Contents ( 85)
- Contents
- Part I
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Part II
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Part III
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- One
- Two
- Reading Group Guide
- A Conversation with the Author
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
I look at my arm, which is suddenly washed in goose bumps.
Jesus, what is happening?
There’s something else I never would have done a year ago, and that’s start a conversation with the person on the plane next to me. But the familiarity of this woman is so intense that I’m barely aware I’m speaking before I actually hear the words coming out my mouth.
“Excuse me, do I know you?”
The Dead Girl in 2A
Available now from Poisoned Pen Press
Reading Group Guide
1. Rose insists she’s different from the rest of her family, but by the end of the book, we learn that’s not quite true. Do you think we have any say in what we inherit and whether we have control over it?
2. Characterize Logan Yates. What seems to be his main motivation?
3. Compare Rose’s marriage and Detective Pearson’s marriage. How are they different? In what ways, if any, are they similar?
4. Think about Detective Pearson’s mother. How does she act at night versus during the day? What makes her spiral out of control?
5. Put yourself in Rose’s shoes. If you witnessed a horrific crime committed by a family member, would you turn them in? Why or why not?
6. Describe the Yateses’ position in Bury. How are they treated by people in town? How do they treat others?
7. List the ways Rose tries to cope with the memory of Caleb’s murder. What activities do you turn to when trying to process something difficult?
8. Max behaves strangely throughout the story. Describe his erratic behavior. Why does he act this way?
9. It’s clear that Cora is capable of incredible cruelty and violence. Why do you think she killed Caleb?
10. This story explores how far parents will go to protect their children, even if it means doing something morally wrong. To what extent is a crime justifiable if done to protect a loved one?
11. What do you think happens to Rose and Max after the story ends? Do they get away?
A Conversation with the Author
What was your inspiration for writing The Dead Husband?
Unlike most of my books where I conjure an opening scene and see where it leads, all I knew about The Dead Husband was I wanted to write a story about two sisters. I can’t tell you where that came from; it was just something that nibbled at my brain. And as I thought about the idea of two sisters, I decided it would be interesting if they were estranged and were forced into a situation where they had to reunite. That led to the idea of one of them returning to her hometown, and then I immediately visualized Rose standing at the massive front door of her childhood home. I saw Logan Yates opening the door, saw every tiny feature of his face and the tight squint he wore, and then everything took off from there.
Like you, Rose is an author. As you wrote this book, did you find yourself drawing any other parallels between the two of you?