The Misfortune Cookie [Dramatized Adaptation]

Esther Diamond, Book 6

By: Laura Resnick

Narrated by: full cast, Colleen Delany, Thomas Keegan, Bob Payne, Tim Carlin, Tony Nam, Ryan Carlo Dalusung, Tuyet Thi Pham, Yasmin Tuazon, Jeff Allin, Jacob Yeh, Christopher Scheeren

Esther Diamond's year gets off to a rocky start when NYPD's Detective Connor Lopez, who slept with her and then didn't call, shuts down the Little Italy restaurant where Esther works between acting jobs and gets her arrested. Once she's out of handcuffs, Esther takes a small role in a grad student's film project in Chinatown - where her friend, semi-retired hit man Lucky Battistuzzi, is hiding out in a Chinese-Italian mortuary.

Esther and Lucky soon realize that something strange is going on in Chinatown, where mysterious gourmet fortune cookies are inflicting deadly mystical curses on the hapless victims who receive them as gifts - and before long, Esther learns that Detective Lopez is one of the recipients. As preparations heat up for the Chinese New Year, when the icy streets will be filled with costumed lion dancers, firecrackers, and dense crowds, Esther and Lucky summon the help of their friend Max, a semi-immortal mage, to help them save Chinatown and Lopez - though he doesn't deserve it - from the menace of a maniacal murderer.

Performed by Colleen Delany, Thomas Keegan, Bob Payne, Tim Carlin, Tony Nam, Ryan Carlo Dalusung, Tuyet Thi Pham, Yasmin Tuazon, Jeff Allin, Jacob Yeh, Christopher Scheeren, Patrick Bussink, Nanette Savard, Bruce Alan Rauscher, Michael John Casey, Chris Stinson, Sue Jin Song, Todd Scofield, Andy Clemence, Peter Holdway, Tracy Olivera, Lily Beacon, Matthew Schleigh, Nora Achrati, Rose Elizabeth Supan, Terence Aselford, Ken Jackson.

©2013 Laura Resnick (P)2017 Graphic Audio, LLC

Full of Action and Drama I Love it!

This is so good! Full of Action and Drama I Love it! This one is a lot of fun!

Series has lost its magic

There’s a tiny story about someone sending magically deadly fortune cookies, but it feels like an afterthought. Instead, 90% of this story is dedicated to the struggles of acting and the teenage dating behavior of Esther and Det. Lopez. The whole “we had sex, but you went a week without calling me back” schtick was annoying. I’m also frustrated by Det. Lopez being kept in the dark on the existence of magic; there’s zero reason to hide magic from him, except to keep the contrived relationship conflicts going.