Book Group Discussion Questions
Emma sees herself as an outsider, someone who doesn’t quite fit in. Did you relate to that aspect of her character? Do you think her sense of “otherness” affected the choices she made?
Ian is motivated by a sense of protectiveness, in part because of his experience with his previous informant. Do you think he was right to try to keep Emma out of the investigation?
Both Ian and Emma have people on their “team” who help them figure out the crime. How does Emma’s relationship with her colleagues compare to Ian’s? Do those relationships affect their approach to solving the crime?
What were your feelings about Emma’s and Ian’s relationship throughout the story? How about Emma and Rory’s?
Ian and Mike argue more than once about how best to approach the investigation. How would you describe their attitudes toward detective work? Which strategy do you think is ultimately more successful?
Murder by the Book has been described as “dark academia” because of its setting on a college campus. What role do you think the setting played in the story? What did it add to your understanding of the story’s characters, plotline, or themes?
Emma and her friends discuss why they think the killer incorporated art and literature into these crimes. Now that you know who that killer is, do you agree with that analysis? Or do you think there was a different motivation?
Literature is a driving force in Emma’s life and the killer’s, with each of them reading the same poem or play differently. How do you find meaning in the texts that you read? What do you think Murder by the Book is saying about literature or the act of reading more broadly?
