Disappearing Nightly, by Laura Resnick
Esther Diamond is a struggling actress, in an off-broadway show. During a performance the female lead, Golly Gee, ends up literally disappearing. And while Esther is her understudy, she becomes convinced that something ominous happened to Golly Gee. Then, Esther receives an anonymous note telling her “There is evil among us” and begins hearing of other stage performers disappearing. Esther never really believed in magic… until now.
This is the first Esther Diamond novel. Though, out of print, it was fairly easy to find on Amazon. Having read and loved the latest two, I had to go back and read the first. I had to know how Esther and Max met. And I’m so glad I did. Resnick’s characters are fantastic and flamboyant; and Esther’s narrative is completely engaging.
Like most urban fantasies, a big mystery and an element of the supernatural is involved. But unlike the rest, the main character, Esther is not (at least for now) the one doing the magic. She is just a normal girl (with some unusual friends) put into incredible circumstances. Full of humor, adventure, suspense, and magic, this series is one of my favorites. The only problem with reading this first installment last, was that the ending was fairly predictable. But knowing the identity of the bad guy did not deter at all from the story. Like the others, this was impossible to put down and pure fun from beginning to end. This is a must-read series for urban fantasy fans.