Mercy Kill_ A Mystery - Lori Armstrong [127]
5. When Mercy is talking to John-John about her relationship with Dawson, she comments that she has a hard time “separating the man he is from the job he does.” Could the same thing be said about Mercy and how she views herself and her profession? Do you think that Mercy recognizes her similarities with Dawson or not?
6. Do you think that Mercy compares herself to Anna? Does she compete with her or embrace the similarities between them?
7. Despite the fact that she is the former sheriff’s daughter and her background in the army, Mercy is not flattered when Kiki and Geneva approach her to run for sheriff. Why do you think that Mercy is reluctant to run when she is such a strong and qualified candidate for the job?
8. Is Mercy’s disappointment with Dawson’s police investigation into J-Hawk’s murder a reflection of her trust issues or a reflection of his capability as sheriff ? Why doesn’t Mercy trust him to do his job even though she trusts him in other aspects of their relationship?
9. Cherelle is a very interesting character in that her “flaws” allow the reader to discover a great deal about the surrounding characters, namely Mercy and Anna. How do Mercy and Anna relate to Cherelle? Can you relate to Cherelle at all and if so, how?
10. Since Mercy is a strong woman who would not tolerate abuse like the kind that Cherelle suffers at the hands of Victor and Saro, what do you think explains Mercy’s reaction to Cherelle’s situation? Does Mercy have sympathy for her and her abusive home life?
11. During Mercy’s interaction with Saro and Victor in Stillwell’s, it seems imperative to Mercy that she not be intimidated or back down from the situation. Do you think that this was more important to her personally, or do you think that she just didn’t want to look weak in front of friends, acquaintances, and voters?
12. Why do you think the author chose to have Mercy actually take the final shots and kill Anna? What does Anna’s death symbolize? Do you see symmetry between this climactic scene and the opening scene when Mercy declines to shoot an injured mountain lion?
13. By the end of the book, do you think that Mercy has changed, or do you think that she remains essentially the same person as she was at the beginning of the book?
A CONVERSATION WITH LORI ARMSTRONG
This is your second time writing about Mercy Gunderson. Now that you’ve spent more time with Mercy, in what ways do you relate to her?
It’s always a challenge writing the second book in a series, because I know more about Mercy now than when I started, but in most cases her actions on the page surprise even me. I relate to her in that we both have a low tolerance for BS, and she and I have the same taste in music.
In what ways do you not relate to her?
Mercy’s tendency to drown her troubles in alcohol is something I don’t relate to at all. Nor do I understand her inability to ask for help. But those types of characters fascinate me just for that reason, because we are so different.
Are any of the characters in the book based on people that you know?
No. I’m a self-admitted people watcher, so I’m constantly observing interactions and mannerisms and physical characteristics. And I will use pieces of what I’ve seen, be it hair or eye color, or a funky mannerism, or a certain way a person speaks or walks or interacts with others. I’ve leaned a lot about human nature just by watching and listening. But I’ve never based any fictional character on anyone I know personally.
You address many social and racial issues surrounding Native American culture in America in this book. Why did you choose to incorporate such themes in your writing?
Because it’s such a huge part of our life in western South Dakota, and to gloss over it would be a disservice not only to all the people of my state, but to people who’ve never been to South Dakota, who only know about historical Indian “issues” from what they’ve read in textbooks, detailing things that happened more than a hundred years ago. I get asked a lot on book tours if I know