Mic Breaks Only discussion

***Open discussion of THE WHOLE BOOK below, no spoilers needed. Be sure you have finished the book before reading any further! Note: if this is your first visit to this topic I recommend you read this post about discussion ideas, then skip down and post your initial response, then read and respond to other people's posts.***

At the very least check in here when you finish and tell us if you enjoyed the novel. I'll post specific discussion ideas below, along with the general topics we've seen repeated throughout the book.

Full Book discussions:

1) Which (if any) characters do you think got their just desserts? Did anyone get way over or underserved?

2) Do you think Franz Gottman's reality show "concept" that he sets in play with Stella would actually be interesting in real life? Would you watch?

3) Callie and Mason end up in the friend zone when all is said and done. Did you enjoy their story arc? Do you want a continuation of their story arc/sequel?


General Discussions:

1) Share your favorite quote(s) from this section.

2) Share your favorite word(s) used in this section.

3) Do you have a favorite or most intriguing character?


GO!

Full Book discussions:

1) Which (if any) characters do you think got their just desserts? Did anyone get way over or underserved?

Steve got his comeuppance from Nathan and Deborah, if anyone deserved to get killed twice in all this it was him.

I don't think that either Jackie or Katie were on the same level as the other "liars". Katie was doing her job in following up and digging deeper into a high profile story. Jackie was in a tough place in her own life, although that doesn't excuse what she did and that she never came forward with the little bit of information that she did have.

2) Do you think Franz Gottman's reality show "concept" that he sets in play with Stella would actually be interesting in real life? Would you watch?

The concept is interesting but it would be next to impossible to implement in real life. I wouldn't watch it, it would be like watching execution videos.

3) Stella and Mason end up in the friend zone when all is said and done. Did you enjoy their story arc? Do you want a continuation of their story arc/sequel?

I enjoyed their story arc more when:

1) I thought Mason was the killer
and
2) The chapters prior to them following the track after the survivors left the lodge. The last 100 pages or so felt very rushed with Callie and Mason finding body after body.

As for the characters themselves... meh. I wouldn't read another book solely because it is a continuation of their story.

General Discussions:

1) Share your favorite quote(s) from this section.

"Those of us who judge others... shall themselves be as harshly judged."

"For you. Everyone deserves a chance... a clean, wonderful start in life. A chance I never had...."

"His eyes lasered into hers. Mad, dark pools in the sickly light from the parking lot lamp. "We. Will. Lose. Everything.""

"They suffered. I made them suffer. They all knew why they were there in the end, and was it worth it?... Forgiveness is really about freeing yourself from the hate and self-pity, which eats like a cancer into your brain day and night, year after year"

2) Share your favorite word(s) used in this section.

Compartmentalization

Emesis (Emesis bags, duh)

3) Do you have a favorite or most intriguing character?

Jackie and Dan would have been fun to explore more, shame they weren't in the story for long.

Some books stoke the fires of imagination so well that their plot has a hard time keeping up with the reader's suppositions. I don't know if this is a blessing or a curse, but Dark definitely falls victim. I think the author is partly to blame by so sharply referencing great works like Murder on the Orient Express whose plots lead to amazing reveals that make good stories great.

That was a long winded way of saying I didn't love the ending. Why did Stella invite more people then fit on her plane? Why did she follow her path to nowhere? Her character and motivations felt slipshod and contrived. Deborah was also confusing, murdering Jackie kind of made sense - but why get rid of the airplane? Was she supposed to be insane?

On to the questions!

1) Which (if any) characters do you think got their just desserts? Did anyone get way over or underserved?

Stella taking out Dan, in retrospect, is super confusing. He wouldn't be enemy #1. Jackie DID strong arm and threaten Deborah so I can't say she didn't provoke her own attack (even if I wanted to hear more of her). Bart was a secondary party at best, I'm really not sure why he was killed. Katie had already removed herself from her original career, I think it could be argued that she had already got what she deserved. Fair game for the others, including Stella, since they were all directly involved in homicides.

2) Do you think Franz Gottman's reality show "concept" that he sets in play with Stella would actually be interesting in real life? Would you watch?

Assuming we weren't actually watching MURDER, yeah, his concept would be intriguing. I already watch The Challenge on MTV which has kind of morphed into an ongoing revenge drama. Michelle and I also watch a Korean show that mashes up escape room detectivism with goofy drama.

3) Callie and Mason end up in the friend zone when all is said and done. Did you enjoy their story arc? Do you want a continuation of their story arc/sequel?

As much as I loved seeing things from the investigative end I thought the whole relationship build up between Callie and Mason was a dud. I think exploring Mason's struggle to return to work and overcome his associated fears mixed with a more professional relationship with Callie would have been more intriguing.

I also want to note here that Mason's fear of heights was confusing in the logjam bit since (the way I envisioned it) he wasn't up in the air, just in a dangerous and precarious scenario. I'm not wanting more of their relationship but I would read another book set with the same cast and focused on a KSAR/law incident.

General Discussions:

1) Share your favorite quote(s) from this section.

I wasn't great at marking quotes, or maybe I wasn't inspired in the second half. "...he smelled coffee. And coffee had never smelled as good as it did right now." Mmmm, coffee.

2) Share your favorite word(s) used in this section.

Moss green and lambent eyes.

3) Do you have a favorite or most intriguing character?

Franz Gottman - I want to read the book about him.

They had it coming
I think Steven should have been just poisoned, not also shot - way to go Deborah. I also would have written Nathan and Steven deteriorating in the forest together. Nathan would narrate the morbid details of Steven's losing battle with fungus in an irritating and unsympathetic manner. The two of them deserve each other.

I don't think Dan Whitlock, Jackie Blunt, or Katie Colbourne deserved to die at all. They all could have been punished without it going to fatal lengths. I certainly don't think Bart Kundera deserved a hatchet to the noggin.

I wanted Deborah to get her just desserts after her unnecessary killing spree. If the stupid ho hadn't cut the plane loose then they all could have left without being that much wiser. In the end I wanted to see another survivor discover what had happened and come for Deborah full on Rambo revenge style. This could have taken place much later after she had birthed her child. That child will probably be better off with the bio father anyway.

A meticulous set up
I am a fan of Franz Gottman's concept. I would definitely watch this show. I imagine it would look like Big Brother when everyone is gathered in the lodge and more like Survivor when everyone is out in the forest. Some of it would have to be filmed with personal cams and I would expect to see some night-vision goggle action in order to take advantage of all the creepy after dark woodsy time when everyone deteriorates into full blown panic.

Just friends
The overcomplicated tortuous journey that results in a "we're just friends" conclusion was boring and detracted from my overall enjoyment of this book. I would have preferred the awkward sexual tension between Mason and Callie not exist at all, it is one of my main complaints about the plot. Mason and Callie on a second date? I'll pass.

Favorite Quotes
"Like she'd slid an invisible hand inside his shirt." My hands are always cold so this would be a real shock for the recipient.

"She was a watcher. She sucked things into her aura. A taker." This is quite a judgement on a silent observer.

"Mushrooms sprouted everywhere out of the loam, and conks bulged like cancerous growths from some of the trunks." This sounds like forest porn for Nathan.

"The wind hushed through the trees - a sibilant, whispering susurration." I can hear it now.

Favorite Words
Exsanguination, lethal majesty, mewling, clots of slush, rimed, swarthy, verbal vitriol, garish grins, macabre, and cahoots.


Favorite Character
All of my favorite people died before I could really get to know them. My list includes Jackie Blunt, Franz Gottman, and Dan Whitlock (I bet he has some great stories about former clients).

My point count shows we have a two way tie (how is that possible?) between Michelle and George.

In Part 1 Michelle got affair, affair, murder, false id, revenge; George got murderer, pregnant, escort, hrun, and new identity. Both got Bart, Katie, and Deborah's death order correct.