Four book clubs select DEADLY BENEFITS
Per requests, I've drawn up the following discussion questions:
• Henning Mankell, the popular Swedish author and creator of the Wallander series, once said that every good crime novel begins with a question of social relevance. The question driving the plot of Deadly Benefits is, “if healthcare is indeed broken, who benefits from the status quo, and who suffers the consequence?” As a reader, how would you answer this?
• Deadly Benefits is riddled with human inconsistencies. For example, Dr. Lavelle blames many of his problems on being an outsider, yet Dr. Venkata, a Mumbaikar, is loved by all. What other inconsistencies can you point out, and what does this reveal about the character(s)?
• Hold Deadly Benefits up to a mirror, and it will reveal the stress points and fractures of the healthcare system and society as a whole. What points are exploited in this novel?
• Why do you think the author chose a child and a vulnerable adult to possess essential information about the mysterious death?
• Without everyday heroes like Heli Harri and Dr. Venkata, the mysterious death may have gone undetected as an act of murder. What attributes of each compelled them to go beyond easy answers?
• The author leaves to your imagination the fate of several characters. What do you think ultimately happens to Dr. Mark Lavelle? Dr. Pierce Eddington? Donna Wadeson? Byron Bohley? Others?
• One of the core components of a good novel is a powerful sense of place. Does the author succeed in creating a credible depiction of Fargo? What stereotypes does she challenge?
• Deadly Benefits has been described as a“real page-turner.” How and where does the author alter the novel’s pace? Why do you think she did this?
• Deadly Benefits was set in 2002. Has anything changed in healthcare that would make this crime easier or harder to commit and to conceal?
• By 2021, healthcare is projected to be at least 20% of the Gross National Product (GNP). If it is true that crime follows the money trail, what can you, a patient, or you, a professional, do to assure that the healthcare system does not become an easier platform for crime?
• Henning Mankell, the popular Swedish author and creator of the Wallander series, once said that every good crime novel begins with a question of social relevance. The question driving the plot of Deadly Benefits is, “if healthcare is indeed broken, who benefits from the status quo, and who suffers the consequence?” As a reader, how would you answer this?
• Deadly Benefits is riddled with human inconsistencies. For example, Dr. Lavelle blames many of his problems on being an outsider, yet Dr. Venkata, a Mumbaikar, is loved by all. What other inconsistencies can you point out, and what does this reveal about the character(s)?
• Hold Deadly Benefits up to a mirror, and it will reveal the stress points and fractures of the healthcare system and society as a whole. What points are exploited in this novel?
• Why do you think the author chose a child and a vulnerable adult to possess essential information about the mysterious death?
• Without everyday heroes like Heli Harri and Dr. Venkata, the mysterious death may have gone undetected as an act of murder. What attributes of each compelled them to go beyond easy answers?
• The author leaves to your imagination the fate of several characters. What do you think ultimately happens to Dr. Mark Lavelle? Dr. Pierce Eddington? Donna Wadeson? Byron Bohley? Others?
• One of the core components of a good novel is a powerful sense of place. Does the author succeed in creating a credible depiction of Fargo? What stereotypes does she challenge?
• Deadly Benefits has been described as a“real page-turner.” How and where does the author alter the novel’s pace? Why do you think she did this?
• Deadly Benefits was set in 2002. Has anything changed in healthcare that would make this crime easier or harder to commit and to conceal?
• By 2021, healthcare is projected to be at least 20% of the Gross National Product (GNP). If it is true that crime follows the money trail, what can you, a patient, or you, a professional, do to assure that the healthcare system does not become an easier platform for crime?
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