Desperate Magic

Maddy Madrigal Mysteries, Book 3

By: Debra Castaneda

Narrated by: K. Richardson

For Maddy Madrigal, preserving the peace in her exclusive neighborhood feels like walking a razor’s edge. Her grasp on her newfound magic is tenuous at best. And now, there are disturbing signs the spell she cast to keep supernatural entities at bay may be beginning to falter.

But when an actress is found brutally murdered in her home—her body covered in bite marks—Maddy’s detective and magic skills will be pushed to the limit. She not only faces a crime that defies explanation, she’s also up against an abrasive police detective determined to undermine and humiliate her.

As victims mount and tensions boil over, Maddy must unravel a web of conflicting clues and seek help from unlikely sources. Are the murders the work of a serial killer? A rogue supernatural creature? Or, worse, something new and unknown?

With dark forces rising in the nearby woodland called Phantom’s Pass, Maddy must harness her bruja magic, rally her allies, and confront her own demons for a showdown that will blur the lines between hunter and hunted.

Desperate Magic is the third book in the Maddy Madrigal Mysteries series of urban fantasy books by award-winning author Debra Castaneda.

©2025 Debra Castaneda (P)2026 Debra Castaneda