Discussion questions for Front Page Murder

1.    What was your first impression of Irene? What did you like about her? Was there anything you disliked?

2.    What did you think of Irene’s co-workers (Peggy, Rex, Frank, Ken, Matt)?

3.    Irene dislikes her cousin, Donny. Did you find him as annoying as she did?

4.    Were you suspicious when Moe didn’t turn up for a few days?

5.    Was the author’s portrayal of a small town newspaper realistic? What would you have changed?

6.    What was your impression of the town of Progress?

7.    Had you heard of victory gardens before? Have you participated in something similar, like a community garden?

8.     Were you surprised by some of the World War II facts, such as the number of ships sunk by U-boats so close to the coast of the United States?

9.     Do you think Irene did the right thing by writing an editorial against the policy of removing those of Japanese descent from their homes?

10.  What did you think of Katherine Morningside? Were you surprised at what she revealed?

11.  Was the portrayal of women in the workplace realistic? Why or why not?

12.  Irene’s younger sister has a big crush on Frank Sinatra. Did you have a crush on a celebrity when you were Lily’s age?

13.  What was the overarching theme of the book? Do you think the author did this intentionally?

14.  Did reading this book make you want to learn more about the Homefront in WWII?