Reading Group Discussion Guide for Dead Girls Talking
by Megan Cooley Peterson
This reading group guide for Dead Girls Talking includes an introduction, discussion questions, ideas for enhancing your book club, and a Q&A with author Megan Cooley Peterson. The suggested questions are intended to help your reading group find new and interesting angles and topics for your discussion. We hope that these ideas will enrich your conversation and increase your enjoyment of the book.
Everyone knows Bettina’s father was the one who murdered her mother a decade ago. It’s the subject of podcasts, murder tours, and even a highly anticipated docuseries. But a string of copycat murders forces Bett to answer a harder question: What if he didn’t? Can this “true crime princess” unmask a murderer who’s much closer to home than she ever imagined?
Gritty, gripping, and propulsive from page one, Dead Girls Talking is a ride for readers who love to see girls get their hands dirty as they claw their way to the truth. Peterson’s knife-sharp thriller cuts deep, with a wicked sense of humor, a wire-taut atmosphere, and a deadly serious approach to bigger issues of justice and female anger.
This reading group guide will help you better understand the lessons and messages to take away from Megan Cooley Peterson’s writing. These questions will guide you through Bettina’s perspective during this harrowing, nail-biting period of her life.
1. Dead Girls Talking touches on the harm caused sometimes by the true crime community. How did this change your perception of some well-known true crime stories online? Which real-life cases come to mind?
2. How did the setting and atmosphere of the book affect the mood and tone of the story? Did it create any feelings of danger, mystery, dread or unease for you?
3. How did you react to the killer carving smiley faces on their victims? Why do you think the killer does this?
4. Bettina often handles difficult feelings with rage and self destructive behaviors. Why do you think this is? Do you relate to her reactions? Why or why not?
5. What do you think of Bettina’s relationship with Xavier? Do you think they’re good for each other? How did your perception of Xavier change throughout the book?
6. Do you think Bettina was right to stop being friends with Nat? Why or why not? In your experience, is this true to typical teenage friendships?
7. Bettina and Eugenia seem like unlikely friends. Why do you think they get along so well? What does Eugenia provide for Bettina that no one else can?
8. The town Bettina lives in is very divided by class. Bettina’s own grandparents come from “old money.” How do you think wealth has affected Bettina’s family and their relationships with one another? How do you think it affects the town’s perception of her family?
9. This novel shows that the local police department isn’t reliable or trustworthy when it comes to solving murder cases. What do you think is behind their lack of interest in solving this case?
10. What did you think of Bettina’s father? Did you sympathize with him at all at any point in the story? Did you think he was telling the truth?
11. How did you think the book was going to end? Were you surprised by the ending?
1. Question: You grew up in a cult-like doomsday church, which inspired you to write The Liar’s Daughter . While Dead Girls Talking isn’t about cults, is there anything from your upbringing that played a role in writing this book?
Answer: In the church I grew up in, certain points of view were centered over others. The men in the church, especially the church leaders, were given center stage. Women were pushed to the side and expected to fall into line. That infuriated me as a young girl. When I wrote Dead Girls Talking, I channeled those feelings of injustice into the book.
2. Q: What did the writing process for this book look like? How long was the writing process and what did your writing routine look like?
A: The idea for Dead Girls Talking came to me in 2015, and I started writing it around 2018. I work from home as a freelance writer, so I was able to write the book during “office hours” when my daughter was at school. As with all my books, I started with a fairly detailed outline for Dead Girls Talking. I need to have a general idea of where a story is going before I start writing a first draft.
3. Q: How has your experience differed from writing Dead Girls Talking compared to The Liar’s Daughter ?
A: Each book is its own experience, but writing Dead Girls Talking went a lot more smoothly than writing The Liar’s Daughter. Because The Liar’s Daughter is such a personal story, it took me longer to find the heart of the story I was trying to tell. With Dead Girls Talking, I knew almost right away the kind of story I wanted to put out in the world.
4. Q: Did any specific books or media inspire you to write Dead Girls Talking ?
A: The spark of the idea for Dead Girls Talking came to me while watching the true crime docuseries Making a Murderer. I was so caught up in the case of Steven Avery that I found myself lacking curiosity about the victim, Teresa Halbach. She had, in a way, become just a character in Steven’s story. I felt ashamed that I had reduced her in that way. I started thinking more about her family and friends and the pain this show must have caused them, and likely continues to cause them. I knew I wanted to write a story from the POV of someone affected by the true crime genre.
5. Q: What kind of research did you do for Dead Girls Talking ?
A: I’m a researcher at heart! I write a lot of nonfiction books for children, so research is my jam. I read about many different true crime cases, child custody laws in North Carolina, where the book is set, and the history of quartz mining in that area. I also researched funeral homes and how they work. One of my favorite bits of research was learning about the vernacular of that area. I’m from Minnesota, and while “you betcha” is a popular phrase here, it isn’t in North Carolina!
6. Q: Being a writer in the thriller genre, what draws you to writing darker subject matter?
A: I’ve often asked myself the same question! I read widely, including romance, but when it comes to storytelling, I have been drawn to the dark side since I was a kid. I’m a very curious person and have always been interested in trying to figure out why people do the things they do. Human behavior, for better or worse, is fascinating. I’m also a naturally anxious person, always on the lookout for disaster to strike. Writing about darker subjects helps me manage my anxiety.
7. Q: Which character do you identify with most? Are any of the characters based on your own experiences?
A: I identify with all my characters to a certain extent, but I’m definitely Team Eugenia. Like Eugenia, I’ve always been open and honest with my opinions, I’m more interested in trying to figure out life’s big questions than making small talk, and I’m very loyal. Bettina’s angst, however, is 100% me. I was a very angsty teenager. Looking back, I feel bad for my parents!
8. Q: Dead Girls Talking focuses a lot on the true crime industry. Are there particular true crime cases that you drew from?
A: The true crime case that struck me the most during my research is the case of Michael Morton. It’s not a well-known case, but I encourage everyone who’s interested in true crime to look into it. (He wrote a book, and there’s also a documentary about it.) Michael was wrongly convicted of killing his wife and spent 25 years in prison. There was a lot of prosecutorial misconduct that led to that verdict. It’s a gripping look into how our justice system can go awry. I recently sat on a trial in a criminal case, and I can’t imagine how the jurors on Michael’s case felt after they realized it was not a fair trial.
9. Q: What do you hope readers take away from Dead Girls Talking ?
A: Every reader who reads Dead Girls Talking will read a slightly different book and take away their own meaning. We bring our own experiences to the pages, which is what makes reading so exciting.
Most importantly, I hope readers have fun reading Dead Girls Talking! I grew up reading R.L. Stine, Christopher Pike, and V.C. Andrews, and this book honors my lifelong love of thrillers and murder mysteries.
10. Q: Did you know how Dead Girls Talking was going to end when you first started writing it?
A: Yes and no! I knew how I wanted the book to end, but I changed who the killer was! It was actually my research into cults that helped me write the finale. The more I got to know each character and their motivations, the better the story got, including the ending. I hope readers love it as much as I loved writing it.
Here are some fun ideas and activities you can do with your bookish friends at your next Dead Girls Talking book club meeting
- Host the book club meeting at your local cemetery! Take photos with Dead Girls Talking , and post them on social media tagging Megan Cooley Peterson.
- Watch a true crime documentary and compare what happens in the documentary to what happens to Bett and her family.
- Make a playlist together for each book’s character! Or assign a character to each book club member, and present your playlist to one another at the next book club meeting.
- Host a charcuterie board night with your bookish friends, and have everyone bring character-specific drinks and food. If you want to film your bookish soirée, don’t forget to post about the book and Megan Cooley Peterson on social media and tag her.
- Write a note to Megan together and send it to her here: https://www.megancooleypeterson.com/contact
- Discuss with your book club: How would you adapt this book into a movie? Who would you cast in the leading roles?
- Visit author Megan Cooley Peterson’s website for more information about herself, her career, her writing projects, upcoming events, and her author newsletter.