From USA TODAY bestselling author Maureen A. Miller comes an emotional sci-fi mystery.

Six years ago, Marda lost her husband and daughters to a portal linking Earth to her planet. It was supposed to be safe—just an ancient corridor between two worlds. But sometimes, people get trapped inside it.

Marda calls that place the BETWEEN.

Now, the portal is acting up again. People are vanishing from Central Park, right in the heart of one of Earth's busiest cities.

Ben—a Wall Street analyst too consumed with his job to notice the damage he leaves behind.

Lily—a would-be musician suffocating inside her childhood home.

Tony—a young man who gave up everything to care for his dying mother.

Their paths collide inside the BETWEEN.

But only Marda knows what's waiting there—and she'll risk everything to bring her family home.

*This is the first book in a series, but it can be read as a standalone novel. No cliffhangers.*

"An entertaining start to an interplanetary adventure with high stakes and complex science." — KIRKUS Reviews

EXCERPT:

Marda stepped up to a window, gazing out at the field mirrored twenty times over on the monitors circling the interior of the turret. This quiet stretch of land hosted the Eastern Quadrant Portal. It usually remained invisible on both ends, but she carried the instrumentation on her belt to reveal it as the glowing, pulsing tunnel that it was.

"Two days," she said. "I'm going through in two days. It gives me time to gather the equipment I need and to talk to Billy, or whoever is going to come with me."

"We both know it should be me."

Marda clamped her lips tight before turning around. Yep, there was the reflection she didn't want to see in his vibrant eyes.

"I need you here," she said simply.

"Marda—"

She hoisted her palm flat in his direction. "You're the only one I trust to get me back here."

Air fled Hornan's chest and he sagged back in his seat. "Well, that's the most reasonable thing you've said in days. It gives me faith that you're worried about coming back."

"I don't have a death wish, Hornan." Was that true? "My whole life has been about guarding that bridge." She pointed out the window. "My duty—" she raised her eyes to the vaulted ceiling, always suspecting they were listening, "—is not to the Council. My duty is to Carpes, and even to Earth. Someone has to be their advocate. They don't even know about the portal, so someone has to protect them."