For those of you that haven't or couldn't attend book club lately, we'll be publishing the previous months' discussion questions here. I hope eventually to post discussion questions for all of the books we've covered since I took over a couple of years ago, maybe even beyond. It will take a while. Until then, we will be posting discussion questions a couple of times a month. Here are the questions from one of the lost 2020 Spring sessions, The Last Widow. We hope these questions spark discussions of your own.
The Last Widow
by Karin Slaughter
Summary:
A mysterious kidnapping
On a hot summer night, a scientist from the Centers for Disease Control is grabbed by unknown assailants in a shopping center parking lot. Vanished into thin air, the authorities are desperate to save the doctor.
A devastating explosion
One month later, the serenity of a sunny Sunday afternoon is shattered by the boom of a ground-shaking blast—followed by another seconds later. One of Atlanta’s busiest and most important neighborhood’s has been bombed—the location of Emory University, two major hospitals, the FBI headquarters, and the CDC.
A diabolical enemy
Medical examiner Sara Linton and her partner Will Trent, an investigator with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, rush to the scene—and into the heart of a deadly conspiracy that threatens to destroy thousands of innocent lives. When the assailants abduct Sara, Will goes undercover to save her and prevent a massacre—putting his own life on the line for the woman and the country he loves. -- author's website
Discussion Questions
How is the book structured? Does the author use any narrative devices like flashbacks or multiple voices in telling the story? How did this affect your reading of the story and your appreciation of the book? Do you think the author did a good job with it?
Talk about the author's use of language/writing style. Have each member read his or her favorite passage out loud. (You might want to warn them ahead of time that they'll be doing this so they'll be prepared.) How does this particular passage relate to the story as a whole? Does it reveal anything specific about any of the characters or illuminate certain aspects of the story?
Discuss the mystery aspect of the plotline. How effective is the author's use of plot twists and red herrings? Were you able to predict certain things before they happened, or did the author keep you guessing until the end of the story? Did you find that the novel held everyone's interest throughout the story, or were there times when it failed to totally engross members of the group?
How important is the setting to the story? If applicable, discuss the time period in which the book is set. Does the author provide enough background information for you to understand the events in the story?
I found it interesting to place everything in the light of a white supremist group. It is a focus that we don't see as much as we could when compared to other groups. What was your take on that? Do you think it worked?
What is the most important part of a mystery or thriller to each member of the group-characterization, action, dialogue, or setting? How does this book rate in each of these areas?
This book is significantly into a series. Have any of you read other books from this series? How has reading the books in order—or not reading them in order—affected your group's enjoyment of the book? How does this book stack up against others in the series? Karin Slaughter books in general?
Is the author equally invested in both character and plot? Or did the author put more effort into developing the story than in creating compelling and believable characters? Were the motivations of the characters believable, or did their actions feel like a means to further the plot?
Despite numerous mysteries of hers having romantically involved characters and her favorite novel to write having been a romance, Agatha Christie herself wrote in her autobiography about her dislike of mysteries having a romantic subplot. Do you agree or disagree with her views? Did this book have an element of romance? If so, do you feel the love aspect enhanced or detracted from the story?
Do you think the author agrees with Christie? In what way might this opinion be informed by Agatha Christie?
Would you recommend this work to a non-mystery/thriller fan simply on the basis of its literary merit? Would you endorse it purely because of the skillful writing and the well-developed characters? Or do you think the work would strictly appeal to fans of the mystery/thriller genre.
Karin Slaughter has famously stated 'I get gendered questions about the violence in my books', in other words that because she writes some rather graphicly violent scenes as part of her realistic thrillers, she gets called out on it where as she has seen similar scenes completely overlooked in books written by males. Do you agree with her reasoning? Do you think it is something we should look at on a societal level that it is okay for men but not women (or vis versa)?
What did you like or dislike about the book that hasn't been discussed already? Were you glad you read this book? Would you recommend it to a friend? Do you want to read more work by this author?
Note:
Early in the pandemic shutdowns, there were a few months that either found themselves lost or cancelled due to confusion, changing schedules, and difficulties getting the word out. These books we will consider returning to so that individuals who want to discuss them can. Once we are back again at our usual numbers, we will put it to a vote to see if anyone is interested in any of them for a future season.
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