Andrew Mayne ups the ante with each Jessica Blackwood book, and the series' third installment -- Black Fall -- is no exception. This novel throws natural disasters, government distrust, conspiracy, and religious cults at the reader, weaving a tale that zigs, zags, and ultimately ties into the previous installments in a satisfying way.

By combining elements of mystery with magic -- Mayne is a magician himself, as is protagonist Jessica -- Mayne is able to do things few others in the genre can. There are no true shocks in this book, but as a result, you will find yourself guessing as the pages turn.

An entire town just disappears. A protester appears to have been murdered my a cop at point-blank range. An old underground government facility appears to have facilitated in stoking public panic. But nothing is ever as it seems, nothing is as it appears. The beauty is that, as smart and capable as Jessica is, she never figures everything out just because. Not once do you feel like she only knows something simply because she's the protagonist. Sometimes, she's as in the dark as you are.

This is a character and a series that grabbed my attention from the get-go, and the third book in this series didn't disappoint. If you're a mystery fan looking for something a little different, this series is for you.

And if you're not? Try it anyway. You might be surprised.