Disappearing Nightly

Esther Diamond #1

by Laura Resnick

When mysterious mystical disappearances disrupt her career, struggling actress Esther Diamond teams up with Maximillian Zadok, an eccentric elderly wizard whose day job is protecting the Big Apple from Evil. Meanwhile, the sexy NYPD detective investigating the disappearances fears that Esther and Max may be a bigger problem than the vanishing performers.

Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal, Fiction, Magic, Humor

401 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2005

About the author

Laura Resnick is an award-winning science fiction and fantasy author, the daughter of prolific science fiction author Mike Resnick. She was the winner of the John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer in Science Fiction for 1993. She also writes romance novels under the pseudonym Laura Leone

Reviews

[carol. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Negative 40.5 stars

Review at https://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2015/...

If I’m being honest–and I am, because I have yet to write my dishonest review–this is not my type of book. And if I’m being very honest–and I am, because I don’t want to make the mistake of reading this again–this is only an okay book, a book serviceable for people who enjoy the genre, and who aren’t feeling picky about writing or characterization.

Esther is working as a chorus girl and understudy in a magic-themed Broadway production when the leading lady disappears in the middle of a magic trick. The next day, she receives a note warning her not to take the woman’s place. She immediately shares that note with the hunky police officer who interviewed the cast. Right before she is about to go on for the same act, an elderly wizard named Max materializes in her dressing room, warning her not to do the trick. They team up to investigate a string of disappearances involving people who have actually disappeared doing the same illusion so Esther can go back to the show.

A decent enough premise, but lacking in execution. Resnick began as a romance writer, and had twelve titles published under the name Laura Leone before this book went to its first printing, and the author’s romance background is clear. After publication, it eventually went out of print, rights reverted to Resnick and she ended up updating and re-releasing with DAW, publisher of the rest of the series. Honestly, it should have been reworked further. The lack of fantasy experience is apparent as the mystical elements start to develop and the story bogs down in a good twenty pages of world-building explano-babble that includes the stereotypical disbelief reaction. The mystery is lacking as well, and seems to mostly consist of looking in the library and a web search. Why Esther needs to be involved at all is a puzzle, as Max seems to be the only one with magical skills. She claims she has organizing skills, but most of the time she’s reacting with one hare-brained idea after another, so I find that hard to believe.

There is some cute humor:

“He swallowed and asked, ‘Who are you, anyhow? CIA? FBI? National Security Agency? NASA?’
The lad’s imagination was spinning out of control. ‘I’m with Equity,’ I said.
‘The actors’ union?’ His voice broke.
Everyone’s afraid of Equity.”

***********

“A respectable-looking middle-aged couple got into the elevator with us. ‘Twelve please,’ the man said.
I pressed the button.
‘Costume party?’ the woman asked me.
‘Funeral,’ I said.
We rode to the ninth floor in silence.”

But more often for me, the humor went to the over-the-top place that ended up causing characterization problems. Resnick doesn’t have the writing chops to pull off the charm of a Grant-Hepburn comedy. Picture Jim Carrey doing romance in his screwball comedies: these are broad characters with slapstick humor and situations set up for laugh value over logic. It’s actually a little hard to get to know Esther as she careens from one extreme reaction to another. For instance, the day Esther receives the warning note, she dressed in her costume of gold robes and elaborate headdress before going to work (!?). She then storms down to the police station, still in her outrageous costume, so the Lieutenant will have a chance to ogle her and develop romantic tension. Supporting characters are on the cartoon side of the equation as well, and when Esther meets other local magicians who had assistants disappear–including drag queen performers and a condom-selling Texan–it loses any pretense at subtlety.

Sadly for urban fantasy fans, the world-building here isn’t anything impressive. Max is a dopey magician who has lived hundreds of years, frequently has malapropisms because he doesn’t understand the local language, and is nauseated by riding in cars (in other words, he’s the polar opposite of Atticus the druid). There’s mention of a council-type heirarchy, alchemy and magical books, but magical elements play a tertiary role until the end. The issue of magic in an unmagical world isn’t particularly addressed, except that the police disbelieve it as an explanation (and why you can tell the police there is magic but not prove it to them is unclear).

Finally, if I’m being totally honest, it deserves minus 42 stars for the final confrontation with the villain.

[MAJOR SPOILER]

The villain is looking for a virgin to sacrifice, only he’s running into problems because NYC doesn’t have any virgins (har-har). His comeuppance occurs when a demon rapes him instead of the disappeared women. Resnick then has the audacity to make a joke about the villain walking painfully. This is not an excusable scene–the simple exercise of gender reversal should make it apparent–and is all the more unacceptable because Resnick apparently thinks that we can excuse it because happens to a man. I was completely unsurprised when she complains that the book “sank like a stone” and agents were “negative about my writing.” (link)

[END SPOILER]


You want clever romantic comedy? Check out Bellwether or To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis.

[Sonja Rosa Lisa ♡ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esther Diamond ist Schauspielerin in New York. Bisher hat sie nur kleine Rollen gehabt und träumt von ihrer großen Chance. Als Mitglied einer Zaubershow muß sie eines Tages erleben, wie ihre Kollegin plötzlich verschwindet. Und es bleibt nicht bei einem verschwundenen Mädchen - innerhalb weniger Tage verschwinden noch mehr Menschen! Das Seltsame ist, daß sie alle während einer Zaubershow verschwanden. Esther möchte dieses Rätsel lösen. Hilfe bekommt sie dabei von Max - einem 350 Jahre alten Magier...
Dieser Roman ist sehr fantastisch - im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes - und nicht sehr anspruchsvoll. Man darf ihn also nicht so ernst nehmen. Es ist einfach eine schöne leichte Lektüre für zwischendurch, die richtig Spaß macht. Der Schreibstil ist leicht, und Laura Resnick schreibt mit einem sehr trockenen Humor.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, but I am rounding up. Why is this author not getting more attention? Laura Resnick is a recent discovery for me Fallen from Grace Fallen from Grace suffers from a really bad cover and not enough buzz -- I think the cover turns readers away (it shouldn't, the story is great). Disappearing Nightly suffers similarly. Apparently The Esther Diamond series has quite a few books in it (5!) and she has an epic fantasy series also. But I never see Resnick's books turn up on my GR friends' TBR list. Why? Resnick is a talented writer -- she is funny and makes great observations about human beings. She knows how to slowly pull her writers in to her stories, there is no "bam" feeling with her stories and the reader is in. But that doesn't lessen the enjoyment.

Lately, urban fantasy is hit or miss with me. Disappearing Nightly held my interest through the entire book and that is saying a lot for me lately. The dialogue is witty, the characters are well developed, and the world is more urban than fantasy -- but still fun.

The setting is NYC among actors and various types of performers. The feel of the book is funny crime fiction that intersects with the magic world. The set up and scenes are funny and then the interactions with the characters is funny. There is a Stephanie Plum feel but with less slap stick and more substance. The characters are slowly introduced with time to get to know each one. Resnick builds her story slowly, nothing happens too easily or swiftly.

What is unique about Esther (the main character) is that she is not amazingly beautiful with mad fighting skills. She is pretty average in appearance and defense skills, yet somehow she is still appealing to the man she is interested in and able to survive some encounters she gets herself into.

For romance lovers there is a hint of attraction and romance, but no true satisfaction is had. This is a fun, quick read and I just don't understand why this series and author do not receive more attention. I definitely plan on reading the next one in this series. I don't have that desperate need to move on to #2, but it is nice knowing that #2 is there and I want to read it. I will leave you with a few funny quotes that demonstrate what a fun read this is:

"I looked between him and the fire. 'Did you .. did you .. Is that magic?' He seemed faintly puzzled as he waved a hand holding a remote. 'No, I've switched it on.' "

"Men can rarely resist a sultry beauty with tears in her eyes. Especially if they haven't yet realized she's got a penis under that tight red skirt."

" 'We confront Evil.' 'Well', I said. 'Uh-huh. I see.' If someone ever tells you he's a member of a worldwide club whose mission is to confront Evil, I defy you to come up with a pithy reply on the spot."

"I was letting a sexy, employed, straight single man whom I really liked leave my apartment with a brief wave and no plans for a date. It was just barely possible, I mused, that I wasn't running my life as well as I might."

Check out this review and others at www.badassbookreviews.com

[Montzalee Wittmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappearing Nightly
(Esther Diamond #1)
by Laura Resnick
This was a good book but not great. Enjoyable but not a page turner. I will continue this series to see if it gets better, it was intriguing. A bit is supernatural with crazy characters, odd and fun situations, and sprinkled with humor.
It has an actress want-a-be, a mysterious man that knows magic, missing actors/actress, and someone causing the disappearances. Then there is a cop that likes the actress.
Enjoyable and worth checking out the next book in the series.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would love to rate this book higher, because it really was an enjoyable read, much more enjoyable than a lot of my other 3-star reads. But, the flaws are too great to ignore, and, while I enjoyed it, I recognize that there are aspects that turned me off, and would turn off other readers, as well.

The biggest turn-off was that there's rape in it. The villain, as punishment for his evil ways, suffers a horribly violent fate. In and of itself, that's not terrible, except that it seemed that the author was trying to play it for laughs. There was a strong implication that the villain deserved it, because he had set up the same fate for someone else. I neither found it funny nor justified, and it left a sour taste in my mouth for a book that I otherwise found quite funny and enjoyable.

The second black mark on the book is that, for all of its pages and pages spent inside Esther Diamond's head, I didn't feel like I ever really knew who she was. Yes, she was flexible and could act any part, which was part of the whole "actress" thing, but I felt it was all the more important to know what wasn't an act, what was underneath the snark and bravado. The glimpses I had into who she really was were great, and her smacking a tiger on the nose like a misbehaving puppy was both hilarious and gave me a lot of insight into her character, but those glimpses were precious few.

Overall, though, despite those complaints, I managed to enjoy the majority of the book, and I'll be picking up Doppelgangster in hopes that Resnick avoids the rape-as-punishment trope, and manages to be in Esther's head more.

[Lolly's Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

They often say it takes a certain mixture of acting and alchemy to make it on Broadway. In Esther Diamond's case, this is a literal truth. In a refreshing change of pace in the paranormal/urban fantasy genre, the lead character, Ms. Diamond, isn't paranormal. Nor is she supernatural, preternatural, or anything other than a hard-at-work actress, tired of waiting tables and ready for her big break, even if that break means she's the understudy to a bubble-brained pop princess in a magic-themed stage play. Things seem to be, if not looking up, no longer looking down, when said pop princess, Golly Gee, disappears during a performance. And not in the way the magician meant her to. What first seems to be a case of Golly simply walking away from her life turns into something completely different when other "beautiful assistants" to local magicians start disappearing as well. When Esther is introduced to the mysterious Dr. Max Zadok, Esther's sense of curiosity gets her deeper into the case than she expected, to her dismay and to the dismay of the handsome cop on the case, Detective Lopez. Throw in a few incantations, some illegal immigrant magic acts, and a gaggle of flamboyant drag queens, and you end up with a madcap romp through the underbelly of New York's theatre district. And what a delightfully fun romp it is, too.

[Olga Godim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first Laura Resnick but it won’t be my last. I was wavering about this novel’s rating. Some chapters, I wanted to give it 5 stars. Others, my estimation slid to 3 stars. Average: 4 stars.
Mishaps of the disappearing acts plague the magicians of New York. Their assistants disappear. Seriously. Every time a magician performs a disappearing trick on stage, his assistant vanishes, never to be seen again. The magicians of the city are beginning to panic.
The protagonist Esther is a no-nonsense young woman and a struggling actress, working for a magician’s show as one of the glittering, half-dressed nymphs of the chorus. She is an understudy to the star of the show, a B-list singer Golly, so when Golly goes missing during a disappearing act, Esther is ready to step up and finally grab her chance for a leading role. Unfortunately, she starts getting warning messages from an unknown source: “Don’t enter the disappearing box. You’re in danger. Evil is afoot.”
Esther doesn’t believe in Evil; she is an actress after all, but she believes in reality. Golly’s disappearance bothers her. When she learns that more than one magician’s assistant has disappeared in the city in the last few days, she decides to heed the messages and investigate. For that, she teams up with Max, a 300+ years old New York resident magician: after he convinces her of his identity and of the fact that magic exists. Other assorted magicians, real and theatrical, help Esther and Max in their efforts to find the villain who is causing the disappearances.
Max is a highly picturesque character, the linchpin of this story. He adds flavor to every scene, and most of his dialogues are so hilarious, I sometimes couldn’t see the pages behind my tears of laughter. When Max was young, still a sorcerer’s apprentice in the 17th century, his master fed him the Elixir of Life by accident, as a substitute for a fever medicine, so now Max ages very slowly, and all his considerable magical experience is dedicated to fighting the minions of Evil in New York. Max is also extremely truthful. Imagine a conversation, when a NYPD officer questions Max about the assistants’ disappearances.
The story hovers between mystery and urban fantasy, with enough absurdities (like a spell that works only on Lithuanians) to fill an entire magical prop shop. With reluctant Esther at the helm, the group investigating the disappearances includes, besides Max, a bunch of exotic drag queens, a millionaire condom manufacturer/amateur magician, and a son of a Wall Street financial mogul, also an amateur magician who is striving to make it professionally. Together, they enact a magic-imbued PI procedural worthy of the most ridiculous of CSI episodes.
The novel was a delicious reading fare, punctuated by my giggles and occasional whooping. The only problem I had with this book concerned its pace. While the first half of the novel, where Esther acquires her investigating crew, gallops with the speed of a racing horse, the second part, the investigation itself, is much more slow, practically crawling like a snail. The characters do nothing but talk, eat, and write their speculations on a blackboard. Until the very end, when Esther and Max at last spring into action and deliver all the disappearees safely back to their respective magicians.
Disappearees is a word the author coined for this book, and it seems very apt. This book made my blues disappear. Recommended to anyone who needs a lift in spirit.

[Ami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jennifer Crusie describes the series as "“A paranormal screwball comedy adventure. Light, happy, fantastically funny!" ... and I CANNOT AGREE MORE!! It has been awhile since I read a book that is so deliciously funny, I chuckle like crazy, even get stomachache because of it.

This book combines a feisty heroine, a bunch of over-the-top supporting characters (including a 350 years old magician and a bunch of drag performers), a sexy love interest, AND a crackling plot involving disappearances of people from magic performances ... which leads to a demon and virgin sacrifices.

In between that, it is filled with lively and hilarious conversations (especially when Esther and her round-about friends are trying to investigate the mystery; OMG the theories that they throw upon each other, I have tears in my eyes, they're so funny!) and near slapstick action.

I love how the heroine is actually someone without any paranormal ability. She is plain human, an actress, who happens to stumble to friendship with a magician and paranormal activity.

The pace moves pretty fast and I'm so entertained with the dialogs anyway, that I feel like I'm gobbling up the story pretty quick because I want to see how it ends.

Romance plot wise, it's not really apparent. The Irish-Cuban detective, Connor Lopez, is definitely set as Esther's love interest. However, his role is not very big -- unlike Esther's magician friend and the drag performers. Mainly because Lopez's situation as a cop, who might be sceptical about the theory that Esther and her friends come out with.

I do hope there will be more interaction between Esther and Lopez in the next book. Oh, and Lopez truly needs to take Esther to see his mother because I can so imagine the disaster *lol*. That phone conversation between Lopez and his mother AND his tale to Esther about how his brothers manage to escape the "marriage" trap is PURE GOLD!

I definitely will check the next two available books ...

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

Frustration. This little pill of an urban mystery novel looked like such a good time when I read the blurb on the back. Magicians and disappearing assistants, goofy characters and wacky hijinks aplenty. What's not to like? A lot, as it turns out.

To be fair, there were a few things about this book that I did enjoy. There were spots of zaniness (especially in the fairly large and colorful cast of secondary characters), and a few moments where I smiled, but Ms. Resnick felt the urge to wrap this whole story around the toxically obnoxious finger of her first person narrator Esther Diamond. UGH I couldn't have hated this narrator more. There seems to be a recent propensity for sassy female main characters, a cliche that's making a nice little spot for itself right between dotty old man and tragic lone wolf. Well, this sassy lady trend is fine with me, but this book does not handle it well.

Instead of spunky, she's bitchy; mundane, not quirky; bossy, not refreshingly independent; and annoying rather than likable. For the endless duration of this four hundred page novel, I felt like I was trapped in a cage with a maddeningly dictatorial, whiny, neurotic, and downright mean woman. Just being mouthy and bitchy doesn't make this Esther Diamond "delightfully sassy," it makes her terribly unpleasant. The example that comes to mind is a scene where a detective/possible love interest wakes Esther up around 10AM bearing bagels and coffee in search of some company and answers to the mysterious goings on that he's been investigating. For the duration of the scene (which lasts for an excruciatingly long time) Esther is rendered nearly speechless by the lack of coffee in her system. Rather than talk to the man who has brought her breakfast, she complains, all the while sliding in lots of "jokes" about her hair being terribly mussed as she drinks the detective's coffee in addition to her own. Sure, the no coffee joke is funny at first, but its been prolonged past its 15th or 20th page, Esther's becomes a braindead neanderthal apparently in danger of soiling herself if she doesn't have coffee intravenously pumped into her system. Coffee! Stat! For thirty pages! Pause for reader's endless guffaws.

I won't go on too much, I'm in danger of making self-indulgent Esther Diamond ramblings in search of humor but missing the mark terribly. I guess I should also mention that the plot left a lot to be desired. Lots of sitting around and making ridiculous postulations about what could've happened to the victims. I couldn't have cared less. I wanted to lock the door to the bookshop du quirk and set the place ablaze after the third or fourth time the characters had a snoozefest meeting of minds.

Okay okay okay, there's still a lot about this book that I managed to enjoy despite Esther and plot and co., and the last thirty pages or so were very nearly enough to convince me that the previous 370 had never happened, making me just a little teeny bit curious about the second installment Dopplegangster, but not that curious. I'm putting Esther in the dark recesses of my not-to-be-reread bookshelf, in desperate hopes of never seeing her again. Buh bye, mean lady.

[Tanja · Rating 3 out of 5]

>>Diese Rezension und viele mehr findet ihr auch hier: http://wort-welten.blogspot.de/

Zusammenfassung:

Esthers Traum ist es, am Theater ganz groß rauszukommen. Allerdings ist sie für den Anfang dann aber doch ganz froh - gut, zumindest halbwegs -, die Zweitbesetzung der Hauptdarstellerin zu sein und solange, bis sie gebraucht wird, als Nymphe im knappen Fummel über die Bühne einer zweitklassigen Zaubershow zu hüpfen. Zumindest ist das so, bis besagte - übrigens ganz unausstehliche und talentfreie - Hauptdarstellerin bei einem Verschwindetrick wirklich nicht mehr aufzufinden ist - und das auch noch vor versammeltem Publikum! Nervige Hauptdarstellerin hin oder her - Esther hat nicht vor, in derselben Zauberkiste wie ihre Vorgängerin einfach zu verschwinden und stellt kurzerhand ihre eigenen Ermittlungen an - mit einem erstaunlichen Ergebnis ...


Fazit:

Und wieder ein Buch, das schon das eine oder andere Jahr auf meinem Stapel ungelesener Bücher verbracht hat. Um ehrlich zu sein, war es damals eine Art Frustkauf, weil da eine ganze Kiste Mängelexemplare bei Weltbild stand und ich unbedingt eins mitnehmen wollte und ... nun ja, dieses Buch hier war noch das lesenswerteste darunter, wie mir schien. Na ja ...

Alles in allem habe ich eine ganze Weile an diesem Buch zu knabbern gehabt. Einfach, weil der Anfang sich so dermaßen hingezogen hatte. Zauberkiste hier, Zaubershow da - einfach unglaublich langwierig. Als ich mir dann aber endlich mal ein Herz gefasst hatte und mich durch diesen Anfang durchgequälte, wurde es nach und nach immer besser. Die Geschichte hat überraschend viel Witz, harmoniert super mit den doch etwas außergewöhnlichen Protagonisten und hat auch ein gutes Ende für meine Begriffe. Abschließend lässt sich also sagen, dass ich durchaus nicht abgeneigt bin, zukünftig mal wieder ein neues Abenteuer von Esther, Max und ihrer fidelen Transen-Crew zu lesen ... :)

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esther Diamond has a problem, and it isn’t her love for Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream. In part, it is her job. And a potentially cursed stage prop.
But let’s be honest, paranormal fantasies/romances are cheaper than a dime a dozen. Just look all the freebie eBooks. Seriously. So the question always becomes what makes this novel different than the others.
The answer for this series is three fold. It concerns the stage and not in a romanticized sense. The second is Esther who not only is down to earth and take no bs type of a person, but who reacts in a very real. Third, is the conversations between the characters.
It’s true the world building could be a little better and the ending does raise a question or two about morality, however it is a fun read.

[John Loyd · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Esther Diamond book. Esther has a minor part in Sorcerer! but is also understudy for the female lead. The show is written around the producer's husband's magic routine. During the vanishing act, the Golly Gee actually disappears. It'll be Esther's chance to play the lead, but she is has gotten two notes warning her not to perform. Meanwhile around the city there have been other disappearances.

Esther teams up with Dr. Max Zadoc and some of the other magicians who've lost assistants to find out what is happening. After seeing in person some of the things Max can do she becomes a believer that these were mystical events. The handsome police detective Lopez isn't convinced, but is attracted to Esther.

I had read three other Esther Diamond novels. Enjoyed them all, but somewhere they contain a spoiler for this mystery. I didn't get to figure it out the whodunit. All the books are self-contained, but to avoid that giveaway and any expectations of Max or Lopez, I'd suggest reading this one first. Fast, humorous, fun characters, still 4 of 5 stars even having read it out of order.

[Jamie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up the sixth in the Esther Diamond series, The Misfortune Cookie , because the cover was really cool and wound up falling in love with this series. It's urban fantasy with a new monster each book, but the story isn't the typical 'ass-kicking urban magic-using sword-wielding warrior woman battles ferocious monster to the death'. It's more of a mystery story with most of the book spent trying to figure out what kind of monster they're dealing with, what its goal is, and how to put a stop to the trouble (ex: in Vamparazzi the bad guy was more a serial killer who just happened to be a vampire). Esther can't use magic and she's not combat trained, she knows enough to defend herself in New York City but she's not an ass-kicking warrior woman, but she's confidant, resourceful, and determined.

There's also a 'romance' between Esther and the cop on the pop star's missing person case, but I'm warning you now it's only enjoyable if you accept that it's probably never going to happen. They're on again off again for good reason: she does part-time work at a mob restaurant and is good friends with the patrons and he's a cop, and he's not open to the idea of magic and when he wants to know what's going on she either lies (and he can tell) or tells the truth (and he can tell, concluding that she's crazy). And while their relationship is great comedy, if you're hoping for romance in their future you're going to be disappointed.

The story was great fun with thoroughly enjoyable characters, and really the only drawback was one little bit right at the end that really threw me off. The big bad demon causing the disappearances requires a virgin sacrifice, and the good guys escape by throwing his summoner 'to the wolves' in their place. The tone really doesn't sit well. Not that they left him to be violently raped in their own self-defense, but how he shows up again three pages later limping, dishevelled, and irate, but otherwise fine, as though we should find it funny and not horrific. I get that it's a comedy-heavy book, but there're also serious parts and this was one of them right up until this moment. It disturbed me enough to knock my Goodreads rating down a full star.


THE VERDICT? After that unfortunate bump right at the end, the book series goes right back to getting full marks. There's lots of adventure and it's heavy on comedy. The villain was entertaining, the characters were fun and interesting, poor Detective Lopez makes a fantastic straight man, and the books just get better and better. And the cover art is some of the nicest I've seen. In the case of having started this series based on a cover, I'm glad I did. The Goodreads ratings are actually below my cut-off point so I never would have started reading these otherwise. As long as you appreciate mystery, urban fantasy, and comedy, you should be able to find something to enjoy about Disappearing Nightly and the rest of the Esther Diamond series.

[Wise_owl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was quirky fun. Review over... okay perhaps a bit more depth.

Disappearing Nightly is an interesting book in the 'Urban Fantasy' canon. Like much such work it centers around a mystery and a 'hidden world' of supernatural. In this case a series of 'disappearing acts' have resulted in assistants actually disappearing without a trace. Ester, the semi-professional Actress who was the understudy for one of the disapperee's teams up with Max, a centuries old Magician, in order to figure out what is happening to these women. Things are complicated by various factors, including the obligatory love interest, one Lt. Lopez, a handsome local detective who alternates between interrogating Ester and flirting with her.

The Book itself has a very fun, lighthearted tone, one very heavily influenced, I think, by TV and comedic movies. Certain the timing and some of the comedic 'bits' would feel very much at home on say, Buffy the Vampire slayer. The main characters are all rather interesting, and Ester is very refreshing as a female protagonist who operates in a 'traditional' female field, managing to come off as a fully rounded character. The 'characters' she interacts with also add interesting variety to the unfolding mystery which has a 'show-business' flare to it.

I suppose criticisms might include that the book isn't fantastically deep. The supernatural elements are interesting and yet not delved into too deeply, though sequels might deal with that. Some of the events near the end of the book are... Dark. Delt with in a very light tone which is kind of disturbing actually, because while the tone set through those scenes matches the tone of the book, I found myself thinking 'That is horrible!' more than once while I don't think the text intended that.

In any case this is a nice light bit of reading, a cottage book or something to read on the bus.

[gremlinkitten · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, while this could technically be called an urban fantasy, it doesn't really have the atmosphere of one and I'd be more likely to call it a magical mystery. Disappearing Nightly is a charming, wonderfully intriguing tale featuring the logical off-Broadway actress Esther Diamond, who through no fault of her own stumbles into the world of magic, and the path of Dr. Maximillian Zadok.

The author crafted a well-done, swiftly plotted yarn that left me pleased as punch. The characters went beyond caricatures, which could have so easily happened with the amount of personalities featured, and each of their respective professions, in the more colorful world of NYC. Through a comedy of errors, rapid fire dialogue, which the author has a gift for, and hilarious interactions, this motley crew of an investigative team gets to the bottom of the mysterious disappearances that are happening in the community. I had no trouble visualizing events as they unfolded, with amusing results, and could easily see this as a television series. The romance was nicely weaved into the story without becoming overpowering, and surprise of all surprises, there was no bed-hopping! What a nice change of pace. Altogether, this was fine little read that I flew right through and am glad I have the sequel handy! So far, this just may be my favorite read of the year.

[Jo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esther Diamond does not have a paranormal bone in her body. What she does have is a role in a play featuring magic. Everything changes when Golly Gee, the lead actress, disappears for real during a performance. As her understudy Esther has to solve the mystery before she has to take Golly Gee’s place and risk becoming another real disappearance.

Laura Resnick has written a funny paranormal mystery filled with quirky characters some of whom do have paranormal abilities. Along with a great plot there is a hint of romance between Esther and the police detective. Watch for the phone call where the detective describes Esther to his mother. That scene is just one of the laugh out loud moments in Disappearing Nightly.

[atmatos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really fun read that kept me up WAY to late!

[Robin (Bridge Four) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esther Diamond is an understudy in an off Broadway show. Maybe she'll get her big break since the woman she is understudy for just disappeared. One problem, she disappeared when she went into the magic box at the end of the show and no one can seem to find her. Now Esther is getting warnings she shouldn't do the show or she will suffer the same fate.

“I'm not a heroine, I just play heroines. Also psychotics, vamps, orphans, hookers, housewives, and ”on one memorable occasion ”a singing rutabaga. It was never my ambition to utilize my extensive dramatic training by playing a musical vegetable. However, as my agent is so 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.”

Disappearing Nightly is a fun book. I can see why it converted well to Graphic Audio with the pithy dialogue and the strange cast of characters. Esther is pulled along in the story as she meets Max, a man who looks to be in his sixties or seventies but is actually around three hundred and fifty, give or take a decade. Max is a sorcerer whose mission in New York is to fight Evil. As more people disappear in magic acts Esther and Max meet some interesting characters and have a team of help to figure out what is happening.

A potential love interest for Esther, a cop named Lopez, might think Esther and crew are a little eccentric but he definitely doesn't believe in and real magic. He is trying to solve the missing persons case as well, but there is no way he is looking in the same place for the culprit.

Parts of the book are a tad silly but I had a lot of fun listening to the full cast of characters that the Graphic Audio edition brought to life. Esther is funny and not at all what I was expecting. Max is a great side character whose occasion references to points in history and other things he has done in his past were really interesting to me.

Overall, the book isn't too taxing and just a fun ride for when you are looking for something a little on the lighter side.

[Karin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Esther Diamond is a Broadway actress in the chorus of a new off-Broadway musical but is also the understudy for a soloist who disappears during the show--for real. When I took out this book I hadn't realized that it wasn't just magic, but demons, etc. NOT my cup of tea. Also, too many cooks spoil the broth. There are times when there are just too many characters to make things work well and I used to read the long, complicated Ludlum spy novels with reams of characters so it's not that I don't think it ever works. I did like Esther, however, and would like to know what happens with Detective Lopez, but not nearly enough to read the rest of the series after looking at what they entail. Plus, Resnick has never finished the eighth book in the series. I'm just not interested in things that appear to come up later, such as zombies, vampires and other things.

[April Neese · Rating 3 out of 5]

So this was a crazy chaotic ride- but in a good way?

It was legit insane- but it had a good mix of NYC, Broadway, quirky characters, humorous moments, great banter, and drag queens.

And I love drag queens.

This may be a little too surface level for me, and a bit “out” there, but it’s a fun ride and might continue the series in between heavier books- plus this audio version was done by Graphic Audio- which has a full cast and great sound effects which only enhance the craziness.

[A book away from an episode of hoarders · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a bit of a madcap jaunt through a paranormal mystery. Esther Diamond is a chorus girl, and understudy to Golly Gee, the main “star” of a production of Sorcerer! when havoc erupts (as it does). Golly Gee disappears as she’s supposed to during the magic musical live performance but doesn’t reappear. Getting a cryptic note about EVIL afoot, Esther is nervous about the role she’s now cast in. Not to mention the fact that Golly Gee, a charicature of female b celebrities, is not the first person, nor the last, to actually disappear during a magic act onstage.

Esther is now on the hunt to find out where Golly Gee went and how to prevent more disappearances before she finds herself as victim of the EVIL as well. She can’t just quit this job, after all the show must go on!

There are so many fun characters in this world. You’ve got drag queens, cowgirls and cowboy, a hot detective, an assistant with a hysterically tragic speech impediment and most of them are illusionists as well as a few true magicians. My only regret is that this sat on Mt. TBR for too long. I’ll definitely be reading the next in the series.

[Leslee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun little urban fantasy book, the start of a series about an aspiring actress named Esther Diamond who lives in New York City and ends up pulled into some otherworldly intrigue, and making friends with a 350 year old Dr. Zadok who happens to have drank a potion for immortality and is stationed in New York in a quest to defend the world from evil.

This first novel tracks the mystery of people who actually fully disappear when they are part of magical acts were they are supposed to be put in a box, disappear, then reappear again.

I loved the tongue in cheek tone the book took, dialogue was cute but borderlined on almost too cutesy at some point - I think Resnick needs to tone it down a little. Very Buffy-esque dialogue and characters, Buffy fans would definitely be more into this, it has the same sense of humor.

I like the fact that Esther has absolutely no special abilities or powers, it's refreshing in a genre filled with Very Unique Snowflakes. Worth a look-see for fans of the urban fantasy genre who want something with a little more humor.

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

Esther Diamond, a sometimes-(off)-Broadway actress, and a not-quite-immortal wizard search for the magician responsible for a series of disappearances. Light in tone with a (sometimes overwhelmingly) zany cast of characters, this is a mostly enjoyable, slightly romantic urban fantasy.

That said, the ending put a very sour taste in my mouth because of a scene in which the villain is raped. My perception is that the author set it up to be a scene of cosmic justice set against a laugh-track background. Maybe my sense of humor is just insufficiently developed, but I don't find rape funny. If I hadn't already read and enjoyed Doppelgangsters, Resnick would have gone on my to-avoid list for that.

[Darcia Helle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me laugh, kept me interested throughout, and allowed me to step outside of the "normal" world just a little.

Esther is an aspiring actress who gets caught up in a bizarre mystery of disappearing people. In her quest to discover why and how these people are simply vanishing, she meets Maximillian Zadok and a host of characters whose names are as unique and memorable as their personalities.

The story has a slight paranormal edge and a magical twist. But there is nothing that you must suspend your belief in reality in order to read and enjoy.

Overall this book is a fun and entertaining read.

[Veronica · Rating 3 out of 5]

You take a struggling actress, a couple of mages, a sexy cop, and, yes, a handful of drag queens and the forces of Evil don't stand a chance. I enjoyed this book. I really did. I was in the mood for some humor and this fit the bill nicely. That's not to say that it was perfect. Given the lighter, comedic nature of this story I don't think the villain really deserved what he got and I also think the story meandered a bit in the middle. That said, I did chuckle quite a few times and the story is populated with likeable characters. There was also - surprise! - not a love triangle in sight. Taken altogether, that was enough to motivate me to read more in the series.

[Doina · Rating 4 out of 5]

i picked up this book to read on a road trip, and it definetely provided a few hours of entartainment while riding in the back seat of a car (while you are trying to distract yourself from the fact that you have car sickness). the story line is easy to follow, the characters are hilarious, and i couldn't wait to get to the end. i think it might be the first one in the series, and it is definetely a good start.

[☀Rachael☀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did really enjoyed Disappearing Nightly (Esther Diamond, #1) by Laura Resnick it was light quirky and fun! Ester was snarky and fun! Plus Drag Queens!!

[Tabitha Gray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bit of dark humor at the end that did not work for me, seemed in poor taste, which lowered this book by a star for me. However, this series as a whole is very enjoyable.

[Wing Kee · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5. The definition of a junk food book (which can be fun).

World: The world building here is all cliches and tropes of the urban fantasty genre, nothing new and creative here. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, it’s just what it is, it’s put together well with bits and pieces that are fun and interesting making a nice little playground for the story to take place in. I do like the insane and over the top cast of characters which makes this story stand out a bit more.

Story: Purely paint by numbers for the genre with the set up, the discovery, the investigation and the reveal, this is a urban fantasty supernatural case book and that’s what you’re gonna get. The case is fun, the tone over the top and ridiculous making it fun. There is a lull in the middle and the simple case and story didn’t need to take that long, I would have wanted more time with character development other than running from point a to b to c and finally finding the answer but oh well. It’s well constructed and fun and purely junk food, which is sometimes a good thing after reading heavy serious thought heavy book. A nice pallet cleanser.

Characters: As I said above this book is par for the course for the genre, nothing special here, nothing creative at all. These books live and die by the main character and how easily they capture the reader so make them continue with the series. I can say that for the most part this book does a good job. Sure it’s still the tough as nails female lead, the wise but bumbling old wizard that brings her into the world, the handsome cop, the weird victims and clearly evil villains, they are all here. However I can say the Resnick is good at dialog and some of the over the top characters that inhabit this book does make it pop. This is not grim dark, the characters here are vibrant, a bit crazy and walking cliches and stereotypes. Normally I don’t like that but since most of the book is like that anyways and Resnick uses these stereotypes to make fun (in a fairly tame way) I did enjoy the characters.

I thought this first book was fun, it was not highly original but fun enough to make me maybe read another every now and then.

Onward to the next book!

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esther, the understudy for the magician's assistant, is also a scantily clad nymph in the chorus in Sorcerer!, an off-Broadway production revolving around a magician's act. A mediocre D-List magician's act at that. The highlight of the show is the Disappearing Act, you know, the trick where the beautiful magician's assistant 'disappears'. Except tonight she really disappears. Poof!

What follows is a romp, a silly, highly entertaining, mystery romp involving various D-list magician acts whose beautiful assistants have suddenly really disappeared during the act, including Dolly the Dancing Cowgirl, the nearly naked Samson (different acts but equally outrageous), Alice the white Siberian tiger and oh, yes, the beautiful female assistant in that act. Enter Dr. Zadok and a motley but highly original crew that together with Esther ultimately finds the evil villain, counters his evil magic, and rescues all. Oh, and let's not forget the oh so attractive Connor Lopez, Detective, NYPD, who is skeptical at best but together with Esther gives us one of the funniest 'having coffee together' scenes I've read in a long time.

Yes, I really enjoyed this romp even though it took me days to read - that had more to do with work and pandemic exhaustion than the book. I knew who the evil villain was and why he was causing magician assistants -- beautiful magician assistants -- to disappear practically from the beginning, but it really didn't matter because you were reading this for the characters and settings.