A Matter of Blood

Reader Discussion Questions

1.    NYPD Detective Chiara Corelli doesn’t want to work with NYPD Detective P.J. Parker. Why? And why does she change her mind?
2.    Why did Corelli decide to go undercover knowing what the consequences could be?
3.    Why doesn’t Parker want to work with Corelli?  And what changed her mind?
4.    Why did P.J. Parker, a lawyer and an Assistant District Attorney decide to become a police officer?
5.    Discuss Corelli’s relationship with Parker. How does Corelli treat Parker? How do you feel about it?
6.    List instances when Parker is sympathetic and supportive of Corelli, despite Corelli’s treatment of her.
7.    Describe and discuss Corelli’s experience serving in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the impact it on her. Do you know anyone with PTSD after military service?
8.    How did growing up in a close-knit, large Italian family in Brooklyn shape Chiara’s life and her work?
9.    What did you think of Corelli’s reaction to Brett Cummings?
10.  What ethical decisions does Corelli make in the course of the book? Discuss the way she dealt with each of them. If faced with these same decisions, how would you have dealt with them?
11.  During the course of the investigation, did you change your mind about who was the killer? Were you surprised at the end or did you figure it out?
12.  Did you feel sympathy for the victim, Connie Winter? Explain why or why not.
13.  How does Corelli change by the end of the book?
14.   Near the end of the book Corelli muses, “But as much as she hated the thought, she accepted that there are times that evil is the only weapon against evil.” Discuss.
15.  Why do you think this book is called, A Matter of Blood? And what does the title mean to you?