'Til Death Do Us Part (33 page)

Readers Guide for

'TIL DEATH DO US PART

by Amanda Quick

1. The plot of
   'Til Death Do Us Part
   hinges on family secrets. What is it about these kinds of secrets that is so compelling? What makes them different from other types of secrets?
   
2. How do the various family secrets in the story affect the dynamic between the hero and heroine?
   
3. The hero and heroine of the story each assumed responsibility for raising their younger siblings. How has that affected their own lives?
   
4. To a modern reader, Victorians seem to have been obsessed with the customs and rituals surrounding death and funerals. How does the author use that theme to develop the element of suspense in the story?
   
5. How does our view of death today differ from the Victorian view?
   
6. The story is set in the late nineteenth century, long before sophisticated forensic techniques were available to solve crimes. This forces the characters to fall back on intuition, logic, and physical clues to figure out motivation. Why does this strategy for crime solving still appeal to us?
   
7. The issue of trust is a strong thread in the story. How does the author use it to build various character relationships?
   
8. What makes obsession so frightening?
   
9. Calista is an unusually independent woman for her time. Why do you think she, in particular, was able to overcome expectations and start her own business?
   
10. How is Calista's matchmaking agency similar, and different, from modern methods of matchmaking? How has technology changed the way we meet our significant others?
    
11. Trent and Calista are certainly a bit of an odd couple. What do you think makes them well-suited? What do you think are some of the most important things that make a couple compatible?
    
12. 'Til Death Do Us Part
    ends with a twist. Did you see it coming? Why or why not? How did you think it was going to end?
    

Amanda Quick
is a pseudonym for Jayne Ann Krentz, the author, under various pen names, of more than fifty
New York Times
bestsellers; there are more than 35 million copies of her books in print. She lives in Seattle.

Visit her online at jayneannkrentz.com, facebook.com/jayneannkrentz and twitter.com/jayneannkrentz.

Looking for more?
Visit Penguin.com for more about this author and a complete list of their books.
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