Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. The novel opens by showing us the murder in the Prologue, so we know who the killers are from the very beginning. How did this choice affect your experience as a reader? How does it compare to a traditional whodunit mystery where the murderer’s identity drives the plot?

2. Have you read other novels by Shari Lapena? How did Getting Away With Murder compare?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. Ted and Jill Westcott’s Brooklyn brownstone is more than just a house. It’s the core of their identity, and the fear of losing it drives them to murder. Have you ever felt that a particular place was central to your identity? Would you have been able to tolerate losing or giving up that place?

2. The friendship between Jill and Lara Donleavy starts as a close bond but fractures under the weight of suspicion, jealousy, and eventually, blackmail. Can you think of a time when a major life event altered the dynamic of a close friendship?

3. Special Agent Paul Ramirez pursues his suspicions about Jill and Ted Westcott despite being aware that he will almost certainly not be able to convict them. Have you ever pursued a project or goal knowing that chances of success were slim? Why did you feel compelled to do so?

4. The secret about the murder initially creates a new bond of intimacy between Jill and Ted, but it eventually pushes them apart. In your experience, do shared secrets tend to draw people together or push them apart?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Ted and Jill ultimately escape legal conviction because the video evidence against them is inadmissible in court. How does this plot critique a justice system where legal strategy can triumph over clear evidence of guilt?

2. Agent Ramirez is driven by a strong sense of class consciousness and a dislike for the Westcotts’ privilege. How does his perspective shape the investigation, and what does the novel suggest about the perception of wealth and privilege in contemporary society?

3. The blackmailers’ decision to leak the recordings to the media results in Ted and Jill’s social ruin. What does the book suggest about the power of public opinion versus legal judgment in the digital age?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. The novel uses third-person narration throughout. How does this narrative technique compare to using first-person narration and allowing characters to speak directly?

2. Compare and contrast the use of New York and Venice as settings in the novel. 

3. The narrative often relies on shifts in points of view, capturing multiple events unfolding at the same time in different locales. How is this narrative technique important to the structure of the plot and the development of suspense?

4. When the camera recordings are played at the end of the novel, readers revisit scenes from earlier in the book. Did you notice different details or have a different emotional response when these conversations are depicted for a second time?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you are casting a film adaptation of Getting Away with Murder. Which actors would you cast in the major roles?

2. The novel ends with Nadya Sokolov watching Ted and Jill, promising they’ll never be free. What do you imagine life looks like for the Westcotts five years after the events of the book? Are they still together in the brownstone?

3. If you were to write a short story from the perspective of another character, like Lara, Minerva “Min” Westcott, or even Nadya, what would their account of the events look like? What new insights might their viewpoint offer?