1. Kate has always dreamt of Christmas in England. Nevertheless, she plans to return home to be with her mother on Christmas Eve, the anniversary of her father’s tragic death twenty-nine years earlier. How is that emblematic of Kate’s life since?
  2. Christine, Kate’s impulsive daughter, is a handful for sure. Is Kate’s assessment of Christine’s character fair? Could she handle her daughter differently? How and why?
  3. Why do you think Christine is attracted to feckless men? Will she ever change?
  4. Finchley Hall has been the center of life in Long Barston for centuries—for good or for bad? How does Lady Barbara fill a role in village society today?
  5. Loyalty is a theme in the book. Is loyalty always a good thing?
  6. What role does Ivor Tweedy play in Kate’s life? Did you like him—and why?
  7. Describe Kate’s reaction to the Finchley Hoard treasures and the objects in Ivor Tweedy’s Cabinet of Curiosities. Do her instincts help her solve the crime(s)?
  8. How does Kate’s mother, Linnea, help her solve puzzles? What do you learn from her?
  9. Describe Tom’s mother, Liz. What circumstances in her life make her as she is today?
  10. Besides Kate and Tom, which character would you most like to have dinner with—and why?
  11. How is Kate forced to face her fears in this book? Have you ever had to face one of your fears—and how did it turn out?
  12. How does Kate change over the course of the book? What do you foresee for her future?