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02/03/2006 Entry: "DISAPPEARING NIGHTLY -- Enjoyable, unusual (Linda)"

Esther Diamond, the heroine, works as an actress in New York. She is presently working in a play named "Sorcerer", which was produced and designed for the leading man, Joe Helihy, to show off his magic act. His wife owns the production company that financed the show. Esther has a bit part playing a chorus nymph. The book is written in first person and while I don't prefer this style usually, it worked for this book as it allowed us to see Esther's wit and sense of humor through her thoughts and descriptions.

On the opening night of the play, the unimaginable happens. During the disappearing act in the play, the lead actress, Golly Gee, disappears for real. This may be a good time to let you know that you will hear a lot of bizarre names like this in the book , as Esther gathers a circle of eclectic magicians and their assistants that are having similar happenings. Esther is picked to take the lead role in the next showing of the play, but is torn between a chance of a lifetime and a chance that she will disappear. With the help of a real sorcerer and other magicians she tries to find out who is responsible.

While this isn't one of those books that grabs you and you can't put it down, it was nonetheless very enjoyable. I enjoyed the heroines sense of humor and the unusual plot. The attraction between Esther and the investigating detective was enjoyable but ethics kept the romance from proceeding until the mystery was solved. So if you were hoping for much romance, you will have to wait til book 2. The mystery was solved at the end, no cliffhangers. I give it a moderate recommend. --Linda

--DISAPPEARING NIGHTLY at Amazon