1. Imagine you’re one of Partonville’s mayoral candidates. How would you have handled the race differently? Do you think you would have been able to defend yourself in front of the whole town with more success than Gladys? Now imagine if you were running for mayor of the town where you live. What changes would you make? What would you choose as your campaign slogan?

2. Jacob, like Katie before him, has trouble adapting to small-town life after living in a large city. Explore some of the differences between living in a city and living in a small town. Specifically, how would the attorney/client relationship be different? Do you think it would be more difficult for a “city slicker” to get used to small-town life? Or would the reverse present more challenges? Why?

3. Josh is having some trouble with his driving again. Should his uncle have kept the traffic stop to himself? Would you have done the same? Discuss times you or people you knew thought they were getting away with something, only to get caught later. What did you think about Katie’s reaction?

4. Even though she needs to keep quiet about her business deals, what could Katie do differently in order to convince the townsfolk that she’s one of them?

5. If you were given space in Katie’s mini mall, what type of store would you open? Consider that whatever store you choose would benefit from synergy with the shops that already exist.

6. It seems that living in Partonville nearly guarantees you’re going to have a catastrophe while entertaining. Recall some instances when you’d rather have kept the door closed when guests arrived. How did you handle the situation? Have you ever been on the other side of that door about to walk into a disastrous evening?

7. Timing is everything in this novel. Recall some events when timing -- good or bad --- made all the difference in the world to you. In the good instances, was it your own timing or do you believe there was a higher power involved?