Book Club Kits: A Bad Day for Sorry

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Stella Hardesty dispatched her abusive husband with a wrench shortly before her fiftieth birthday. A few years later, she's so busy delivering home-style justice, helping other women deal with their own abusive husbands and boyfriends, that she's barely got time to run her sewing shop. Since Stella works outside of the law, she's free to do whatever it takes to be convincing—as long as she keeps her distance from the handsome devil of a local sheriff, Goat Jones.

When young mother Chrissy Shaw asks Stella for help with her no-good, husband Roy Dean, it looks like just another standard job. But then Chrissy's two-year-old son is taken, and Stella finds herself up against a much more formidable enemy.

• The word “sorry” has several possible meanings in the context of the book. How does regret play itself out as a theme among the characters?
  
  
• Stella has come a long way on her journey since the days when she was a meek housewife. Do you think the transformation has been positive? What might she have given up to become who she is?
  
  
• Men take a beating – both literally and figuratively – in the book. Do you think Stella manages to retain a balanced view of the gender? Are there positive male characters?
  
  
• Stella and her daughter Noelle are estranged. How do you suppose relationships among well-meaning people can go so wrong?
  
  
• Stella had a normal, happy childhood and adolescence – doting parents, strong values, a wholesome community. Do you think it’s realistic that such a woman would find herself in an abusive relationship?
  
  
• Roy Dean also comes from a strong, loving family. Is there such a thing as a “bad seed” in an otherwise good family?
  
  
• Chrissy makes quite a transformation in the book. What does she learn about herself as she becomes more involved in the hunt for Tucker?
  
  
• How do men like Ollie and Funzi become so mean? Is rehabilitation a possibility, or are some men unable to change?
  
  
• Friendship among women is a recurring theme in the book. How do the women of Prosper support each other?
  
  
• Middle age is a mixed blessing for Stella. How does she conform to and/or defy society’s expectations of a woman of a certain age?