Book Club Kits: The Deadly Sister

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Abby Goodwin is sure her sister Maya isn't a murderer. But her parents don't agree. Her friends don't agree. And the cops definitely don't agree. Maya is a drop-out, a stoner, a girl who's obsessed with her tutor, Jefferson Andrews...until he ends up dead. Maya runs away, and leaves Abby following the trail of clues. Each piece of evidence points to Maya, but it also appears that Jefferson had secrets of his own. And enemies. Like his brother, who Abby becomes involved with...until he falls under suspicion.

Is Abby getting closer to finding the true murderer? Or is someone leading her down a twisted false path?

Read an excerpt from the novel.

• Are Abby and Maya close? Why does Abby feel responsible for Maya?
  
  
• If you were in Abby’s shoes, would you feel compelled to protect Maya every time she gets in trouble? Why or why not?
  
  
• At the beginning of her investigation, does Abby believe that Maya killed Jefferson Andrews? Why or why not?
  
  
• Did you believe Abby killed Jefferson? Why or why not?
  
  
• Why doesn’t Abby go to her parents first when she discovers Jefferson’s body?
  
  
• Why is Abby’s friend, Cheyenne, so openly hostile towards Maya?
  
  
• How did Jefferson maintain such a golden boy image with the adults in his life while running a large drug operation in his school?
  
  
• Did you think that Jefferson was a believable character?
  
  
• The Deadly Sister seems to deal primarily with the sibling relationship between Abby and Maya, and, to a lesser extent, between Jefferson and Brian. What do the two relationships have in common? How are they different?
  
  
• Why does Abby show Brian’s drawings to his mother?
  
  
• Why did Abby frame Maya? Does Maya deserve what happened to her? Why or why not?
  
  
• What does Abby mean when she says, “I want to be known and I am sure I never will be. Nobody knows what I’ve done.” (pg. 308)
  
  
• Is Abby a sociopath?
  
  
• Why doesn’t Cheyenne let Abby confess to her after her visit with Maya in prison?
  
  
• Were you surprised by the ending? Why or why not?