Evelyn David
Sullivan Investigations Mystery Series

Murder Takes the Cake

1. Murder Takes the Cake is the second book in the series. What do you expect from a series? Do you want the characters to change and grow?

2. Evelyn David uses a large cast of characters. Who is your favorite? Who is your least favorite? Why?

3. Family tensions are front and center in this second book. Mother & daughter communications/​expectations are explored during the wedding planning. Are weddings usually more about the mother's dreams of a perfect wedding than the daughter's? The missing caskets subplot leads to a major father/​son confrontation. Do the conflicts between Jeff and Sean ring true?

4. Is a romance between Mac and Rachel a good idea? How do you feel about the pacing of a romantic relationship in a series? Is the story over if the main characters tie the knot?

5. Are Edgar and JJ a modern version of "Doc and Festus?" Discuss the role of supporting characters in a series.

Murder Off the Books

1. Have you ever been to Washington D.C.? Could this book have been set in any city? How important is setting in a mystery?

2. An ongoing theme in Murder Off the Books is change. Rachel is undergoing a lot of change in her life - home, job, divorce. How well do you think she coped? Do you think she is representative of most women today? Why or why not?

3. How important is the role of Mac's "sidekick"? Who is more important to Mac - Jeff or Whiskey? Why? Name other sidekicks in books, movies, television shows. What role did they play in the development of the plot.

4. Humor plays a big role in Murder Off the Books. Is humor appropriate in a mystery? When is it not appropriate?

5. Mac Sullivan, like many people today, retired from one job and started a new profession. What are the challenges Mac faced? Are they typical of middle-aged adults starting over? Why or why not?

6. What role do senior citizens play in Murder Off the Books? The character of Edgar Tweed provides more than comic relief. Do you believe Edgar experienced change over the course of the book?

7. Compare and contrast the teenaged characters. How are Carrie and JJ alike? How are they different? Do they experience change by the book's end? How about Sam and Ray? Alike? Different? Did they change?

8. Discuss the clues that led to the revelation of the killer? Were there enough? What were the red herrings? Did anyone figure out who the killer was before the end of the book? Was the killer believable?