Unsympathetic Magic - Laura Resnick [0]
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Glossary
Raves for the Esther Diamond series:
“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
“Fans of Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse series will appreciate this series’ lively heroine and the appealing combination of humor, mystery, and romance.”
—Library Journal
“Seasoned by a good measure of humor, this fantasy mystery is 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 will have the reader laughing out loud and eager for further tales of Esther’s adventures.”
—Romantic Times
“A delightful mélange of amateur sleuth mystery, romance, and urban fantasy.”
—The Barnes and Noble Review
“A paranormal screwball comedy adventure. Light, happy, fantastically funny!”
—Jennifer Crusie,
New York Times bestselling author
The Esther Diamond Series:
DOPPELGANGSTER
UNSYMPATHETIC MAGIC
VAMPARAZZI *
*Coming soon from DAW Books
Copyright © 2010 by Laura Resnick
eISBN : 978-1-101-18916-0
All rights reserved.
DAW Books Collectors No. 1518.
DAW Books are distributed by the Penguin Group (USA) Inc.
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First Paperback Printing, August 2010.
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For my cousin,
Mildred Diamond Mailick—
whom I call Poppy
Author’s Note:
The Mount Morris Park watchtower and its setting in Harlem are very similar to what is described in this novel, though I have taken a few liberties with it. And I sincerely hope that the inhabitants of several high-rise buildings that are near the park would, oh, notice and call the police if the events depicted in this novel actually took place there! The park itself was renamed Marcus Garvey Park in 1973, though some current maps still label it as Mount Morris Park, which is also the name of the historic neighborhood surrounding it.
Just as Vodou is an oral tradition, Creole, the language of the faith, is primarily an oral language. Consequently, I found up to ten different accepted ways to spell some of the names and terms used in this novel. So the spellings I chose to use in Unsympathetic Magic are not “correct” or definitive, they’re just . . . what I chose.
The syncretic religions of the New World, including Vodou, developed among Africans preserving and adapting their spiritual beliefs under the yoke of slavery while also gradually absorbing (often under