical fantasy / Urban fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.08
- The Bone Season Urban fantasy · Ongoing · Medium commitment · 4.07
Official resources
Research details
Ranking metrics: weighted average 3.98 across 14,092 ratings on 4 Core Canon books. See Why is it ranked here? above for the full breakdown, or the full ranking.
How do we know this?
Admission: Canon Extension: 22 universes from the candidate register; Cursed Bunny ruled out; open synopses for Anna Strong, Allie Beckstrom and Alex Craft accepted 2026-11-05
Sources: (see source tier definitions)
- Wikipedia: Kelly Gay Tier 2
- Wikipedia: Charlie Madigan series Tier 2
- Urban Fantasy Wiki: Charlie Madigan series Tier 2
Last reviewed: 2026-11-05
Rule: Core Canon = the four Charlie Madigan novels, from The Better Part of Darkness (2009) to Shadows Before the Sun (2012); the Carniepunk novella and the YA books written as Kelly Keaton are excluded.