Book Club

Book Club Discussion Questions

  • Talk about the characters, both good and bad. Describe their personalities and motivations. Are they fully developed and emotionally complex?
  • What do you know… and when do you know it? At what point in the book do you begin to piece together what happened?
  • Good crime writers embed hidden clues, slipping them in casually, almost in passing. Did you pick them out, or were you…clueless? Once you’ve finished the book, go back to locate the clues hidden in plain sight. How skillful was the author in burying them?
  • Good crime writers also tease us with red-herrings—false clues—to purposely lead us astray. Does the author try to throw you off track? If so, were you tripped up?
  • Talk about the twists & turns—those surprising plot developments that throw everything you think you’ve figured out into disarray.
  • Does the author, Lois Lavrisa, ratchet up the suspense? Did you find yourself anxious—quickly turning pages to learn what happened? At what point does the suspense start to build? Where does it climax…then perhaps start rising again?
  •  A good ending is essential in any mystery or crime thriller: it should ease up on tension, answer questions, and tidy up loose ends. Does the ending accomplish those goals? Can you envision a different ending?
  • Point to passages in the book—ideas, descriptions, or dialogue—that you found interesting or revealing, that somehow struck you. What, if anything, made you stop and think or laugh?
  • Overall, does the book satisfy? Does it live up to the standards of a good cozy mystery?
  • Compare this book to other mystery, crime, or suspense thrillers that you’ve read. Consider other authors or other books in the series by Lois Lavrisa.