Killer Image (An Allison Campbell Mystery) (33 page)
Read Killer Image (An Allison Campbell Mystery) Online
Authors: Wendy Tyson
Tags: #Mystery, #mystery books, #british mysteries, #mystery and thriller, #whodunnit, #amateur sleuth, #english mysteries, #murder mysteries, #women sleuths, #whodunit, #female sleuth, #mystery series, #thriller
Allison smiled and Ally smiled back. She looked healthy—thin, like her mother—but healthy. All at once, Allison felt Violet’s presence. The sulking girl in the nurse’s office, the burgeoning artist in her office, the naïve street urchin in those early letters, and the very brave young woman who’d made it out alive.
“She’s an artist like her mama, too,” John Junior said. “Only nine years old and already taking fancy art classes, ain’t that right?”
The child nodded.
The moment stood still for Allison. John Junior on the step, Jason a block away, waiting for her, and Violet there with them in the form of this little girl who shared Allison’s name. In that second, everything in her life made sense.
“Thank you,” she said to John Junior.
Their eyes met. John Junior smiled and then walked back inside, hand in hand with his granddaughter. Allison waved to Jason and headed back to the car.
Reader’s Discussion Guide
1. The story is set on the Philadelphia Main Line, a wealthy suburb not far from some of Philadelphia’s most depressed neighborhoods. What role does setting play?
2. How does Allison’s career choice reflect the themes of the book?
3. Family and family dynamics play an important role. Allison thinks about her own family and realizes “there are so many ways to be a motherless daughter. Illness. Death. And abandonment. Her. Violet. And now, Maggie.” But the book is also about finding that nurturing from other sources. Can you think of where the characters developed maternal-type relationships with people to whom they are not related? How has that affected them?
4. One of the themes running throughout the story is change–the ability of people to change, to have a second chance. Are there times when characters had the opportunity to change and chose not to, for better or worse? How does this theme play into Arnie Feldman’s murder?
5. Another consistent theme is image versus reality. How is this theme reflected in the characters? In the murders of Arnie and Udele? In the setting?
6. For Vaughn, the pain of seeing his brother is a constant reminder of his own past. How has Vaughn dealt with his youthful transgressions? How are Allison and Vaughn similar?
7. When Mia and Allison reconcile, Mia says, “maybe those of us who’ve touched the void and lived–and losing a child immerses you in the void, Allison, believe me–maybe we survivors need to protect ourselves from ever visiting its depths again.” In what ways have Mia’s decisions–moving to the country, leaving her practice, even her relationship with Vaughn–reflected that need?
8. Allison accuses Jason of giving up on his dreams following the death of his sister. He responds by saying, “Wake up, Al. People don’t come all neatly packaged. You’ve spent your whole adult life trying to force people into these tidy little boxes. Things don’t work that way.” What events in Allison’s past may have led her to view the world this way? Does this change as the story progresses?
9. Maggie and Violet come from very different backgrounds, yet Allison sees similarities. How are the two girls alike? In what ways are they quite different?
10. Allison gives Violet
We the Living
by Ayn Rand to help with her insomnia. The book, and the very act of reading, helps to broaden Violet’s world and her perspective. Why might Allison have chosen that book? What impact did books, and Allison’s actions related to reading, have on Violet and Violet’s choices?
About Wendy Tyson
Wendy Tyson wrote her first story at age eight and it’s been love ever since. When not writing, Wendy enjoys reading other people’s novels, traveling, hiking, and playing hooky at the beach—and if she can combine all four, even better.
Originally from the Philadelphia area, Wendy has returned to her roots and lives there again with her husband, three kids and two muses, dogs Molly and Driggs. She and her husband are passionate organic gardeners and have turned their small urban lot into a micro farm.
Killer Image
is the first novel in the Allison Campbell mystery series.
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