Book Club Questions
Mermaids of Bodega Bay
Book Club Discussion
1. Did you have guesses while reading the story about the identity of the murderer? 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 Lucy? 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 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?
7. 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?
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?
The First Cut
Book Club Discussion
1. Why do you think the author uses shifting points of view throughout the book? Did it help you get into the minds of the various characters?
2. Discuss the setting of the novel and its impact on the plot. Would things have been different if this book was set in the United States instead of Scotland? If so, how?
3. What did you think about Darby’s scheme to work behind Terrence’s back? What motivated her to strike out on her own?
4. Anne’s desire to keep herself and the baby safe seems to conflict with her need to take action. Did you think she made the right decisions? If not, why not? Would you have done something differently?
5. What were some of the red herrings in the novel? Were there characters you suspected before the truth was unveiled?
6. Describe the author’s writing style. How did you feel about the development of the characters of both the main and secondary characters? Were you able to picture them in your head, and did you think they acted consistently with their personalities?
7. What did you think about the development of the various characters on Terrence’s team? Did you get a sense of their varying degrees of loyalty? What do you think drove each of them?
8. What are your thoughts about the father son relationships within the Von Zandt family? What do you believe causes different people in the same family to develop different moral compasses?
9. Did you agree with Terrence’s decisions regarding his relationship with Anne? How could he have handled things differently?
10. What do you think motivated Walter Von Zandt to become the man he did? Do you think he could have been different given different circumstances?
Less Than A Treason
Book Club Discussion
1. What did you think of the juxtaposition of the two main settings of the novel, i.e. Dunbaryn Castle in the Highlands versus Glasgow? Were you able to feel immersed in both settings?
2. How did Terrence’s troubled relationship with his mother affect the way he deals with life and other relationships?
3. What were your thoughts about how Lady Flora’s family turned out the way they did?
4. Did you have suspicions while reading the story about the identity of Lady Flora’s murderer? Who and when did you first suspect them? What did you base those suspicions on?
5. Did you expect Anne and Terrence’s relationship to take the path it did? How have the two characters changed throughout the course of their marriage and the first three novels?
6. What did you think about the role Terrence’s birds of prey took in the novel? Why do you think he was drawn to raising birds of prey?
7. What is the significance of the book’s title? How does it relate to the story?
8. What do you think are the main themes of the novel?
9. What role did greed play in the motivation that led to murder in the novel? Jealousy? Do you think greed and jealousy are interrelated? Or are they essentially the same thing?
10. Who was your favorite character? Why?
Most Gracious Advocate
Book Club Discussion
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?