Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. Discuss your overall impressions of Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door. What were your favorite and/or least favorite aspects of the novel, and why?

2. How did reading Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door compare to your experience reading other novels by Lucy Score? For example, how does the title compare to Score’s standalone titles By a Thread and/or Things We Never Got Over?

3. Compare and contrast Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door with other romantic comedies or cozy mystery novels. For example, how does the plot compare to titles like Ashley Poston’s The Dead Romantics or Jess Q. Sutanto’s Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers?

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

1. Reflect on your response to the plot twist that Mrs. Penny was part of a band of vigilantes. Have you ever made a similarly surprising discovery about a neighbor or friend you thought you knew well? How did your response compare or contrast with Riley Thorn’s?

2. The novel explores Developing Self-Acceptance Via Personal Challenges as a major theme. Which facets of Riley’s ongoing self-acceptance journey resonate with your own? Have you learned to embrace parts of yourself as a result of life’s challenges? What inspired you to do so?

3. Compare and contrast Riley and Nick Santiago’s romance to your own romantic relationships. Have you ever fallen for someone at a time when you were resistant to intimacy? How does Riley’s response relate to your experience?

4. Riley often feels out of place in the context of her idiosyncratic family. What is your role in your family, and how have you found your voice and identity amid or despite this culture?

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

1. The novel contains recurring instances of graphic violence. How do Score’s representations of violence, death, illegality, and danger resonate with or subvert contemporary media’s obsession with true crime? Did you find Score’s narrative unique or cliché? If so, why?

2. Nick is a bachelor who fears settling down because he doesn’t want to give up his freedom. Explore how his character and his regard for Riley either disrupt or reinforce gender stereotypes. How could Score have toyed with Nick’s character arc to create a different representation of heterosexual relationships?

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

1. Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door is written from the third-person point of view. Analyze the formal, narrative, and thematic significance of this perspective. How would the novel resonate differently if written from either Riley’s perspective alone or Riley’s and Nick’s alternating points of view?

2. The novel uses a narrative frame, opening with an event that chronologically occurs later in the novel. Explore the significance of this formal device. What does it achieve? Is it effective? If not, how might you structure the novel differently, and why?

3. Analyze the significance of three of the novel’s micro and/or macro settings and their impact on the narrative mood. For example, how does the narrative atmosphere relate to settings like Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to Nature Girls, or to the Front Street mansion? How do these settings impact the primary characters?

4. Identify three symbols in the narrative that the guide doesn’t cover, and explore their resonance. For example, what do images like Riley’s Jeep, the engagement video, or the tarot cards represent, and how do they relate to the novel’s themes?

5. Compare and contrast Nick Santiago and Griffin Gentry’s characters. How does each man affect Riley differently? What is the significance of their contrasting personalities?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. Imagine that you’re adapting Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door for the screen. Who would you cast in the leading roles? Which plot points would you alter, add, or omit to adapt to better fit the medium?

2. Create a playlist that reflects the trajectory of Riley and Nick’s investigation into Dickie Frick’s murder. Choose songs that mimic the tenor of the conflicts and the stakes of their detective work. Share your playlists, and discuss the reasoning behind each of your chosen songs.