Esther Diamond


DOPPELGANGSTER
*A struggling actress, a 350-year-old mage whose day job is protecting New York City from Evil, a skeptical cop... and double the number of wiseguys that there should* be....**
"This gleeful, clever sequel to 2006’s Disappearing Nightly teams up actress and singing waitress Esther Diamond with the magic-savvy but utterly unworldly Max the Magician and his slobbering canine familiar, Nelli, to discover how and why New York’s mobsters are being magically duplicated. Complicating matters is Esther’s suspicious would-be boyfriend, handsome Irish-Cuban police detective Connor Lopez, who would prefer a straightforward investigation involving neither Esther nor magic. Resnick introduces a colorful cast of gangsters and their associates, including a thrice-bereaved mob widow and an attractive young priest, as she spins a witty, fast-paced mystery around her convincingly self-absorbed chorus-girl heroine. Sexy interludes raise the tension between Lopez and Esther as she juggles magical assailants, her perennially distracted agent, her meddling mother, and wiseguys both friendly and threatening in a well-crafted, rollicking mystery." —Publishers Weekly	On sale January 5, 2010
"Doppelgangster is a joy from start to finish, with a sexy hero, a smart heroine (does Laura Resnick write any other kind?), a fascinating plot, and a troop of supporting characters both lovable and otherwise. It's a wonderful blend of comedy and surprising suspense. If you haven't met Esther Diamond yet, then you're missing out on a lot of fun." —Linda Howard, New York Times bestselling author

"Esther Diamond is the Stephanie Plum of urban fantasy! In Laura Resnick's Doppelgangster, the New York actress is 'resting' between roles by working as a singing waitress at a Manhattan mob restaurant because wiseguys tip well. Then duplicated gangsters appear, bullets start flying, and it's up to Esther and her friend Max the Magician to fight Evil by stopping a gang war before it starts killing the wrong people. And if she has time, maybe Esther can actually keep a hot date with her hunky detective friend Lopez, who doesn't believe in magic. Yet. Unplug the phone and settle down for a fast and funny read!" —Mary Jo Putney, New York Times bestselling novelist

**Read Doppelgangster*** excerpts
*Buy the book online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or Books-A-Million
**Read Esther's Doppelgangster*** diary
*What's the perfect gift for the aspiring hoodlum in your life? A DIY Wiseguy Kit!
*Read Those Crazy Ideas to find out out Max and Esther were born

Book One: Disappearing Nightly
This book is out-of-print, but will reissued by DAW Books (with a new cover!). Reissue date: TBA.
*“Celebrate! Laura Resnick’s Disappearing Nightly* is not only a delight, but the start of a new urban fantasy series that is smart, cool, and wicked funny.**
	“Struggling actress Esther Diamond should be happy to move from understudy to lead in the off-Broadway musical, Sorcerer!—except that her predecessor disappeared during the vanishing act and hasn’t been seen since. Even ambition isn’t enough to make Esther want to go the same route—especially when she learns that other stage assistants are vanishing all over New York City. It’s up Esther and assorted eccentrics that include a 350 year old sorcerer and a hunky police detective to find out if it’s magic or murder that is stopping the shows from going on.
“Swift, fresh, and inventive, Disappearing Nightly is Laura Resnick at her witty best. Not to be missed!” —New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney
"A paranormal screwball comedy adventure. Light, happy, fantastically funny!" —Jennifer Crusie, New York Times bestselling author
Read Disappearing Nightly* excerpts
See Esther Diamond's Disappearing* Nightly diary

Praise for Disappearing Nightly
"Seasoned by a good measure of humor, this fantasy mystery is one of the best titles Luna has issued, and a genuine treat for readers of any genre." —SF Chronicle
"With a wry, tongue-in-cheek style reminiscent of Janet Evanovich, this entertaining tale pokes fun at the deadly serious urban fantasy subgenre while drawing the reader into a fairly well-plotted mystery. The larger-than-life characters are apropos to the theatrical setting, and Esther's charming, self-deprecating voice makes her an appealingly quirky heroine. The chemistry between Esther and Lopez sizzles, while scenes of slapstick comedy will have the reader laughing out loud and eager for further tales of Esther's adventures." *—Romantic Times Magazine*
"A delightful mélange of amateur sleuth mystery, romance and urban fantasy, Disappearing Nightly should appeal to fans of Resnick's previous critically acclaimed fantasy works, as well as followers of her romance novels, written under the pseudonym Laura Leone. The first installment in a new series called Manhattan Magic, readers definitely haven't heard the last of feisty Esther Diamond, a protagonist as quirky as Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse, as deeply intuitive as Sujata Massey's Rei Shimura and with the sex appeal of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake. —Explorations

Book One: Disappearing Nightly

This book is out-of-print, but will reissued by DAW Books (with a new cover!). Reissue date: TBA.

“Celebrate! Laura Resnick’s Disappearing Nightly is not only a delight, but the start of a new urban fantasy series that is smart, cool, and wicked funny.

“Struggling actress Esther Diamond should be happy to move from understudy to lead in the off-Broadway musical, Sorcerer!—except that her predecessor disappeared during the vanishing act and hasn’t been seen since. Even ambition isn’t enough to make Esther want to go the same route—especially when she learns that other stage assistants are vanishing all over New York City. It’s up Esther and assorted eccentrics that include a 350 year old sorcerer and a hunky police detective to find out if it’s magic or murder that is stopping the shows from going on.

“Swift, fresh, and inventive, Disappearing Nightly is Laura Resnick at her witty best. Not to be missed!”
—New York Times bestselling author Mary Jo Putney

"A paranormal screwball comedy adventure. Light, happy, fantastically funny!"

—Jennifer Crusie, New York Times bestselling author

*Read Disappearing Nightly excerpts

*See Esther Diamond's Disappearing Nightly diary

Praise for Disappearing Nightly

"Seasoned by a good measure of humor, this fantasy mystery is one of the best titles Luna has issued, and a genuine treat for readers of any genre."
—SF Chronicle

"With a wry, tongue-in-cheek style reminiscent of Janet Evanovich, this entertaining tale pokes fun at the deadly serious urban fantasy subgenre while drawing the reader into a fairly well-plotted mystery. The larger-than-life characters are apropos to the theatrical setting, and Esther's charming, self-deprecating voice makes her an appealingly quirky heroine. The chemistry between Esther and Lopez sizzles, while scenes of slapstick comedy will have the reader laughing out loud and eager for further tales of Esther's adventures."

—Romantic Times Magazine

"A delightful mélange of amateur sleuth mystery, romance and urban fantasy, Disappearing Nightly should appeal to fans of Resnick's previous critically acclaimed fantasy works, as well as followers of her romance novels, written under the pseudonym Laura Leone. The first installment in a new series called Manhattan Magic, readers definitely haven't heard the last of feisty Esther Diamond, a protagonist as quirky as Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse, as deeply intuitive as Sujata Massey's Rei Shimura and with the sex appeal of Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake.

—Explorations