A review by attytheresa
Disappearing Nightly by Laura Resnick
3.0
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.
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.