Book Clubs

Book Club Questions: Blinded by the Sight

1. Do you think Brad, Megan, Casey and Eric’s parents played favorites? If so, who was the favored child? In what ways? Are the four of them the products of those relationships?

2. What was Brad’s biggest mistake? Why?

3. Pete is portrayed as a decent, hard-working, yet shrewd public servant. Does he remind you of other fictional detectives? How is he the same, or different?

4. Do you see any similarities between Pete and Martin? What are the most pronounced differences?

5. Is the picture painted of Martin a reflection of his inexperience as an investigator or will he be much the same when he has Pete’s years of experience?

6. If Pete’s treatment of Martin fair? Is Pete using the power of his position, as a lieutenant, to force Martin into a subservient position?

7. Is Megan’s marriage doomed? If so, why? If not, why not? What is/are the most significant thing(s) driving a wedge between her and her husband?

8. Do you think Pete’s attraction to Katie Benton is well-grounded or a symptom of the effects of the passage of time on his desire for children?

9. Some people believe that everyone is capable of murder under the right circumstances. Do you believe you are capable of being pushed across that disastrous line? How would you describe the motive for Brad’s murder?

10. Blinded by the Sight has some unlikable characters. Was there any one you particularly “loved to hate?” Why? Which of the characters would you like to get to know better?

11. The novel has several red herrings. Were you misled by any of them? If so, who did you think was the murderer, and what was the motive? When did you realize it wasn’t Walter Linton? At that point, what were your assumptions?

12. Discuss the author’s use of humor in the book. Is humor ever appropriate in a murder mystery?

13. In what ways do you think Doc’s life and future might be altered by the events of this book?

14. Aside from Pete and Martin, did you notice what all of the other last names have in common?

Book Club Questions: Running Scared

1. How many victims did you identify in this novel? Who was the most tragic? Why?

2. Did anyone in Running Scared strike a chord with you? Why?

3. Running Scared has some unlikable characters. Was there any one you particularly “loved to hate?” Why?

4. Which character(s) would you like to get to know better?

5. What did you like and dislike most about the book?

6. If you could change something about the book, what would it be and why?

7. What major emotion did the story evoke in you as a reader?

8. Could Dylan have done anything to keep Catlin from following the path she selected?

9. Is Pete Culnane the prototypical fictional detective? Why or why not?

10. Does he remind you of other fictional detectives? How is he the same/different?

11. Is Paul and Jill Norman’s marriage doomed?

12. Is love or the desire to have children driving Pete’s relationship with Katie Benton?

13. Some people believe everyone is capable of murder, under the right circumstance. Do you agree?

14. The novel has several red herrings. Were you misled by any of them? If so, who did you think was the murderer, and what was the motive?

15. When did you first realize who dunnit?

16. The author used a dose of humor in the book. Is it appropriate in a murder mystery?

17. What will happen to Catlin? Can she survive this and lead a productive life?

18. Aside from Pete and Martin, what do all of the last names have in common?

Book Club Questions: Murder on a Stick

1. The Minnesota State Fair is as much a character in Murder on a Stick as are the fictional characters. Can you name other novels where a place or an institution played this role?
2. While reading this book, did you learn something you didn’t know before?

3. What emotion(s) did the story evoke in you as a reader?

4. Each of my stories includes a social issue. Which issue does Murder on a Stick address? Does it address the topic from more than one perspective? If so, which perspectives?

5. With which character(s) did you identify?

6. Did you dislike any character(s)? If so, which ones and why?

7. Do you have an elderly friend or family member coping with the drawbacks of old age? If so, did this story ring true for you?

8. What do you think is wrong with Martin’s wife?

9. Have you ever wondered how IBM ended up in Rochester, Minnesota? Were you surprised by the answer?

10. Are you confident you know what lies in Pete and Katie’s future? If so, what?

11. Do you think that humor has a place in a mystery novel? Why or why not?