Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What was your immediate reaction to the final revelation that Mandy killed her mother? Did you find this twist surprising and believable, and how did it reframe your understanding of Allison’s character and her desperate attempts to escape?

2. The novel opens with an epigraph from Flannery O’Connor, placing it within the Southern Gothic tradition. How did this context shape your reading experience? If you’re familiar with O’Connor’s work, like the story “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” what similarities did you notice in the atmosphere, the characters, or the author’s depiction of violence?

3. How did you find the book’s pacing and structure, particularly its use of flashbacks and shifts in perspective? Which character’s personal journey resonated with you the most, and why?

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

1. Emmy constantly battles both her professional duties as sheriff and the overwhelming weight of her personal grief. Think about a time in your own life when you’ve had to navigate a major professional responsibility while dealing with a personal challenge. How did that experience compare to Emmy’s struggle?

2. Jude’s return after a 40-year estrangement from her family is met with a mix of resentment and need from Emmy. How did you feel about Jude’s methods of reinserting herself into the family and the investigation? In a similar situation, do you think you would welcome the help or resist the intrusion?

3. To advise Emmy on her fractured relationship with Jude, Hannah uses an analogy from the film The Long Riders, suggesting that either they must fight it out or one must let go. Thinking about strained relationships in general, do you find this advice to be true? What does it take to mend a connection that has been broken for a long time?

4. The novel shows how friends and family, including Emmy, felt frustrated by Allison’s inability to leave her abusive husband. How did the story’s exploration of trauma bonds and coercive control affect your perspective on why survivors of domestic violence may struggle to leave?

5. What did you make of Myrna’s index cards and the secret message they contain? Think about the different ways people communicate regret or affection. What makes a nonverbal or coded apology like Myrna’s powerful?

6. Emmy relies on her “DFR” or “Doesn’t feel right” instinct throughout the investigation (38). How much do you trust your own intuition in high-stakes situations?

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

1. The “Giglio list” is a central plot device, based on a real legal ruling concerning police credibility. In light of current debates about police accountability, what does the novel suggest about the difficulty of rooting out corruption within law enforcement?

2. How does the use of digital coercive control, like the GPS tracker in Mandy’s shoe and the monitoring of Wi-Fi, update the classic thriller for our modern age? In what ways does technology make it harder for survivors of abuse to find safety and privacy today?

3. The Rawley family’s connections to the historical Dixie Mafia demonstrate how organized crime can become embedded within the structures of a community. How does this portrayal relate to present-day concerns about criminal networks, political influence, and corruption in communities? Why might such networks be particularly difficult for residents and outside authorities to challenge?

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

1. Allison is a posthumous character, and the reader comes to know her through the investigation and the memories of others. How effectively do you think the novel builds her character? Did you feel her motivations were clear and compelling by the end?

2. How do Emmy and Jude function as character foils throughout the story? Contrast their approaches to investigation, their ways of processing trauma, and their definitions of family and justice.

3. The 2002 Gilchrist trial connects nearly every character and crime. How does this single past event act as the source of the town’s corruption, and what does its unraveling suggest about the nature of long-buried secrets?

4. What is the significance of the Crown Royal bag where Allison kept her gun? How does this object’s meaning shift throughout the novel?

5. What does the alliance between Jude and Lee Rawley at the end suggest about the novel’s ultimate vision of justice? Is the morally ambiguous partnership a necessary evil, or does it perpetuate the very corruption that Jude and Emmy sought to dismantle?

6. The theme of Secrecy as a Source of Family Dysfunction is central to the Clifton family. In what ways has the core secret of Emmy’s parentage shaped the behavior and choices of Emmy, Jude, Gerald, and Myrna across the decades?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. If you were writing a scene set five years in the future, what would the relationship between Emmy and Jude look like? Would the full truth about Jude and Lee be out in the open, and how would that have changed the Clifton family dynamic?

2. If you were casting a film adaptation, who would you choose to play Emmy and Jude, and what important scene would you use for their audition to test their chemistry?

3. Myrna communicated her final message through a coded puzzle on index cards. If you were to create a similar message for a character in the book, which character would it be for, and what objects or words would you use to convey your secret message?