Library and Bookclub questions for The Past Came Hunting by Donnell Ann Bell

1. Why do you think Joe had such a strong bias against Melanie?  Was it
   a) because she was his first violent arrest?
   b)  In prison she had an opportunity to become further corrupted
   c) Do you think police officers have this strong bias in general?
   d) Other?
2. Melanie develops a special interest in prison.  Do you think the Department of Corrections does an adequate job of rehabilitating convicts?
   Why or why not?
3. As a result of her conviction, Melanie loses the right to vote, possess firearms, and hold a teaching license.  What do you think of those penalties inflicted upon ex-convicts?
   Do you think these penalties serve to deter criminals?
   What would see changed or left the same?
4. Do you feel the book accurately reflects the Colorado Springs law enforcement community?
   Why or why not?
5. Do you think the book accurately reflects two middle-class families involved in athletics and raising high school teens?
   Why or why not?
6. How did you feel when Joe paid a visit to the warden to research Melanie’s past?
   If you were in his position, what would you have done?
7. In The Past Came Hunting, the author shows police agencies banding together to defeat gang activity.  Do you feel this was a good representation of agency resources?
   Why or why not?
8. What character do you feel shows the most growth, Joe? Melanie? Other?
9. To write Drake Maxwell’s character, the author’s editor asked her to read The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout.  Do you think Drake Maxwell reflected a sociopathic personality?
   Why or why not?
10. What would you say was the overall theme of this novel?
11. How did you feel reading a book set in Colorado Springs?
    Do you feel the author did an effective job in describing Colorado and the surrounding communities?
12. Did the author show a good representation of conflict between a police officer’s home life and a police officer’s career?
    Why or why not?
13. In light of Drake Maxwell’s release from prison, did the warden’s scheme to relocate Melanie and Luke from one city to another close-by work for you?
    Why or why not?
14.  Did you ever wonder how Joe and Melanie, given their conflict, could end up together?

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