Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Which of the novel’s revelations surprised you the most? Discuss why you felt this way.

2. Discuss another thriller or suspense novel, like Lisa Jewell’s None of This Is True or Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. How do they reflect a similar use of narrative structure, characterization, or point of view to Guess Again to create feelings of tension?

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

1. Discuss a time when you or someone you know has experienced trauma. How do Ethan, Maddie, and Lindsay’s experiences with trauma’s ongoing effects reflect your/their own experience?

2. Have you experienced an event in your life from which you struggled to find closure or acceptance? How did you cope? How do your feelings reflect what Ethan goes through in the text?

3. Have you ever made assumptions because of the way something appeared, and learned that things were very different in reality? What happened?

4. The novel considers the difference between justice and closure when considering what solving a case offers to victims and their families. Have you ever had the experience of gaining justice but not closure, or vice versa? What was the effect on your feelings about the event?

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

1. Consider Ethan’s description of prison as a place where “a perp [gets] three meals a day and a warm pillow at night” (7). How do his words reflect his feelings about the prison system, and how does his assessment contribute to real-world discussion on the topic?

2. How does Francis’s portrayal in the novel reflect the glamorization of serial killers in society? Discuss the characters in the novel that reinforce this idea. How is this depiction problematic?

3. Discuss the three antagonists in the novel that commit murder: Francis, Harriett, and Lindsay. How do their depictions differ in relation to their gender? Consider ideas like planning, subservience, emotion, and more to explore how Guess Again explores typical gender roles in villains.

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

1. Choose three specific scenes from the text. Discuss how Donlea uses narrative structure, diction, and/or point of view to build suspense and tension in these scenes.

2. What role does the setting play in the novel? Discuss both the broader setting of Wisconsin and at least two specific places that the characters go. How does the setting develop the novel’s themes and/or characters?

3. How do the characters’ personal histories and motivations impact the overarching quest for truth? Be sure to discuss Ethan, Governor Jones, and Francis in your response.

4. In addition to Lake Morikawa, what other water or lakes are present in the novel? Discuss what they symbolize. How do they develop a theme in the text?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine you are tasked with creating a movie version of Guess Again. Choose one scene that is particularly tense and suspenseful. Explain how you would film this scene, including, but not limited to: actors, camera location, angles, editing, and background music. Discuss how your choices would accurately reflect the emotion and tension of the scene in the book.

2. Imagine that Ethan’s father, Henry, was still alive in the present day when Ethan discovered his involvement in the Lake Michigan murders. Write a scene where Ethan confronts Henry. How would Ethan feel? What emotions would he have? What would the outcome of the conversation be? Anchor your narrative in the novel’s development of Ethan’s character during the final part of Guess Again.