Book Club Discussion Questions

Mermaids of Bodega Bay Book Club Discussion Questions

  1. What did you think about Anne and Terrence’s struggle to maintain a relationship? Do you think their disparate backgrounds affect their communication problems? If so, what differences do you think were most significant? Coming from different countries? Growing up in different kinds of families? Different values? Age? Something else?
  2. How did you feel about Anne and Andrew’s relationship? Do you think they’re more compatible than Anne and Terrence? Do you see any significance in Anne’s attraction to two men about the same age?
  3. Did you have guesses while reading the story about the identity of the murderer? Who and when? What did you base those guesses on?
  4. What were your thoughts about the setting of the story? How did it contribute to the story?
  5. Did the book remind you of any other stories you’ve read or movies you’ve seen? If so, which ones?
  6. What did you think about Lucy? Did you like her or not? Why?
  7. Did you see a theme(s) to the story? If so, what was it/were they?
  8. What do you think contributed to Anne’s sometimes acting without seeming to consider the risks of her actions?
  9. Does Terrence change over the course of the novel? What if anything, does he learn?
  10. In the golden age of classic murder mysteries, the Detection Club, whose founders included Dorothy L. Sayers and Agatha Christie, drew up a list of rules for crime fiction that included the following: “No clue that is important to the solution of the puzzle may be concealed from the reader.” What are the clues to the solution of the mystery in Mermaids of Bodega Bay, and when did you realize their importance? When you found out who the murderer was, were you able to think back to clues that had been laid out and see their significance?

Most Gracious Advocate Book Club Discussion Questions

  1. Did you have guesses while reading the story about who was behind the kidnapping ring? Who and when? What did you base those guesses on?
  2. What were your thoughts about the setting of the story? How did it contribute to the story?
  3. Did the book remind you of any other stories you’ve read or movies you’ve seen? If so, which ones?
  4. What did you think about Lizzie? Did you like her or not? Why?
  5. Did you see a theme(s) to the story? If so, what was it/were they?
  6. What did you think about Anne and Terrence’s continuing struggle to communicate? Do you think their disparate backgrounds affect their communication problems? If so, what differences do you think were most significant? Coming from different countries? Growing up in different kinds of families? Different values? Age? Something else?
  7. How did you feel about the evolution of Allison and Harry’s relationship? Did the normalcy and lighter note of their relationship help juxtapose the darker tone of the human trafficking story line?
  8. If this is the first book you’ve read of the series, were you able to pick up on the characters’ backgrounds and history? Give details.
  9. Do you see any of the characters change over the course of the novel? If so, who, how do they change, and what do they learn?
  10. Did you feel justice had been served at the end of the novel? If not, why not? If yes, how?