The Color of Death

How does the novel prescribe balancing the relationship between work and personal health? Consider how Colm Truesdale sees his professional life serve as a solution to his personal grief. Where does it instead act as an accelerant?

How does the novel’s shifting narrative perspective between Colm, JD, and Judge Martin Weber shape the reader’s understanding of the flaws that characterize the American justice system?

Discuss the novel’s exploration of mentorship. What are the potential benefits it provides for the mentor, as shown in the examples of both Colm and Captain Rick “Bones” Denton?

How does the novel distinguish between revenge and justice? Do the characters who seek revenge really want justice for their grievances? Why or why not?

Beyond creating suspense and foreshadowing the overarching series conflict, what thematic functions does the parallel plot involving antagonists JD and Knox serve throughout the novel?

Once his affair is exposed, Martin assets that infidelity is not a crime. How does this nuance drive the novel’s critique on the relationship between morality and law? Where else does this nuance manifest throughout the novel?

In what ways do characters like Bones, Detective Travis Hendrick, and Sheriff Lloyd Fuller represent different, and often conflicting, models of integrity within the justice system?

How do class circumstances affect the way the law treats different characters throughout the novel? Compare and contrast the challenges that Belle, Rachel, Martin, and Colm face as a result of their respective class identities.