Dream Dancing

J.J. Lair
iUniverse (2007)
ISBN 9780595412082
Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (2/08)

“Dream Dancing” shows the grittier side of the adult entertainment industry.  Abby Broughton got into exotic dancing to help support a useless, drug-addicted boyfriend in Las Vegas.  She runs away from him to New Jersey, where she starts working at a small club.  When she meets Mark Winston, who seems very stable, they fall fast for each other.  Looking to escape their own loneliness, they marry within eight weeks of meeting.  Not knowing each other very well, and knowing that men are pawing his wife every night, Mark gets her to quit the business.  After finding legitimate, respectable work, Abby’s past comes back to haunt her.  She is in danger.  She also has to deal with her nosey neighbors believing that she is a woman of ill-repute.  Not having a solid foundation in their relationship makes it very hard for Abby and Mark to trust each other and to turn to each other.

Other strippers at the club have their own stories; some are in the business to make quick money to support their habits.  Others are in it to get the attention that they can’t get at home.  It is not an easy life for any of the women.  It gets harder when people who work at the clubs start get killed.  Abby and Mark develop their own suspicions about each other.  When a security guard named Jake Hersh starts investigating, he further increases Mark’s suspicions about Abby.  Meanwhile, people that she knows are still being murdered.  Abby has to go back into her past to do some healing before she can be in a healthy relationship. 

“Dream Dancing” really takes a hard look at the world of adult entertainment.  It is very realistic.  Because of the topic, I was expecting a trashy novel.  It isn’t at all.  It is very well written and thought out.  J.J. Lair does an excellent job of character development.  He delves deeply into the reasons why these women end up in the business.  He also did a great job with the mystery.  He definitely has you convinced that you know who the murderer is, and then throws you for a loop, when you discover that you are wrong.  I highly recommend this novel.

Make comment on weblog