Table of Contents
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 Harriss 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 Esthers 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 Esthers adventures.
Romantic Times
A delightful mlange 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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For my cousin,
Mildred Diamond Mailick
whom I call Poppy
Authors 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, theyre 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 duress) the European religions of their captors. This humorous fantasy novel cannot (and does not attempt to) convey the history and complexity of these religions. For a short list of further reading, please visit the Research Library page of my Web site at www.LauraResnick.com.
Finally, I wish to convey my thanks and gratitude to the following people: the heroic team at DAW Books, and particularly my editor, Betsy Wollheim; Daniel Dos Santos, the artist who created the wonderful cover for this novel; April Kihlstrom, whose advice I sought in the nick of time; and many friends who offered practical and/or moral support while I was wrestling this book to the ground, including (but not limited to) Mary Jo Putney, Zell Schulman, Jerry Spradlin, Cindy Person, and Toni Blake.
Esther Diamond, her friends, and her nemeses will all return soon for their next misadventure in Vamparazzi , wherein will we finally learn what Maxs issue with Lithuanians is.
A s summer in New York City ripened into a swel- A tering stench of suffocating heat and humidity, I found myself arrested for prostitution, menaced by zombies (yes, zombies), and staked out as a human sacrifice. I also nearly got Lopez killedagain.
Although I realize this isnt exactly the sort of stuff that happens to everyone on a bad hair day, I nonetheless maintain that these events were not my fault.
Well, not entirely my fault. I do feel responsible for what happened to Lopez. Cause and effect. If I hadnt gotten him involved in my problem, then he wouldnt have come so close to meeting the Lord of Death.
And I got him involved because I didnt want a prostitution arrest on my police record. Indeed, I didnt want a police record at all .
Getting picked up for prostitution, though... now that was not my fault. That, obviously, would have happened to anyone who happened to lose her cell phone in a struggle with deranged gargoyles (yes, gargoyles) and trip over a living corpse in Harlem at midnight while dressed like a hooker.
Oh, if only I were making this up.
I was in Harlem in the middle of a muggy midsummer night because I was working. Id been cast in a guest role on The Dirty Thirty , the latest success in the Crime and Punishment franchise of prestigious police television dramas. Affectionately known to fans as D30, this was the C&P empires most controversial spin-off to date, a gritty, morally ambivalent show about rampant police corruption in the Thirtieth Precinct a.k.a. the dirty Thirty.
After being rejected by C&P s regular network because of its raw subject matter and antihero protagonists, D30 had premiered on cable TV the previous summer, and it had soon become a critically acclaimed cult hit with a steadily growing audience. Some New York City cops condemned and boycotted the program, while others reputedly provided much of the shows material from their own experiences on the force.
The shows second season had begun airing this summer, when the competition mostly consisted of reruns, and ratings and reviews were good this year, too. So getting a guest role on D30 was a good opportunity for me. Especially since I had no other real work (i.e. acting work) lined up and had been resting (i.e. waiting tables fifty hours per week) for the past couple of months.
It was also a terrific role. Granted, my mother wasnt thrilled about the prospect of my appearing on national television as a homeless bisexual junkie prostitutebut my mother is seldom thrilled about anything I do, so I let her oh-so-subtle comments about this job roll off my back. My father had declined to offer an opinionthough whether that was to avoid an argument with me or with my mother, I have no idea.
