Disappearing Nightly: An Esther Diamond Novel

A paranormal mystery in which magicians' assistants actually disappear during disappearing illusions, this book introduces the main character in a new series called "Manhattan Magic." Esther Diamond gets the chance to be the star of an off-Broadway show when magician's assistant Golly Gee literally dematerializes during the height of the show and doesn't return, bumping Esther up from her job as understudy and lowly wood nymph to a key role. But when Esther receives a dire note and a newspaper clipping about a second disappearance, followed by a visit from a 350-year-old mage, she begins to realize that she must unravel the mystery or risk her own disappearance. A surprisingly satisfying book. The dialogue was snappy and fun, the mystery unique and the characters a hilarious bunch of misfits. You can't help but root for the good guys as Esther and her growing band of helpers seek out the answers that will help them fight Evil and locate those who have disappeared. There's even some minor but gratifying romantic subplot. I bought this book in order to get a feel for the style of writing desired by this publisher and ended up trying to squeeze in every moment I could to sit and read. I was stunned by the intelligent, humorous writing. Not an earth-shattering book of lyrical beauty that will end up winning awards all over the place, but I feel like it deserves my highest rating because it was just so darned fun. I can hardly stand the idea that the second book in this new series will not appear till December.

Every so often I like to take a break from more serious books, and get a laugh from my reading. I saw this book and read the back cover, and it intrigued me, so I bought it. How can anyone not enjoy reading a book that, as a plot device, has magicians' assistants disappearing from a small box or cage, and then not reappearing? The plot gets really strange when a 350 year old magus turns up, and then more oddball characters. There are evil magicians, demons, and singing vegetables, all guaranteed to bring loud laughter from you! Enjoy, enjoy!

If I haven't read all of the books by Laura Resnick (and her pseudonym Laura Leone), it isn't for lack of trying, and this is definitely one of her best. All struggling actress Esther Diamond wants is to work at her profession, but she's no fool. Moving up from understudy to lead is a dicey proposition when the previous lead vanished without a trace and hasn't been seen since. So it falls to Esther and an eccentric array of companions to find out why magicians' assistants have been vanishing all over Manhattan. And what, if anything, can be done about it? Equal parts urban fantasy, humor, and mystery, Disappearing Nightly is one of the most enjoyable books I've read this year.