Format: Hardcover, 320 pages
Release Date: January 18, 2022
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Source: Publisher
Genre: Thrillers
It’s 1999 and Samantha has danced for years at the Lovely Lady strip
club. She’s not used to mixing work and friendship—after all, between
her jealous boyfriend and his young daughter, she has enough on her
plate. But the newest dancer is so clueless that Samantha feels
compelled to help her learn the hustle and drama of the club: how to
sweet-talk the boss, fit in with the other women, and make good money.
One night, when the new girl needs a ride home, Samantha agrees to
drive: a simple decision that turns deadly.
Georgia, another
dancer drawn into the ensuing murder and missing person investigation,
gathers information for Holly, a grieving detective determined to solve
the case. Georgia just wants to help, but her involvement makes her a
target. As Holly and Georgia round up their suspects, the story’s point
of view shifts between dancers, detectives, children, club patrons—and
the killer.
Drawing on her experience as a former dancer, Marie
Rutkoski immerses us in the captivating world of the club, which comes
alive with complicated people trying their best to protect themselves
and those they love. Character-driven and masterfully plotted, Real Easy gets to the heart of the timeless question: How do women live their lives knowing that men can hurt them?
Real Easy by Marie Rutkoski is a story that could be a TV serial. There are at least 14 characters who have some part in this story. From strippers, to a kidnapper, likely serial killer, to the Detectives trying to solve a murder and a kidnapping that takes place at the same time. The book mostly takes place at a strip club called Lovely Lady. The year is 1999, we are all preparing to die from Y2K and the end of the world due to computers failing all over the world. Samantha Lund is Ruby. She has a rare chromosomal disorder, lives with jealous boyfriend Nick Sullivan, treasuring the stepmother-daughter bond she has with his daughter, Rosie.
She's the top dancer who brings in the most cash. New dancer Jolene, who eventually switches her stage name to Lady Jade, is the least popular. Samantha feels bad for her and tries to give her tips to success. One day when Samantha (aka Ruby) is driving Jolene home after it appears that she's either taken drugs, or has been drugged, her car is deliberately hit by another, her companion found raped and dead, and Ruby herself disappeared.
Detectives Holly Meylin and Victor Amador both work the case and attempt to find out if Samantha is still alive, or if she is another sad casualty of a perverted and sick mind. Holly is a Harvard educated detective with a heartbreaking back story. She is determined to solve the case. As she follow the clues, it becomes apparent that they are dealing with a ruthless killer. With leads getting scarce, Holly wants another dancer, Georgia, to become a confidential agent. Georgia, I believe, is the only woman of color that has a prominent role in this story.
Georgia is drawn to the investigation she does everything she can to help, even if that means putting herself in harms way. Rutkoski, who states she was a dancer herself, depicts the world of the strip club and the women with authenticity and expertise. This is a dark environment where strippers are only good for their bodies, and not their minds. Chapters alternate through dancers and detectives, sometimes one for suspects as they come up, and sometimes jumping a couple of days into the past, compared to the previous chapter. I cannot express the heart break one felt after reading this story to the end.
