Disappearing Nightly [Mass Market Paperback]

Laura Resnick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2006

I'm not a heroine -- I just play one. Along with psychotics, vamps, housewives and hookers. As my agent is fond of pointing out, there are more actors in New York than there are people in most other cities. Translation: beggars can't be choosers.

This explains how I wound up prancing around stage half naked the night Golly Gee -- the female lead in the off-Broadway show "Sorceror!" -- disappeared into thin air. Literally.

Now other performers are also vanishing, and a mysterious stranger is warning me: There is evil among us. But the producers want me to take over Golly's part.

Looks as if I'm going to need a little magical help if I want to keep my starring role . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A paranormal screwball comedy adventure. Light, happy, fantastically funny!" -- Jennifer Crusie, New York Times bestselling author of Bet Me

"Celebrate! Disappearing Nightly is the start of a new urban fantasy series that is smart, cool and wicked funny." -- New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Luna (November 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373802595
• ISBN-13: 978-0373802593
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,502,188 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura Resnick is the author of the popular Esther Diamond series, whose releases include UNSYMPATHETIC MAGIC, DOPPELGANGSTER, DISAPPEARING NIGHTLY, and the upcoming VAMPARAZZI. She has also written traditional fantasy novels such as IN LEGEND BORN, THE DESTROYER GODDESS, and THE WHITE DRAGON, which made the "Year's Best" lists of Publishers Weekly and Voya. An opinion columnist, frequent public speaker, and the Campbell Award-winning author of many short stories, she is on the Web at www.LauraResnick.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cheesy but fun, December 25, 2005

By 

Deborah Wiley (Winter Haven, FL) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Disappearing Nightly (Paperback)

Laura Resnick creates the oddest assortment of characters to investigate a series of disappearances that occur onstage during a magician's act. Women (and one tiger) are disappearing regularly right at the peak of the illusion act involving a vanishing box. The magician's vary- from Joe the perpetually nervous, to Darling Delilah, a drag queen, to the Great Hidalgo who is actually Barclay the stockbroker, to Duke the rhinestone cowboy, to Goudini who is only worried about the return of his tiger, Alice. Esther Diamond is the central figure in the story who narrowly escapes being one of the disappearing acts when Max, a 350 year old alchemist, contacts her to warn her not to continue with the act. Max is a member of the Magnum Collegium, a consortium of true magicians who fight Evil. Esther, together with Max, the aforementioned magicians, and several other unusual characters band together to investigate the disappearances. Meanwhile, Esther herself is a suspect in the Detective Lopez's investigation as she was the understudy to Golly Gee (yes, that was her real name!) when Golly Gee disappeared. This is a cheesy but fun story and I am looking forward to what Resnick will do with the next installment in the series.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fun read, January 3, 2006

By 

Frank J. Konopka (Shamokin, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Disappearing Nightly (Paperback)

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!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magic, mystery, and fun, January 25, 2006

By 

N. Horner "deepsouthchick" (Vicksburg, MS United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Disappearing Nightly (Paperback)

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.