All aboard the struggle bus! Rachel and Margie are joined by Savannah (co-creator of the in-the-works podcast Cold Storage) to tackle the queen of romance novels: Nora Roberts! Listen in as Margie tells Rachel and Savannah all about The Obsession, and play along at home as we play the new hit game everyone's talking about, Spot the Plot!
Buy Cold Storage a Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/coldstoragepodcast
All aboard the struggle bus! Rachel and Margie are joined by Savannah (co-creator of the in-the-works podcast Cold Storage) to tackle the queen of romance novels: Nora Roberts! Listen in as Margie tells Rachel and Savannah all about The Obsession, and play along at home as we play the new hit game everyone's talking about, Spot the Plot!
Buy Cold Storage a Ko-fi! https://ko-fi.com/coldstoragepodcast
Yo, yo yo party people. Zacks judging me for that one. Hi, everybody. Welcome to textual tension. I'm your co host, Rachel. And every other week, I jump in here before the episode and give you guys some updates about just kind of stuff we have going on. We have an amazing episode for you guys this week. It's kind of long, though. So I'm gonna see if I can blast through these update updates and stuff. Quickly, wow, off to a great start. All right, first order of business, because they should always be first on our hearts. And in our minds, we have new patrons. So a huge thank you to ZACHARY And Taylor, you guys are awesome, you're amazing. And we really, really, really, really, really appreciate you guys supporting us. If you're curious what your support goes to, we were just able to update our website. And I think it looks great. It's still under construction a little bit. But uh, I was able to make some very, very nice updates to our podcast player that's on our website, and to our blog, and stuff like that. So go check that out at textual tension pod.com. And speaking of segues, you can also check out all of our social media textual tension pod across the board. And hey, if you are not in a position to you know, throw money at us for what we do and support us that way that is totally cool. Another way you can support us that actually helps a ton is to go on your favorite pod catcher and rate and review us that really, really helps us get out to other people and really kind of spreads the word. So if you could do that, or maybe you know, pass us along to a friend that you think would really enjoy our particular brand of comedy. That would be superduper. Cool. And we want to hear from you guys. I don't know if I mentioned that enough. But we've had a couple people reach out to us. I've gotten some book recommendations. If you guys take a look at our updated website and say, Hey, you did a shitty job with this. And give me recommendations for things to fix. That would be cool, too. I would really appreciate that. So hit us up, we would love to, to hear from you guys. And hey, you can do that on our website, through our Contact Me form. Hey, Oh, and one more thing. So for the past couple episodes and stuff, we have released our stuff on Patreon for free. Just kind of as a bonus for you guys for with all the stuff that's been going on lately. And if you liked what you heard, then maybe consider hopping on over to Patreon and supporting us or if you haven't checked this out, go do that. This particular episode, we will be back to our regular format. But you can always go over to patreon.com/textual tension to see all of the cool stuff that we put up so far. And check all that out. And I lied to you and myself. I'm sorry, everyone got hurt. It's my fault. I do have one more thing. We had just put up a blog post I just went up a couple days ago about our last episode. If you haven't listened to our last episode, it was a doozy. But I did get to rant about science a whole bunch. And that didn't quite make it into the episodes. I wrote a whole blog post about it. So head on over to our website to check that out. It's really fun. The audio is there. And I did extra science just for you guys. So head on over check that out. I hope you guys are doing great. I care about you. And if you need to talk, reach out. We love to hear from you guys about anything, whether it's recommendations for us or just how your day is going. Hit us up. We love you all hang in there. You're great. And without further ado, please enjoy episode 46 Don't worry, the dog is fine. Oh, tearing me apart from
Margie:Hello, and welcome to textual tension, a love hate relationship with romance novels. I am your co host Margie and I'm your co host Rachel. Every other week one of us reads and summarizes a romance novel for the other unsuspecting co host or co host this week. It's Rachel yay and Savannah Savannah. And together we unpack what
Rachel:the fuck just happened. Yeah, hi Savannah. It's good. I'm
Unknown:here in the recording tent.
Rachel:The recording cave young. It's very legit. We're professionals.
Margie:We are actually all together. It's true. We are in the time of COVID-19 safely but together. Yes, it's true. Yes, yes.
Rachel:So listeners Savannah is here because she's our friend and she does podcast stuff and she lives close to me and we wanted to hang out. So
Margie:last night so like let's set the scene. Let's say we're all sitting at the bathroom morning it'll be great.
Unknown:I almost interrupted yesterday. You did walk straight in I was like oh
Rachel:would have been great because yesterday's was you heard it, it's it was,
Margie:it was bad news. This one is bad in a different way.
Rachel:Okay,
Margie:so I think that because Savannah is our guest, I would actually like her to read the description, but I will give you again for that. Okay, the image of the book if I can flick it
Rachel:back, yes. Hit me with that book cover
Margie:find it, because it won't pull up apparently listeners,
Rachel:there's a chance. I know the author isn't I? I'm curious if I've read this book or not because I read a lot of her stuff for my own personal enjoyment
Margie:you may have you may have which again,
Rachel:to be fair is another reason that we invited to Vanderlaan in case I had just in case Yeah, because we hope you to eat to people,
Margie:right? Yeah, she's she's, she's here to
Rachel:eat scones and drink coffee and hang out with us and recover from a hangover together. Mm hmm. Yep.
Margie:All right. Here you go. It might.
Rachel:Oh, I have heard of it and started it but never actually read it. Yes. So this is Nora Roberts, the queen? The obsession. Mm hmm. Yeah, man nor his name is bigger than the title which is common for
Margie:Nora. Yes. And other romance. Oh,
Unknown:yeah. Actually birds on the cover. There
Rachel:is a lot of birds.
Margie:The the cover really doesn't say much. It
Rachel:doesn't does it? So this just based on the cover and my extensive knowledge of Nora Roberts novels? Yes. I've read a lot of them. Yes. Um, it's probably my guess is one of the ones where she starts to branch out attempts to branch out away from romance in that like, it's a suspense novel or something like that. That still has the romance in it.
Margie:This is more centered around. It's probably like 50 50%, but I could see Nora trying to go in that direction.
Rachel:She I will say recently, she has absolutely succeeded in that, but there was great. Alright, so the cover is it looks like
Unknown:a beach like a brain. Yeah, I
Rachel:was gonna say it looks almost like a breakwater kind of deal. Like going off into the distance like a line of rocks with like, sand but I think I think it's water. You can't tell if it's everything is blue. So you really can't tell. It's very blue. There is a real fuzzy person. Real fuzzy walking away in like in relief, so you can't see any of them. They're just fuzzy. And then there's a big tree and there's some birds and it's all blue. Yeah, but do you know,
Unknown:like almost the same bird just like photoshopped over? Yeah. And
Rachel:all the birds are in very straight lines. And also, there's a texture on the sky that looks almost like a woodcut. Oh, yeah. Kind of thing.
Unknown:That's weird. Yeah. I don't think any of this is original. I think they just took some rocks and then
Rachel:I would say Photoshop. Yeah, absolutely. like Photoshop. Alright, give us a description. I think this is one where I read like, half of the first chapter and then was like, moved on. Not because I wasn't interested.
Margie:I was like, Oh,
Rachel:I definitely had the slug. But it was this moment of like, I'm not in the mood for this right. Oh, man. Yeah, it's hard.
Unknown:It's Oh, no, a
Rachel:lot. You can you can skip the very top art probably. Oh, yes, sir. Yeah, I
Unknown:don't need to do that. All right. Naomi bells lost her innocence the night she followed her father into the woods, and freeing the girl trapped in the root cellar, Naomi revealed the horrible extent of her father's crimes that made him infamous. No matter how close she gets to happiness. She can't outrun the sins of Thomas David bells,
Margie:bows, bows and bows, bows, owls.
Rachel:Yeah. It glows but
Margie:it's a mountain. Okay. Bows bows, I would say I said bows, but those speakers.
Unknown:It's fine. Mr. Speakers. Okay. I'm now a successful photographer living under the name of Naomi Carson. She has found a place that calls to her a while I'm rambling, rambling Yeah, I'm having struggles. That's a weird way to say our old house over rambling and need a repair 1000s of miles away from everything she's ever known. Naomi wants to embrace the solitude but the kindly residents of sunrise co Oh, that's when I did those forcing her to open his name especially the determined Xander Keaton
Rachel:Xander Keaton Xander Keaton. Okay,
Unknown:that's a name. Naomi can feel her defenses failing and knows that the connection her new Life offers is something she's always secretly craved. But the sense of her father can become an obsession. And as she's learned time and her past is never more than a nightmare away. Okay?
Rachel:You don't have to. Um, oh, I lied. This is not the book. I thought it was. Oh, not read it. Okay, read the description about this father first. Yeah, um,
Margie:so I was actually letting you read the description because I was like, do I want to give that much away? Oh, no, cuz when you're reading like, yeah, so we're gonna we're gonna dive right in to the plot for riggers, lots of triggers. So triggers should
Rachel:we make cards? Well, it's
Margie:a little late there. But we got sexual assault, kidnapping, murder, torture, suicide, gun violence, and these are all described pretty graphically. Oh, yeah. Great. Yeah. Good. Yeah. Um, I, and I don't have I know that Rachel's really good at doing this. I don't I don't exactly remember what Xander looks like. But I do remember what Naomi looks like. She's a tall, slim. He calls her slim. Yeah, I called her slim. Tall then. Pixie blonde hair cut. So there you go. You got her? Sure. So alright, so the book starts out and then
Rachel:Xander is that dude on the front? Oh, does he know but you don't need a boy. Boy boy copy paste anything you want on that? Right?
Margie:Just just you want to imagine anybody hot you want to be out there? Yeah, they're in
Rachel:Canada. That's not well.
Margie:Alright, so Oh mean is 12 apps through Oh, and then we're gonna play game. Oh, okay. I new games called Spot the plot. Apply cuts back. Would you think it has cut back finally. Would you think it has returned to us? You let me know. And I will tell you you
Rachel:tell us when the game starts.
Margie:The game starts at the beginning. Oh, okay. to spot the plot spot. The blind. Yeah. Wow. So the book starts out in the perspective of Naomi, who was 11 in the early morning hours. She lives with her mother and father and younger brother in a little town called Pine Meadows in West Virginia. And they live small town mix small town right. And they live like on the outskirts of town. And he's like the the her father is like the Reverend or something in town. All right.
Rachel:Yeah, it's his very Eyes Wide Shut.
Margie:It's a it's a really hot morning. And when Naomi wakes up and she sees her dad go out into the woods. And she knows there's a river back in the back of the woods, Julie? Oh, he's probably heading back there to like go swimming in the early morning because so hot.
Rachel:That's the thing that she knows that her dad
Margie:wouldn't be thrilled with the idea of her following him. But she's like, maybe once I get there, like and you'll be kind of like, oh, yeah, you're here. Like, let's have fun. I don't know. She's 11.
Rachel:Sure. Yeah. 11 year olds do things like that. Yeah.
Margie:So she follows him into the woods and keeps following Him because He doesn't go to the reverend. She's like, where's he going? Instead, he goes down a trap door in the middle of the woods, which is just not sketchy at all. And Naomi now curious stays and waits for him to reemerge. And when he does, he terrifies her as he does not look like himself at all. Like he doesn't look like the dad that loves that. You know, it's like that moment of my my dad looks like an animal. It's like a monster. So he he leaves and Naomi's curiosity gets the best of her. She opens the trap door and here's what she thinks is the sound of a puppy crying.
Rachel:So is it not locked? No, I was gonna say if you had a secret murder trap door in the middle of your backyard woods. Maybe lock
Margie:it lock. Oh, it's also it is very very heavy. She describes it. She's 1111 If another like full grown man can buy a puppy crying.
Rachel:She says I have at least three padlocks on my murder. God. Minimum right. He opens
Margie:the trap door and goes down and she finds a woman locked in a cage, beaten and bloody. And I'm also in this cat in this hole and Luke are pictures of other women who are obviously in a similar situation. Naomi gets this girl out of the cage and out of the hole in the ground. And together the Naomi and the girl named Ashley walk a little over a mile to the local police station. So like this is all described. There's not it's strange because like you kind of get it. You get the point. You know what I
Rachel:mean? I am aware of what's happening. You don't have to scratch your head.
Margie:Well, you don't and this is the point where I felt like Nora could say like, okay, and then stop. Let's move on to the next part. She keeps going. So in detail. Um, so they get to the police station, everything comes out her father is a serial killer responsible for the deaths of many, many women. Great and it's also really sad because for a long time her mom refuses to believe it like she shakes Naomi. And is like how you can't do this. You're lying. You're lying. It's really sad. And she's like, Mom, I I found her.
Rachel:You're right. She wasn't real. She's right here. Yeah. Oh my gosh. So
Margie:luckily, about a day later, Naomi's uncle Seth comes to meet Naomi's mother. Who's his sister. Yeah. And tell uncle's work. Well, it's not her dad. It's on her dad's brother.
Rachel:I know. I'm just being an asshole. Okay. Yeah.
Margie:Baby name is so Naomi's uncle comm Seth comes with his partner, Harry. And they've been estranged, because he was also a homophobic piece of shit, not just a serial killer. Oh, shit, solid. So they haven't. She hasn't seen her uncle in a very long time. God bless Seth and Harry, because they get the family out of the community that they were in and move them the mom, the Naomi and her brother Mason to Washington, DC. The uncles have the children's last name changed. So now it went from Bose to Carson or whatever the fuck it was. And unfortunately, these mothers mother does something real stupid. She tells she sells her story on the advice of her serial killer husband. So in there's a big picture of like Naomi printed and like this Washington paper. And so like Naomi goes to school, and everybody now knows that she's the daughter of a serial killer. Yeah, yeah. So basically, they're an add on an anonymity edited. Video, and then an enemy is shattered again.
Rachel:I'll take ways to traumatize your children.
Margie:Well, and it's like, she she wants the money because she's like, I don't want to live with Southern hair anymore. Y'all are homosexuals. And it's like, these are the nicest people. Her brother's the nicest person trying to take care of his sister. But her
Rachel:children might catch the game or they might catch
Margie:the game. Oh, no. So. So the family Naomi's mother, the uncles and Mason move again this time to New York. And unfortunately, things don't go well.
Rachel:Wow. Yeah, this just doesn't end. Oh, it
Margie:does not the plot yet.
Unknown:Oh, do they live in all 50 states? They do not.
Rachel:Oh, dang it. I was really hoping this was a coming of age finding yourself as you travel across country kind of.
Margie:Yeah, well, there is a part that it's a little bit like that. Um, so unfortunately, Naomi's mother continues to see her her her husband, the serial killer, even in prison. Eventually he does a Ted Bundy and he finds himself another girlfriend and Naomi's mother overdoses. So this Naomi's mother is the one who finds her with the friends of hers and Ansan wait like Naomi finds her mom Naomi finds they so they she comes home from school at the end of the day like to come and so she's she's coming a photographer she came home I think with Ansan to get like a camera or something like that, or a flash and she notices that there's the puppy outside the door. Her brother's puppy is like crying at her mom's door. And she's like, that's weird. Mom's usually like up and doing things so she opens door and Rob's dad
Rachel:didn't know this was gonna turn into double jeopardy for traumatization but cool.
Margie:That's it so at her mom's funeral this guy ants and comes up to her and says, Look, I figured out who you are. I know that your bows his daughter. And if you give me an exclusive interview about what happened that night that I basically won't blackmail you with it and tell the whole school Hey, you're the serial killers daughter. What is happening? Girl imagine doing that to someone at their mother's funeral. That's at her mom's funeral. And this guy also was there when the mom died. He found he helped he was the one who found her with Naomi Hey, hey,
Rachel:Nora. Slow your roll. Dude this is going way too hard way too
Margie:soon. I know another good friend of hers tries to grab her ass during a hug at the funeral
Unknown:what's worse funeral I come up again or is this one oh my gosh, no.
Rachel:I gotta say this isn't my like bottom three for Worst funeral.
Margie:Okay, so Girl is smart. And she actually arranges an interview with a local New York journalist who writes a story on her, but it's a in on her and on the perspective of what happened that night when Naomi found Ashley, but it's told the way that Naomi wants to be told. So she kind of grabs the power. She's like, it's a very small article. Yeah. And so she already runs it, she, and she at this point, she's like, 1617, okay. She's the baby. Yeah. So, um, and Naomi also has befriended a local cop in the Bedlam of all this happening. And Naomi has this cop, basically knock on Ansons. Door, I'd say Don't try any funny business or the NYPD will be on your ass. Like, you come up to her again. You do anything like that again? We'll kick your ass, so
Rachel:that's okay. Yeah, kosher. Yeah.
Margie:Okay, so we fast forward to present day.
Rachel:How many chapters was that?
Unknown:That was my question. That felt like half the book. Oh, yes.
Margie:No, it's not that's only the beginning. It's important. It's all important. Yeah. We we fast forward to I
Rachel:feel like I need a nap. Maybe some orange slices. So I can get back in,
Margie:like field day. Yes. So we fast forward to present day Naomi is now a traveling photographer. Her brother Mason is an FBI agent who works high profile serial killer cases. And he actually still talks to their dad, which is I think it's just super interesting. Just to get his perspective on it. I don't know what the relationship is like, but that's interesting. Sounds
Rachel:like an interesting crime novel. Right? I want to read that book.
Margie:So Naomi's uncles live in New York and adore the fuck out of their children. So it makes it an aunt Naomi. Now we owe that I already mentioned the spot the plot gave a nail this is where it really begins at the beginning of the book. Well, present day. Oh, sorry. Oh, yeah, they owe me has made a Under the Tuscan Sun move and bought a really really old but beautiful house on the edge of the water in Washington State. It's really big, old beautiful house in this tiny little town and she just absolutely falls in love with it. And this girl is pretty much loving my joy right now. I gotta say like, I would love the fuck out of that.
Rachel:Yeah, that I could be a really great witchy hermit in that house.
Margie:Right. That sounds awesome. It's yeah, so she takes a picture of an texted to her uncle and her brother, her uncle's that her brother? And it's like, this is why this is why I moved out here cuz it's like this vista of the water right outside her porch. Beautiful. Yeah, I could do that. Um, so she hires a local Jackie.
Rachel:Hi, everyone.
Margie:So she she hires a local GC to do the work on the house. And immediately they become friends. His name is Kevin banner, and he's adorable. Oh my god. I love it.
Rachel:I thought you were gonna say Kevin Bacon. I know. And I was hoping you would surprise Footloose.
Margie:Never see that. And they
Rachel:live in a town where no one can dance.
Margie:That's the plot. He's so he's so excited to get the opportunity to work on this house. And when Naomi explains what she wants, he's like, if I wasn't already completely over the moon for my wife, I would kiss you on the mouth.
Unknown:Interesting interaction to
Rachel:have with a relative stranger.
Margie:Friends at this point, it's just friendly banter. It's actually really cute.
Rachel:I will say having read a lot of Nora Roberts books. She does really like the like, flirty friendships, if that makes sense. So a lot of times like so she has, she does a lot of books where it's like a trilogy. And it's a different couple like that or to get thrown into something. And they're all like, you know, each book is for each couple and a lot of times like those friendships are like, flirty friendships. And it's it's not like weird, because I mean, sure I'll talk about pretty much anything with my friends. It doesn't necessarily matter. But I've never had the desire to kiss a friend on the mouth. That's true.
Margie:That's true. Yeah, yeah. He does eventually kiss her on the mouth. When she signs the contract, and his wife is in the room. He's just like, thank you what?
Rachel:Yeah, flirty friendship.
Unknown:Is it just easier to write the dialogue when it's flirty banter like, is that like her default variety? I
Margie:don't know. So alright. It's like a lot of it male signs the signs a contract for the work to be done in a house and heads into town to get some much needed household essentials in some pizza. Unfortunately, household essentials Yeah, yeah. Unfortunately, she gets into a very minor accident where she ends up with a flat tire. That's when we meet our boy and are easy and our bullies and our boys such in our boy. Yeah. Xander Keaton. He's actually a local mechanic in town and for the cost of one slice of pizza. He fixes her tire with a spare and he also flirty changes
Rachel:your tire. Yeah, okay. Hey, ladies. Once you know how to change their Yes, you can do it you don't need a man to change a tire for you.
Margie:And she's very guarded just because her past that I mean cherry guarded girl has got some baggage girls got some back understandable. And he's just very stubbornly nice. Like Naomi like, and he's sort of like a dog who has just decided to be friends with you when you're still really not sure yet. You know what I mean? Like a really big dogs like, cool, that's fine. You're like, okay, okay, just chill.
Rachel:Give me five minutes. Please do
Margie:Xander actually comes by Naomi's house the next day with like a new tire or real tire. You know? I don't know how tires and cars work. Okay.
Rachel:First off, usually if you get a flat if your tires are old enough you want to replace all of them. So they were at the same rate. Yeah, so you don't end up was an old car where there was one bolt tire still pissed about that. I love you there too. I'm just imagining and I find it adorable instead of a dude like standing at your anybody else standing at your front door with flowers. He's just
Margie:That's adorable. She actually needs the tire it's true. Um, so he Sander comes by with the tire and then he's like, she does actually have to pay him he doesn't. So it goes up to see her on the second floor and sees her dancing to Taylor Swift. And the case is not as old as I thought it is not No, I was very surprised to she loses balance when he says hello. Out of surprise. He catcher he does. And it's just very cute. Like it's just hey, horrible.
Rachel:T Swift is the perfect background. Yeah,
Margie:and she's shake it out. Shake it off.
Rachel:This is way newer than I thought I was. Yeah. Oh my god. So
Margie:they're definitely attracted to one another. But Naomi's like don't want to catch feelings. Let's just keep this casual platonic, whatever. She and Kevin. Her general contractor become closer friends as he works at our house. And he invites her out with with his wife to a local band bar. And of course our boy Xander is playing that night in the band. Oh, he's
Rachel:a music boy music boy.
Margie:He's singing Springsteen? Well that that voice ringing every drop of sex out of the words
Rachel:All right, I love some Springsteen.
Margie:Oh boy later comes over to them says hi very casually. But inside he's like, man. Oh man, I love the leggy blonde who bought the creepy house. It looks like the Overlook watch.
Rachel:Man, I gotta say, and she's really lean in and leaning into that serial killer vibe. It's in her family. Like, you know what, in order to escape my past, I think I'm going to buy a dilapidated house slightly outside of the town near the woods, by myself, and that sounds like a great idea.
Margie:Read Rom.
Rachel:It's fine. It's cool.
Margie:So Naomi is coming back from making a run into the village again the next day. And when she spots a very sad looking dog on the side of the road. And so she pulls over, and it just immediately walks over to her really pathetic, like, luckily a motorcycle driver stops three guesses who also happens to ride that motorcycle. I'm already so into this boy. Yeah, yeah. As you ride a motorcycle.
Rachel:I would just like to like, Oh, God, shit. I had something in my head. Yeah, is there's a dog thing.
Unknown:Was there like a wall of like traits? And like she just threw like, yeah. darts at it. banned. Motor. Mechanic.
Rachel:Yeah, got it. Yeah, I mean, that is like, I will say again for Nora. He's not rich, which is a good deviation from the norm. He has a real human job. Yes, he
Margie:does have a real human. Yes. Basically Xander is like a chin up, buttercup. Let's take care of this dog. He gets it because she's kind of like, oh, I don't want to deal with that. And he's like, No, you can't come on, put it in your car. He gets the poor smelly creature into our car and then meets her at her house where he where the dog gets a bath and a cozy bed. Pretty much Our boy is like congratulations. I think you have a dog now.
Rachel:modulations I adopted you a dog. Girl. Three times. Oh, but she invites
Margie:our boy in for a beer before he heads back into downtown town and he offers to split the vet bill for the dog. He's like, if you and then he's like I'll ask around town see if anybody's missing their dog. And we'll try to find the owner and deep inside he's like there's no way that the stock has an owner. The town is too small. We would have already heard about somebody missing their dog.
Rachel:So this is where the plot is right? It becomes a heartwarming animal themed really hoping she's gonna open up her own little vet clinic. Dog Rescue. That sounds great.
Margie:You know Washington, they give the dog a bath together and kind of get the dog situated and comfortable in the house and they are flirting hardcore
Rachel:steamy kiss.
Margie:Stevie kid.
Rachel:I know my way around a Roberts book.
Margie:He finds her. Xander finds her fascinating. He's just like really wants to get to know her slash talk to her, despite her being a little guarded, and he swoops in for a kiss like right before he leaves. And she's into it. But we but there's this flirty agreement of okay, we don't know where this is headed. But due to the dog situation, we know we're gonna have to talk to one another. Again anyway. So like, let's just see how this goes. Right?
Rachel:Again, Nora Roberts, staple, flirty, flirty. Someone's usually surprised, but they're really into it.
Margie:Yes, that's
Rachel:got so many I know the tropes. I can almost tell you just like every single of those trilogy things. The way it works is there's the innocent one, the spunky one and the responsible one. I know it Oregon's cross. Hey, if you've got a formula, it works. Get your money's worth out of it. So like Naomi, so many metaphors. Naomi comes by, like,
Margie:I don't know, a day or two later to get the half of the vet bill. And she's like, What am I gonna do with this dog? I don't know what to do. And he's like, and Sanders like, what do you what you're doing? You should keep him like, you have a dog now. Sorry.
Rachel:I have an important question for Google. When was Venmo created? I think he does. He does use PayPal or something.
Margie:She wanted to go and see Oh, come on. Yeah, like
Rachel:she doesn't. This is established. This is in
Margie:it's an excuse. And he goes back to her house to bring like milk bones and the dog bowl and a dog bed. And so yeah,
Rachel:there are so many things happening right now. In this book. It was like, Well, I feel like it's a choose your own adventure. It's like, okay, what do you want the plot to be?
Margie:Yeah. You guys got a smoke apply? No, we're
Rachel:not there yet. There. Yeah. No, but I feel like it could go anywhere.
Margie:I'm sure. Okay. I'm trying to like
Rachel:I do really like right now. Clear role in the plot.
Margie:Yeah.
Unknown:Okay, I didn't know you just brought in so they would get to know each other better. Yeah.
Margie:So the plot, the dog comes into the plot. Okay, okay.
Rachel:Here's me, flaunting my near encyclopedic knowledge of Nora Roberts. There are two other books that involve dogs that I'm thinking of. One of which is called the search, which legitimately is really good and is about a woman who trains dogs for search and rescue. And the other one is my fate one of my favorite romance novels of all time, called Shelter in Place, and it has heard about that one so good. And it has almost the exact same like, it doesn't bring them together. But he just finds a dog and it's him like, I don't want this dog. Maybe someone else will take it. Okay, it's my dog now like it's
Margie:actually what it is. Okay, okay. Yeah, so um, while while he's over with the milk bones the leash whatever his dog things she our girl actually receives a present from her uncle's shipped to her specially they are very wealthy.
Rachel:A large The Ranch House.
Margie:Oh, yeah, a large king size bed a log with the sweetest note ever from the outset, uncles that reads our girl needs a bed and what that gives her sweet dreams we love you set them Harry.
Rachel:i That's really cute. I was really hoping it was gonna be like something like hey, do you have a boyfriend yet? For backing up
Margie:later. Oh, good. So our boy actually sets up the bed she invites him to stay over today does he watch company and she makes it clear that although she's attracted him and may even be romantically interested in him she's not gonna sleep with him. She keeps saying want to know why I'm not gonna sleep with you and then he adds it with yet very blunt and bold which honestly is turned on for me but I can see how it would be kind of overbearing.
Rachel:I feel like the whole like he helps her set up the bed thing sounds so much like somebody order a pizza. I heard you needed a pipe thing. kind of deal. It's just like,
Unknown:I don't know. I think that's a very long foreplay. Oh, oh, yes. These screws. Oh, wait wait a second. I don't understand. Oh, man, I put it together upside.
Rachel:Where's the flooring in
Unknown:this place the
Rachel:baby. She
Margie:doesn't want The tenuous relationship built in the village by sleeping with our boy, she's already become friends with Kevin the GC and his wife and Zan in key. So the GC and Xander are best friends. So GC is general contractor. Yes, yeah. Cool. And she doesn't want to muddy those waters despite said friends even being like bone him. All right, like y'all are cute together.
Rachel:Just just fucking get it over.
Margie:And Sandra is working really hard, which I just want to make a note of making her feel welcome in the neighborhood. Like he's inviting her out like he's helped introducing her two people. It's just really nice and cute. Um so like she Naomi has fought against keeping the dog but then one day, he Xander comes over for whatever reason, and he spots Naomi putting pants on the dog.
Rachel:I would totally do that.
Margie:And he's like, What are you doing? And she's like, What the fuck do you think I'm doing? I tried to put pants on top because he got the cone of shame because he got his balls snipped off. And so he wouldn't keep the Cone of Shame on so she has to put pants on. So he's like so he goes up to he's like, so what's the dog's name? And she's like, tag he's like tag. It's because the dog always tags along wherever she goes. Oh, that's a cute dog. Like I love like her reluctance to be like, Tim, I guess I do putting
Rachel:pants on the dog.
Margie:Putting pants on the dog these you have the dog
Rachel:that I mean that is a requirement. Right? That's part of like when you go to like Humane Society or something to like pick out an animal. They actually just let you loose in a room full of dogs and the first one you can grab and put pants on is 100% Okay, prove
Unknown:that you can hand it's a lot harder
Rachel:with cats to honestly at this dog
Margie:he's so friendly with everybody's a really good dog. He's terrified of other small dogs like tiny dogs. He's terrified of other small dogs and she's like
Rachel:this dog Yeah. Is my favorite character so far.
Margie:So good. He's the
Rachel:best boy good boy they
Margie:in between of she goes is making more friends that happened to me mutual friends with Xander. And so there
Rachel:has a small town, small town. Nora very much glorifies small towns.
Margie:And so he finally gets her to come over for a date. To his place. He orders takeaway and they eat dinner together and it's lovely. And they have wine. And he's like, I'm like all right, let's get real well, and his house so his his his apartment is great because it's covered in books he loves to read. So he spends a lot of time reading and so she's looking at the shelves, bookworm yeah she's looking at the books like, you know, sipping her wine and then she freezes. Looking at one book. The book is titled blood in the ground, the legacy of Thomas David Bose. Oh, so she's like, she kind of freezes up and she hasn't mentioned anything about the book. But she makes a kind of makes an excuse. It makes a quick exit. She's like, I gotta go. She and he's like, what happened? Because she immediately paled, like did not look well. And Xander goes over the wall. And she was looking at and it's like, okay, what spooked her what happened? And he actually pulls the book out because he's like, Well, this is the only nonfiction book that's in the section. It doesn't seem like she was kind of looking at it. And so he kind of flipped through it, because he remembered reading it. And then he sees Naomi, Bo's and he's like, Fuck, yeah. Um, and it doesn't make a difference to him. He continues on as he did before with Naomi like, trying to pursue her. Um, he doesn't tell anybody in town, anything like that. So it's just, it's sweet.
Rachel:I mean, that's like, a really nice, good, decent human being thing to do is right. I've discovered a dark secret about your past that you'd like to escape. And I'm not going to tell anyone about it. Because I respect you as a human.
Margie:Yeah, so it's just it's really sad.
Rachel:That's such a low bar for a romance novel, because
Margie:awesome, but it's it's still really sweet in Oh, no, it's
Rachel:adorable. It's just like, if this were any other romance novel, I would have expected him to be like, Hey, did you know some shit like that? Because some black female sees Yeah. Yeah, she see Sandra
Margie:again at the bar where he's playing music and they're like hanging out with our mutual friends. And another woman sees how Xander is looking at Naomi does not like it. She has had a crush on Xander for a very long time.
Rachel:Do you like the same person that I like I've never told you
Margie:like Marla is kind of like, she's kind of stuck up bitch. Like she's just not a great person around town. She Yeah, so she actually kind of gets into computation on the dance floor with Naomi and Naomi dance battle. No, not a dance model. She kind of published I think that she like pushes Naomi and Naomi is a brown belt. So she just kind of like No, no immediately like turn off like, flicks a switch and says like, Nope, you're not going to touch me again. Get out of my face and Marla leaves the bar. And that does can become important later. Okay, a little bit of spot the plot a little bit of spot the plot. Oh, this is
Unknown:steals the dog.
Rachel:Marlo somehow finds out that she's the daughter of a serial killer. No. Okay. So
Margie:Xander finishes his set. And him and Naomi talk. And Naomi gives them more of the same response of I really like you. But I'm not sure pursuing a relationship is the best idea. And Sandra tells her I'm going to drive by your place tonight. If the light is on, then I'll knock on the door. She leaves the light on. And
Rachel:she's a Motel Six. Man, no, now he is Tombow dead.
Margie:And she leaves the light on and they get it on. Like I leave the
Rachel:light on for you.
Margie:She's like, this is just sex. That's how I'm gonna treat it. And he's like, that's fine. But just FYI, I think you're really damn special. And I like you. And he actually helps her like the next morning with her yard work. Like just sticks around.
Rachel:I mean, fair, like, that's actually like a nice benefit. It's like, Sure, I could feed you breakfast and leave, but now you can work for it.
Margie:Well, and so and later on, she takes pictures of his band. So I thought
Rachel:you were gonna say but no.
Margie:She probably did. It sounded like I mean, she is really really good. Yeah, yeah. So looking for the plot. Well, oh, you can't? It's almost so before they
Rachel:were playing a game that we don't get.
Unknown:Oh, sorry. No guesses? Sure. What do you think Marla is the real sealer
Margie:so actually, the sheriff comes up to
Rachel:wait, I want to get to Okay. She has her own murder cellar in the woods behind her house and she with a serial killer was inside of her the whole time I
Margie:believe she just had to believe. Okay, so later in the afternoon before they leave well, so before they leave, Zander's band went after they're taking pictures. The sheriff shows us and if you will, the Zed Marlin to tell them Marla has gone missing. And they haven't. Nobody's seen Marla since she angrily walked out of the bar the other night after pushing Naomi so he was just like, Have you heard from her? I've seen her since then. And both of them are like no weed. She just stormed out by herself. She kidnapped so both Xander and Naomi tried to put Marla out of their minds, because Zander says that this sort of behavior is a really out of character for Marla, she tends to just kind of like stomp off and then come back and she's kind of a drama queen. So um,
Unknown:this is why it's a small town and yes to know each other. Yeah, it's very up in each other's business and be very noticeable and someone's missing. There's only 20 People
Rachel:who resorted to cannibalism first.
Margie:It's like morning check. There so our boy and our girl are basically undefined dating, right? He's staying over he's leaving clothes at her place. But it's really cute because with the job he has nightmares He comforts Cerner sleep and hold sir. This was really cute.
Rachel:Does he told her at any point that he knows who she is? No.
Margie:Oh, he's letting her he wants her to tell him she that he doesn't want to All right. Yeah, that all right now through a note and I want to read it for you guys know through all of this setup. You may be wondering Rachel and Savannah, where the fuck is the plot? Margie? Did you leave it in the labyrinth or NRD? out or merging? Where is the goddamn plot? Well, I will tell you Rachel. It is unfortunately a dead body not far from Naomi's house. And it's what's her name. Our girl walks out of her house with tag and finds Marla, the woman who had been pissed off at Naomi naked and bound in are basically in her backyard. Oh, wow. Like it's on.
Rachel:high octane. Yeah,
Margie:so it's on like a trail that's a little bit past her house. So I
Rachel:feel like Okay, so this is how I'm picturing this plot in well attempt in my mind it's a we're on a roller coaster right? So we going downhill super exciting. Lots of loop de loops like going nuts and then we're just like okay here and then
Margie:they only call the police and then immediately call Xander. And all she needs to say his name on the phone and he's like, Oh God, I'm on my motorcycle, what's wrong? What happened? And she's like, please just get over here. And
Rachel:this is not the first dead body I
Margie:found out unfortunately a third. So Sandra takes me away from the crime scene and really just gives her what she needs, which is logic, she feels partly responsible because Marla had left the bar because of her and had left the bar alone. And Xander is like the person who was responsible is the person who murdered her and a story like we're not playing this pity party game. And I'm not playing this pity party game for you. And she's like, that's actually exactly what I needed. Thank you. I
Rachel:like him.
Margie:I like him to support.
Rachel:I like logic. Yeah, I like no nonsense. Like no bullshit, kind of like, Hey, you're being an idiot. Get your shit together.
Margie:Well, thank you I needed. He also just says he's like, what you need right now. Whatever it is, let's do, like, let's just do that thing together. And so they paint a wall, like in our house, like they just work on stuff that anyway, yeah. And that night, she
Rachel:wakes up. He's a cinnamon rolls. Wait,
Margie:he wakes she wakes up from a nightmare. And he talks her down from a panic attack gets up with her even when she's like, you don't need to get up. It's fine. It's like three in the morning. And he's like, nope, let's make some eggs. Let's have breakfast. Let's have coffee. We'll sit outside. Like he's just really trying to incorporate herself into what she needs. Hmm. I like it.
Rachel:I like him a lot.
Unknown:A lot of good support.
Margie:He also volunteers to stay with her at the behest of the police chief to keep her safe because
Rachel:Sarah things Yeah, she's a fire numbers. So it's kind of it kind of like so I feel like and to be fair, I'm not the child of a serial killer. And I've never done this well. And I've never been in this particular situation. But obviously, yeah. If you are the daughter of a serial killer, and a random dead body shows up in your backyard. I feel like that would be something to mention to the sheriff of hey, just so you know, just in case. This is a thing, right? Also, is your dad still in prison?
Margie:Yes. Her dad is still in prison. Okay has been in prison this entire Okay, okay,
Rachel:wait, wait, hey, my guess is either do the trade of blackmail or or do the grab your but
Margie:we'll see. These are my guesses. All right. A few days later. Well, not a few days, not very long. The chief of police. Sam, who's actually a really nice guy comes up to her and says, Look, I haven't told anyone else on a wall. But I had to do some investigative work. And I do know who your father is like, I'm not going to change it. Nothing changes. I'm don't suspect you. But like, I have to ask you if you think that this has anything to do with that. And she's like, No, there it is. I really don't like I don't know. I have no idea. And and he also says Listen, Xander is a really nice guy. And I think that if you're gonna stay with him, you owe him like just honesty. So if this is bothering you, you need to tell him and that doesn't go over that well with Naomi. It comes it just comes at a sort of bad emotional moment for an A for her because just because so she's at home. And Kevin, her GC tells her Oh, actually, I'm not going to leave yet. Because I want Xander to arrive. He asked me to stay until he got here so that we you know, someone's always hovering around her. And so she sends him home. She's like, get the fuck out of here. And Xander comes in. And he can tell that she's like all wound up. And he's like, geez, and she's like already a couple of glasses of wine in? Oh, yes. And she's like, starts yelling. She's like, listen, you're crowding me. I don't need people to hover around me. I've taken care of myself for years, all of these things. And she she feels she says she feels like she's being crowded and she's done it. She doesn't want to she's, he's like, um, this isn't but none of this stuff is she just doesn't understand. She's like, suddenly I have a dog suddenly at house suddenly have a boyfriend. Just suddenly if I know these things built up, it all builds up and I've been independent for so long. And so he's like, okay, let's here's the thing, though. You like having all those things? Don't pretend that you don't you like this life that you have built for yourself here. So I don't really understand why you're trying to get rid of me or fight that. And he has this attitude of he sees that she is trying to pick a fight with him and he's just not having it. He's like, Listen, I am not going to fight with you all. This you would not have you made these decisions for yourself. And you made them because they made you happy, like so why don't you tell me what's really bothering you? And so she won't do it won't do would do. And he's like, fine. I know. I know. Okay, I know your dad is a serial killer. I know. So let's just move beyond that. Okay. Like, she's like, you know, he's like, I know, I know, this whole time, and I don't care. And
Rachel:the knowledge was inside of him.
Margie:And so he ends up saying, understand this, that it's insulting and annoying. Remember that for you to think that I'd feel differently about you. Because your father's Thomas David bows that act differently. Because 17 years ago, you saved a life no doubt saved a lot of lives. And if this whole fucked up bullshit is the reason you're trying to kick me to the curb. You're out of luck. I don't kick that easily.
Unknown:Okay,
Rachel:yeah. I mean, that's like a neat, like gung ho speech. But at the same time, part of me is like, she's obviously overwhelmed. And she might need some time to chill and figure shit out on her own.
Margie:Well, so if you remember earlier in the book, there was that moment of when she was feeling really starting to be like, Oh, it's my fault that Marla died. He's very like, No, he is very, like, she needs that she, she mentioned that at that moment, like, no, actually, I really needed that. Wake up, call that reality check. So it's, and he also says something awesome. Along the lines of like, my dad doesn't know the first thing about cars or being in a band or anything like that. We are completely different people. And it's the same with your dad, like you are completely different, you know? Like, you're not and he's like, so your brother Mason, like, do you think that he's a bad person? Because his father's you know, you guys share the same parents? She? She's like, Well, no, he's wonderful. And I love him. He's so smart. And he's like that, why can't you think the same thing for you? But you deserve good things?
Rachel:Bitch, get yourself confidence in order.
Margie:Okay, life life goes on for them. Unfortunately, another woman in the village goes missing rat row
Rachel:now. People
Margie:show up for morning check in. So roll call.
Rachel:Imagine the sheriff or whatever walking into the middle of a street like the town and just yelling, roll call a bunch of windows here. Around
Margie:well, so and I really want to make one more note about that fight that they have is that I love how in this conversation. It's just like a really good example of how in relationships arguments don't have to be destructive, that could be really constructive. You know, like, you can get mad at each other. But like, you can come out of it stronger. And that's what happens.
Rachel:Communication is honestly so importantly. Talk about your feelings. Talk about your shit, because people can't read your mind about your shit.
Margie:And so the more the morning after they realize all this, they've had sex, obviously,
Rachel:you have to have sex on it. That's the same as thinking on it. But you have sex on it? Yeah, yeah, I don't know. I really, I don't know what I want. I think I really need to have sex on it.
Margie:So the next morning, there's a knock at the door, and Xander opens his door and it's a dude. And he's like, who are you? And the dude is like, who are you? And so he's like, and Sandra's like, Oh, okay. You're the brother. You're the FBI agent. I'd appreciate it if you took your hand off your took your hand off your weapon. Mason's like, Oh, you're the mechanic. Okay. You let you stay here for coffee often in the morning. Like a sizing each other up kind of thing.
Rachel:I mean, ritualistic Dick waving con.
Margie:Yeah, exactly. You're fucking my sister. Exactly, so and he shows up and uh, Naomi's like what are you doing here? Like I'm so happy to see you like you didn't tell me you were coming here yeah. Just came it's like to pop by these like actually I'm not just popping by I'm here to check with the sheriff because I heard that there was a serial killer here and I just you know you're my sister like I thought that I check in Miss case myself.
Rachel:And you just seem to attract this kind of bullshit.
Margie:Just wait.
Rachel:I fully believe and let me know if our spot the plot means I'm wrong. That this is totally related to her specifically to her and I really think it's one of the dudes from the funeral. Haha, so I think I went spot.
Margie:So sure, aboriginality You haven't failed me. Alright, so this is where Linode said,
Rachel:Jesus. Again.
Margie:There's actually not that much. So the point starts working with the sheriff to try to figure out what the heck is going on in this town. They do find the other woman. Unfortunately, she is also dead and it's lady so the brother notices he's like, huh, this is weird. Like, these are. The women don't look like Naomi. But the, the way the where they're left is places where Naomi has taken professional shots and uploaded them to her website. So like the first woman, Marla was found, like off of a trail near her house. But she's found like on next to or near a log that Naomi had taken this really beautiful nature shot of and so Mason starts kind of like piecing all this together. And he's like, this is really strange.
Rachel:That's a little Da Vinci Code, though it is like I know it's my job to do that. But it's like, okay, but if we look at this through mirror backwards,
Margie:we can find out so then he he, he sits Naomi down at one point he's like, okay, so I have some extra bad news for you. And she's like, shit, what? And he's like, I think that you actually have a serial killer stalker. So everywhere that she has moved over the past like 10 years, a woman has been found murdered, like, in the vicinity around her of where she's taking
Unknown:pictures, and she hasn't known until now. She hasn't
Margie:noticed so like one time it happened on campus like when she was at school a woman got murdered and like it's how
Rachel:many chapters are left in this book. Not many
Margie:at this point.
Unknown:How many dead bodies how many people died over 10 years as you move around the Gosh, I don't know why
Rachel:well and I will okay, but Margie how many aren't your fault
Unknown:how many places where you've lived? You've been like oh yes, there was a woman she was murdered like three doors down? Well Oh, it's a year later somebody else's
Margie:sheet so she's been surrounded by this her whole life. Let's face it, like she's, she says from a very young age she's been exposed to death and carnage all that so may not be that weird. It's usually people she doesn't really know that well. It's kind of like peripheral like oh yeah, that's weird that happened. It's um they don't he this serial killer does not follow the standard serial killer thing of killing someone in the same way every time. kills them depending on where they are like one night like she lived in New York and there was a prostitute that he killed in Central Park which is like just wasn't in they didn't connect it they couldn't connect all the dots they all look so different. All the murders
Unknown:I friend so how do you connect? How do you connect
Rachel:the dots now? I
Margie:don't know
Unknown:how did they figure that out?
Rachel:They looked at it upside down backwards underwater. as fuck you could write a
Unknown:big enough city is all this time. They could have just picked any murders been like yes, there's been a murder everywhere you lived. You lived in the most five most populous cities in America
Rachel:weirdly enough, we also figured out that the Illuminati so they do and they Well, I feel
Margie:there is one thing that is weird about all that connects them all that all the women look a little bit like Naomi. So like, they have blonde hair. They're tall and slender, like, yeah, very loosely look like the
Rachel:male. Can you imagine being that serial killer? I'm like, Oh, I know. She's gonna notice this for 10 years, so I was
Margie:really annoyed because I was like, I was convinced that it was her dad and I kept waiting for like them to say, Oh, her dad's like a scout. And I was like, I
Rachel:feel like I've been hit by a plot track. Because it's like okay, I'm expecting like, okay, local serial killer something like this found out who she was, whatever. And it's surprise 10 years ago. Yeah. What?
Margie:Well, so um, so this is happening, but at the same time, there's all this very normal things happening in a way you know, like life goes on. They can't really stop what they were doing before because so it's kind of this weird juxtaposition because their relationship is just progressing as usual almost despite the fact that there's people are murdering
Unknown:each chapter it's just like, oh, we took the puppy to the and then there's like a little like line and then it's like, Isn't we found another body just like changes POV straight to the brother and the brothers like this is all horrified and it goes back to her and it's like,
Margie:funny pic like, well, so like, I guess what I need is that like the house is still there. She's still describing like the work being done to the house and things like that. Murder So, okay, two more seeds. Okay, we're since we're so close, okay, where to God? Um, so one little scene is that some of the there are segments that are written in the perspective of the serial killer. And one of them when does it
Rachel:change to that?
Margie:What one does it change? Like in little Yeah, but like your
Rachel:normal book, normal book, normal book normal book serial killer.
Margie:Yeah, pretty much interest. Yeah. Yeah. So like, you see you here. They just they, how many books is the first half a book? You know, new book, you
Rachel:know, the like you know that story. I really feel like this one was just done. So the,
Margie:the serial killer like describes killing Marilla and killing the other woman like it's very Yeah, and that's where the sexual assault comes and
Rachel:romantic. Yeah,
Margie:grab. Yeah. Good.
Rachel:Jesus
Margie:Christ. So then, um, so one day that they have this change of perspective to the Syrian killer and he goes up to Naomi's house during the day. He's checking it out. He's seeing how he can break in. And tag the dog just loses his mind just like growling and snarling like spit coming out of his mouth like Boy Yeah, just like barking Margie.
Rachel:I swear to God, if this dog dies, I will hit you
Unknown:nothing. This dog right? You warned us in the beginning? Correct. So would have been a disclaimer, right?
Rachel:If you remembered out. I don't think we could be a trouble anymore.
Margie:Okay, so one day Xander gets a call. Xander gets a call to go and help out a guy with his truck. So he goes and the guys like, oh, yeah, sorry. My kids in the back of the car. All the stuff happening. He gets whacked in the back of the head by the sky. And
Rachel:yeah, it was a trap. Yeah,
Margie:it was a trap. And so then serial killer goes to Naomi's house. I think I don't remember Oh, the doors open because she was expecting Xander which stupid? Don't Don't do that. She was expecting Xander. And she turns around. And is it
Rachel:the husband? No, no one I still think one of
Unknown:the dudes. Who is a funeral gun. There's
Rachel:the buck grabber. blackmailer, although it could also be direct mailer her general contractor, but he would have already known how to get into the house.
Unknown:No, it's got to be somebody from that funeral.
Rachel:While you say but grabber, I'll say and then one of us has
Unknown:to be right. Yeah. And I'll say okay, great. Body grabber
Rachel:black mail guy.
Margie:It's answering the blackmailer.
Unknown:Does the blood grabber come back? The book wrapper never goes
Margie:small. Just show how shitty her life had gotten.
Unknown:Oh, great. Can you add to that? Her mom has just died.
Rachel:Her mom died. Life is terrible and meet me. Thanks for the
Margie:like the Squeezy motions.
Rachel:No. But
Margie:the No, I thought the Sesame Street character the Mr. Beaker Oh,
Rachel:we'll meet? No, I was thinking like grid runner.
Margie:So So Okay, we're almost done, guys. All right, where are the Gosh. So she's like, she sees him and she's like, and, like, did not hardly remember the guy. And he's like, yeah, that day that we saw your mom dead on the bed and woke something inside of me.
Rachel:Oh, God, we've gotten to the torture trigger, either. But that's Oh, that
Margie:was when we got into the Yeah, I just did that. So readers decide to read it. They'll know going got it right.
Rachel:Well, geez, yeah. So
Margie:like this, that it looks something inside to me and that and then I became like, basically worshipped your dad and wanted to become a serial killer just like him. And so now I'm gonna finish the job and I'm gonna murder you. But first I got to kidnap you and rape you. And she's like, No, not really all about that. Actually, let's
Unknown:not doing this for 10 years. Why is he making the career change now?
Rachel:Right, like, why not continue? Yeah.
Margie:I'm getting closer to him and he knows Oh,
Unknown:they're closing like it's time to wrap up the show. Okay, so he
Margie:thing bites him off for a little bit. But eventually she gets her down on the ground, and he's got a gun to her head and he's like, alright, bench I guess we'll just do it this way. I wanted to strangle you but we'll do it this way instead. And then tag so tag jumps up and jumps over it. And it goes the bullet goes through his hip and into her I think shoulder and that's when Zander comes in. He's okay, we're just bleeding. He was in the house. Somewhere in the house.
Unknown:We had it again the house the dog No Xander.
Margie:Then he came in through the front door still unlocked. Still unlocked. Well, that's just a stupid serial killer. Yeah, uh, yeah, he
Rachel:didn't like honestly. No,
Unknown:he didn't we didn't put him in. He just knocked him on contract.
Margie:And it was gonna wake up. I don't Well, he was gonna wake up that soon. And I also don't think that I think he thought he was gonna get Naomi out of the house a lot easier. So I think he just thought she was gonna go along with them to buy her some time or something. So
Rachel:I will say as not a medical professional. It like people don't just stay passed out for a while without serious brain damage. Right,
Margie:right. Well, they may have just stunned him so he Zander comes into the house beats the crap out of Anson.
Rachel:I still don't understand why they do didn't just kill Xander. He already has established a pattern of being totally cool with murder.
Margie:Yeah, I don't know. So whenever do my best, that's fine and shit out of them. And then so calls 911 They get her to the hospital. She she ends up fine. The dog ends up fine. Thank you. So Mason comes her brother to the hospital and Xander is getting like stitched up in the head because he got I don't know sometimes. And the the dogs like on a gurney. And the dog is like, he's he's okay, but he's just bleeding. And the zander says, you fucking stitch that dog up right now. And basically it's like, yeah, actually, I need you to do that. Because it's evidence like the bullet in him is still in him in its evidence. So no, she knew what she actually jumped on top of the dog to save the dog from getting shot.
Rachel:Oh, so I went through her shoulder into the DA Ah. I mean, this means the dogs gonna have to wear pants for
Margie:me. He won't be that upset.
Unknown:He's already worn before. Yeah,
Rachel:I know. Like, gut reaction is okay. Well, this dog obviously wears little outfits. No, he's just wearing human jeans that are rolled up is what I'm imagining is it's just dog
Unknown:street behind dragging
Margie:number I think that they might be like cut offs or something that she took freeze
Rachel:wearing shorts.
Margie:Or something like that. Or like cotton sweatpants. Something really short. I just thought of it like overs, but it is the only job and the whole for the tail. Of course. Yeah.
Rachel:So he's wearing little donkey booty shorts.
Margie:So she gets out of the hospital. When she gets back to her house. Her uncle's are both there.
Rachel:And like, the new king size, man, yeah,
Margie:it's so sad. I will carry you out of the car here. And she's like, you cannot live to me because he's, you know, Seth is an older gentleman at this point in Sanders. Like I got this fixer out. They take her into the backyard. They're just like really cute, adorable family. I can walk. Yeah, well, so he, um, so then Harry goes into the house to like, cook a little something for her so she can take her pain pill. There's this very casual moment of
Rachel:Wait, he proposes
Margie:No. So Xander and Her and Naomi are just talking about like, anything, literally anything that happened and anything else that happened, right. So they're sitting on the back patio. And he's like, Yeah, we should put some flowers right there. We should do this to the back patio that oh, we should get married, like right there. And she's like, What
Rachel:do I do? He's like, Yeah,
Margie:we should get marry right there. And I think it should be on October and then that's all that's that's all you're getting? You get three months and then we're gonna get married. She's like, okay, okay. And then she's like, You call that our proposal? And then Harry comes out. He's like and that's finally the end. Wow.
Rachel:That really I was gonna say it's an Oral Roberts book. So it has to end in either marriage or a child. Hopefully it's marriage. Or proposal of marriage, right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah. What an adventure. Um, so what was the
Unknown:Wow, the very end Yeah,
Rachel:that just reared its ugly head. Yeah, Jesus. Yeah, I gotta say like, once the plot started, I was pretty into it.
Margie:But, but you don't get into the plot. And I mean, this you don't get into the plot until 50% of the you're 50% into the book. A lot of setup is a lot of setup. Yeah, a lot of setup. And I was like, at the point so I'm probably like, you know, 40% into the book and I'm thinking to myself like wait a minute. This book started with like, serial killers and like all that when is that gonna come back in? Why am I hearing about this house that she's flipping in Washington sound like
Rachel:yeah, so let's rate this. Oh, my Oh, this this mothertrucker if
Margie:you will, yeah. Oh my god. So
Rachel:I'm curious on so I have a feeling I know what your stuff is gonna be for the dude in the chat. And I'm curious to hear your thoughts on the plot. So let's start with with our girl Naomi.
Margie:She was it's one to five, right? Yeah, one, five. I forget every time.
Rachel:We will. It's okay. We've only been doing this for a year and a half, you know?
Margie:Can't be expected to remember these rights. I wouldn't give her three. I think she's fine. High Middle down middle of the road. Yeah, she just a lot of the things were interesting were happening around her. She wasn't necessarily that interesting. But she was fine. She was strong characters. She held her own. Like, I don't think that she's I just don't think that she's
Rachel:a rock star. She didn't feel like a damsel in distress, which she was not
Margie:at all took care of herself in a few situations. Yeah, right. More than a few. She took care of herself, you know, for a long time forever. Yeah. She told me she, she did have the attitude of these horrible things happen to me, I don't want that them to happen again. And that force her to rely on herself, not as somebody else.
Rachel:So reliance, if you liked if you were if that type of female, strong female lead is your particular bag, might I recommend the search by Nora Roberts? Rachel's Oh, Roberts recommendation corner, because it's that but done really well. And there's a plot throughout the whole book, it actually starts up. I know, it shows up right in the beginning. See, it's real good. But it's that same character where it's like this shitty thing happened to me, and I'm not gonna let that deal with like, right, fucked me up forever. So let's right move on.
Margie:But also she does. I mean, like she does have that moment of like, in the argument with Zander, where she, she wants to be the one who ends it all because she thinks it's going to end anyway. So she does have that moment of, I'm just going to destroy this. I'm going to destroy this relationship so that I will get hurt worse down the road. Which not maybe communication would have been better to maybe
Rachel:maybe it's always better. It's always better.
Margie:Well,
Rachel:I mean, to be fair, she hadn't had sex on it. At that point. You really need to think about it a little bit more. You're gonna have sex on that. You guys have
Margie:sex? Oh, that so? There you go. All right.
Rachel:What about him? For he's so sweet. He's so
Margie:sweet and so healthy. He's an example for good relationships.
Rachel:I know Lee I like a healthy dude. I like a healthy human. Okay, what's next? Oh, baby. Oh, sorry.
Margie:Smart first sweat. Um, it was fine. Yeah, it was you know, Roberts is like pretty fine. Very Vanilla. Yeah, you know, pretty much the the craziest thing he does is push her up against a wall Yeah,
Unknown:that's yes.
Margie:Not that crazy metal wall that's a wall right?
Rachel:Hey, Tony. Oh your plot ideas your plot your thoughts on plot?
Margie:Oh my god. Oh my God, it was it was just like it was too much of it was too much detail, which is something that I don't usually say because there is some more detail more stuff happening that I didn't even mention. Do you
Unknown:know all the wall colors in the house?
Margie:Yes. It was a cabinet color.
Rachel:Yeah, tasteful. Was it?
Margie:Okay, all right. It sounded like a beautiful house but I'm just like, and then there was like, so the general contractors White was also like a furniture flipper. And they're going into like very descriptive of all the stuff that she's doing for her house. And I'm like, I don't need this level of detail. I just need the plot this lease
Unknown:or some HGTV right?
Rachel:Yeah that's an untapped market
Margie:property. Yeah others
Unknown:like yes beautiful white marble countertops
Rachel:HGTV after God overall down
Margie:a tarp. We wouldn't want to make a best
Rachel:now Jesus. Oh, good, Lord. Uh, oh. Yeah, I'm sorry. What did you pull out? What did you write the plot?
Margie:Oh, gosh, it's really hard. I'm gonna say 2.5
Rachel:Okay, so really middle of the road
Margie:really middle of the road. Okay, I want to say that we're really good. Like I loved hearing about like, her family was really cute and stuff like that. But there was too much like,
Rachel:too and yes, not enough. No, too much. Well, not enough plot. Yeah, not in
Margie:a plot right. And I think that's the thing is that it was very, very descriptive of everything that was happening around her and then the plot was just like sprinkled on like an afterthought. And I'm like, I need more of that to keep this right going to keep to hold my interest
Unknown:binded together actually, right just like oh, well, this is gory, but oh, here's the murder. Murder.
Margie:There's there's the murder, murder. Murder. So it was it made the book feel Very long times, so yeah. All right.
Rachel:So what do you think of the full book? Oh,
Margie:it would get a four right? Yeah. So
Rachel:pretty little around. It's
Margie:still I wouldn't I wouldn't say don't read it. Read the surgeon said yeah, I wouldn't say disliked Yes. Or better yet shelter in place and I will say this I love Xander he's such a great example he's a perfect really is a perfect boy.
Rachel:Okay, so you were reading Twilight, what else were you reading? I
Margie:am reading a history book called Catherine the Great and has written the great She's so cool. Really interesting. Her life was bananas. I started watching that the great the Great. Obviously I don't really didn't really like it really. So I decided to just pick up this book and it's really good. All right, that it's really long, but it's really good, huh? Crazy bananas. Things were happening back then. My goodness. It's absolutely
Rachel:insane. Yeah, yeah, but that book afterwards I'm in for eating Savannah. What are you consuming?
Unknown:A lot of TV right now. Nice like that. No, I just watched Hollywood on Netflix.
Margie:Was that good? It's
Unknown:very good. Okay, it is a representation fever dream and said an old time Hollywood and I love it was just amazing.
Rachel:Well, hey, thank you. Thank you guys for listening. Yeah, thanks. Thanks for hanging out with us for having I hope it was fun. I have fun. Do you want to do you want to plug anything since your stuff still in production? Or it's
Unknown:still in production? But I mean, we're still going to be probably doing fundings still cool. So you're on kofi. Now. What is your thing is cold storage podcast on cofee. We have an entire cast and crew already put together. We've been delayed for recording because the whole COVID
Margie:What's COVID? Huh? Yeah,
Unknown:so we're a little bit delayed on that. But that's fine. We have more time to do a little bit of funding, make sure we have the equipment we need. And we're paying are cast. So mice are paying the money. So it's very important that we are able to do that. So we got a little bit of money already put together for that. But we're check out some more
Rachel:check out their coffee. Yeah, absolutely. Cafe coffee. cup of coffee. Perfect. Well, that's super, super neat. And I'm actually really excited for it to come out because it sounds so cool. So hey, check that out. Y'all. It's gonna be awesome. Keep it on your radar.
Unknown:So good little mini series took me 12 episodes.
Margie:Nice. Cool.
Rachel:Yeah. Cool. See how to add it up. Not only a share friend, but also you have stuff to play. Yeah, has a
Margie:plot, plot plot plot. If you'd like plot if you'd like some plot if your plot here you go.
Rachel:Would you care for some plot with your novel? No, no, thank you. So one last thing while I'm remembering Thank you ala near you for the use of your song Oh, love of the album beheld. Such a good song. And now we love it. Thank you for listening. And I'll see you again in two weeks from now.