Discussion Questions
We'll add publisher questions if and when they're available; in the meantime, use our LitLovers talking points to help start a discussion for The Good Daughter … and then take off on your own:
1. What do you think of Rusty Quinn? Why is he so roundly disliked in Pikeville? Why does he defend seemingly "indefensible" people? Does he have any justification?
2. Follow-up to Question 1: How does the book portray the town of Pikeville? Consider, especially, the justice system.
3. If you can handle its grisly nature, discuss the night of the murder and rapes at the beginning of the novel. Why do you think the author wrote the scene in such a graphic manner?
4. How would you describe Charlie's character? How have the violent events of 30 years past affected her life? Talk about her husband and their relationship. Is Ben a sympathetic character in your eyes?
5. Talk about Sam? For one so determined never to turn back, why does she decide to return home and take the case?
6. What is the relationship between the two sisters? (Consider the coffin lid scene in the funeral parlor.)
7. Who is the good daughter?
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GENERIC DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Mystery / Crime / Suspense Thrillers
1. Talk about the characters, both good and bad. Describe their personalities and motivations. Are they fully developed and emotionally complex? Or are they flat, one-dimensional heroes and villains?
2. What do you know...and when do you know it? At what point in the book do you begin to piece together what happened?
3. Good crime writers embed hidden clues in plain sight, 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?
4. Good crime writers also tease us with red-herrings—false clues—to purposely lead readers astray? Does your author try to throw you off track? If so, were you tripped up?
5. Talk about the twists & turns—those surprising plot developments that throw everything you think you've figured out into disarray.
- Do they enhance the story, add complexity, and build suspense?
- Are they plausible or implausible?
- Do they feel forced and gratuitous—inserted merely to extend the story?
6. Does the author ratchet up the suspense? Did you find yourself anxious—quickly turning pages to learn what happened? A what point does the suspense start to build? Where does it climax...then perhaps start rising again?
7. 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?
- Is the conclusion probable or believable?
- Is it organic, growing out of clues previously laid out by the author (see Question 3)?
- Or does the ending come out of the blue, feeling forced or tacked-on?
- Perhaps it's too predictable.
- Can you envision a different or better ending?
8. Are there certain passages in the book—ideas, descriptions, or dialogue—that you found interesting or revealing...or that somehow struck you? What lines, if any, made you stop and think?
9. Overall, does the book satisfy? Does it live up to the standards of a good crime story or suspense thriller? Why or why not?
(Questions by LitLovers. Please feel free to use them, online or off, with attribution. Thanks.)