book club questions for "mystery"

The following are questions for discussion or make it a game by copying the questions on strips of paper. Place the papers in a pretty bowl. Have members pull one out and try to answer the question or answer the question as a group. Contact me for a PDF file.

• Which one of the four elements—earth, air, fire, or water—is a theme in the book?  Can you name events that hinge on this element?
• Each character has a reason for behaving the way that they do. Why does André act the way he does?
• What factor causes Bertrand (the painter) to take on a suspicious commission?
• Why does Michel hold André in such high esteem?
• Why do you think the Bistro with the great food is unnamed?
• What is Maximillian’s position in his family, and why do you think that affects his behavior? Maximillian is the man trying to capitalize on the painting. 
• Why do women like Emilie love men like Maximilian?
• Art and cultural property crime cost billions of dollars annually. The FBI has a dedicated art crime team of 16 special agents assigned to this work, including a database of reported stolen art. What two forms of criminal activity do you think surpasses art crime worldwide?
• Historically, why do painters reuse canvases, either their own or other used canvases?
• What was Vincent Gensonné’s (the grandfather) hidden addiction? And why was this so disturbing to André? 
• Why is art crime in many parts of the world considered a reasonable risk by potential criminals? Perhaps not in the U.S. though.
• What talent does Michel use to charm children? What game did he play with three students with whom he had an impromptu lunch?
• What is Maximillian’s profession? How did he get mixed up with the painting in the first place? Do you remember how he financed the commission?
• What family background causes Anne to shy away from forming friendships or close relationships?
• What secret did Pierre (André’s twin brother) keep from his family? Why was this unusual?
• What was Anne’s position at the American embassy in Paris? Why didn’t she find André Gensonné’s name on the guest list for the diplomatic event at the beginning of the book?
• What passion did André Gensonné share with his grandfather, Vincent Gensonné? How did this affect their relationship, especially toward the end of Vincent’s life?
• What did the grandfather gift to André, for his 35th birthday? Why was it unusual, and how did André perceive the gift later?
• How did André meet Anne the first time? And why couldn’t he find her again?
• Anne posed for a group of artists that painted her in various ways. When Anne and André finally met, and he mentioned the painting, why did she run away?
• For André, what two things trigger memories of the day his brother Pierre drowned? 
• There is a hint of Mysticism in the book regarding André’s connection with his dead brother. What occurs before his brother seems to send a message? 

The following are questions for discussion or make it a game by copying the questions on strips of paper. Place the papers in a pretty bowl. Have members pull one out and try to answer the question or answer the question as a group. Contact me for a PDF file. 

• What causes Guillaume to leave Du La Fontaine for Paris?
• Why does André think the rumors of a missing Caravaggio are suspect?
• A good book has to have a question or story problem to be answered or resolved. Do you know what it is in Sixty Mortal Sins?
• What is the origin of the first Caravaggio? How did a second Caravaggio come into existence? 
• Why do you think Guillaume is proficient at communication despite his hearing and speaking issues? 
• Good characters in a book change in some way. How did Theo Easton change? 
• What character is a surprise to the Gensonné family? What is the relationship?
• In Sixty Mortal Sins, do Anne and André resolve the relationship that was left hanging in Mystery in Montmartre? 
• What two men act as father figures to Guillaume Forestier?
• What is André attempting to do regarding his grandfather’s unfortunate legacy?
• Who is your favorite character?
• What did André give Anne for Christmas 2013 at the beginning of the book? What gift did he give her for Christmas 2014 near the end?
• What major Paris event happens as Sixty Mortal Sins reaches the climax of the book?
• What was one-hundred-year old Henri Moreau’s secret? 
• What did André regret regarding his beloved father? 
• As André and his father entered the hectic streets after the Charlie Hebdo shooting, what caused André to rethink his grandfather’s actions during World War Two? 
• What did Lucien reveal about the Caravaggio painting he and Vincent Gensonné inspected when Vincent was trying to buy an illegal Caravaggio?
• What was the profession of Margarita aka Margaret aka Marguerite Forestier? Hint: Guillaume’s presumed step-mother.
• What was Guillaume Forestier’s family business, and why did he feel he had to preserve it?
• Who found and purchased the risqué paintings of Anne found in a pop-up art gallery?