Buddy Read: Hand In Glove by Anne Stuart

[DoodlePanda]

Is it just me or is it super creepy they way they talk to the puppets like they are actual humans?? I'm about 60% in, trying to get some more reading done today :)

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Resident Book Pusher]

TSTL = too stupid to live

And she is. She really, really is.

The puppets are all creepy. And extra creepy is that the hero's "alter-ego" is a little boy puppet...who pervs on the heroine... who also kinda pervs on him back. SQUICKY

[DoodlePanda]

And what is the obsession with raspberry yogurt?? It's pretty much all she eats...

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Resident Book Pusher]

And drink Tab. That's a terrible combo.

[Christa, The Renewed]

Yeah, the first time she encountered the puppets, it was cute. After that it was just weird.

At first I thought Billy was just going to keep telling Fafnir to stop being a perv, then Billy started getting flirty too and it was just gross.

Spoiler in case Doodles wants to avoid the killer reveal:

(view spoiler)[I had the killer pegged pretty early, just because the author hit it so hard with the opposite-hammer: "Franz is definitely NOT the killer. Nope. No way. The only person I can trust. Yup." (hide spoiler)]

The sad thing is, why he did what he did, who he really was and all that could have made a good book on its own. Maybe not in the hands of this particular author, but still.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Resident Book Pusher]

Christa wrote: "Yeah, the first time she encountered the puppets, it was cute. After that it was just weird.

At first I thought Billy was just going to keep telling Fafnir to stop being a perv, then Billy starte..."

(view spoiler)[YES! It was obvious pretty early. But the biggest issues I had with him was the reason why. I mean, I get what she said but WTF! The women were killed and now he’s killing women??!! WHHHYYYY??!! It’s such a slut-shaming, women hating plotline. And its not like the women WANTED to be pros and its obvious that the damn women took care of who was left. Such an unsatisfying reason. And what is worse is she tried to make him sympathetic (didn’t work for me). And she gave him a pass with the “has cancer and will die soon.” Thing. How!!!! How is it he gets off like that! And he’s had to have killed 40+ women!!!!
(hide spoiler)]

[Christa, The Renewed]

Yes, it was unsatisfying and bassackwards because the author mishandled it so terribly.

(view spoiler)[I got what she was going for because I've read similar true stories, but she turned it into a shit-show for the shock factor. She basically took the psychological toll of warring influences during a traumatic childhood and gave it the sensationalist Norman Bates treatment. Except she dressed it up in a puppet suit instead of Mom's dress.

If she'd been at all competent in handling it, the sympathetic angle might have made more sense. But instead it just comes across as "he's a monster but he really didn't mean it" which was one big eye-roll.

She would have been much better off just making him a classic crazed killer type and having him gunned down during the big scene. Would have been easier to swallow and a lot less messy.
(hide spoiler)]

It's Harlequin Intrigue, for goodness sake. The complexity was completely unnecessary and she wasn't up to it.

[DoodlePanda]

Just finished. And she really is too stupid to live *rolls eyes*

I think you're right, Franz' story could have been interesting if it was written better!

[DoodlePanda]

Some of my favourite (?) quotes:

Judith hated men who wore after-shave.

A bit harsh? Hate aftershave maybe, but the men? LOL

She could feel the shape of Ryan’s hand beneath the soft cloth; the sensation was oddly intimate and strangely erotic.

This was a WTF moment for me, feeling a hand inside the puppet? ... erotic? All kinds of nope.

Judith couldn’t begin to imagine the connection between high-stakes gambling and the murder of young women, but one must surely exist.

Yes. Surely if you gamble it's only a matter of time before you start murdering *rolls eyes*

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Resident Book Pusher]

Christa wrote: "Yes, it was unsatisfying and bassackwards because the author mishandled it so terribly.

I got what she was going for because I've read similar true stories, but she turned it into a shit-show for..."

YES!!! But him crying and then mentally regressing to a child??! NOPE. Especially since he was a fucking TEEN when his mom & sister were killed, iirc.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Resident Book Pusher]

The erotic-puppet thing was just kinda gross.

[DoodlePanda]

Also, I find it so weird that a whole bunch of adults would treat the puppets like they were real people, and be 100 % serious about it. And even J started talking to them and forgetting there was someone controlling them. That sounds so far out there to me.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Resident Book Pusher]

DoodlePanda wrote: "Also, I find it so weird that a whole bunch of adults would treat the puppets like they were real people, and be 100 % serious about it. And even J started talking to them and forgetting there was ..."

True. When I watch puppets...I don't cross some line into imaginary world. I always know there's a hand in there.

But I think it was so it made sense Franz was wearing the damn suit.

[DoodlePanda]

I guess so, that sounds like somethign that would make sense in this authors head :P

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Resident Book Pusher]

DoodlePanda wrote: "I guess so, that sounds like somethign that would make sense in this authors head :P"

lol

[Christa, The Renewed]

DoodlePanda wrote: "Also, I find it so weird that a whole bunch of adults would treat the puppets like they were real people, and be 100 % serious about it. And even J started talking to them and forgetting there was ..."

Yeah. I can kinda see it for puppeteers trying to get into character, sort of like method acting, but that doesn't explain Judith forgetting they aren't real. And, seriously, if it was a matter of staying in character, would they all just be fixated on Judith - flirting with her, defending her... I don't really feel that Billy, in particular, was actually staying in character here. That made it a bit harder to buy the whole character immersion thing with the puppets.

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Resident Book Pusher]

Agreed.

I think that she tried to go too far with the fantasy/reality line. I could get down with "talk to them like they're real while you're in this room" cause the puppeteers are practicing... outside of that, Ummmm NOPE.

[DoodlePanda]

Yea I totally agree!
Also, how likely is it that they all would do the voices so well that you cant even tell who is behind the puppet? Like even Micki?

[Christa, The Renewed]

We started this on a Wednesday, and had the discussion on a Wednesday.

Weird Shit Wednesday CONFIRMED! :D

[Christa, The Renewed]

DoodlePanda wrote: "Yea I totally agree!
Also, how likely is it that they all would do the voices so well that you cant even tell who is behind the puppet? Like even Micki?"

I get that some of them are really good at the voices, but there were times when they changed mid-conversation. And Micki was new-ish to some of the puppets. I'm skeptical.

Although, they're supposed to be first-class puppeteers. They are pretty inept at just about everything else, though.

[DoodlePanda]

Christa wrote: "We started this on a Wednesday, and had the discussion on a Wednesday.

Weird Shit Wednesday CONFIRMED! :D"

Sweet xD

[MrsJoseph *grouchy*, Resident Book Pusher]

Christa wrote: "We started this on a Wednesday, and had the discussion on a Wednesday.

Weird Shit Wednesday CONFIRMED! :D"

WOOOT!