Book Club Discussion Questions and Guide for Bad Liar by Tami Hoag

Book Club Discussion Questions

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Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Throughout the novel, the title "Bad Liar" comes to reflect a number of characters. How did your perception of the meaning behind the title shift as the plot unfolded, particularly for characters like the "hometown hero"?
2. "Would it have been a good lie or a bad lie, this lie by omission? Did it matter? A lie was a lie, and she didn't want that between them, no matter how valid her motivation might have been." (pg. TK) What did you make of Annie's observation, quoted here, about there being no difference between good or bad lies? Do you think there can ever be a "good lie"?
3. There are some dark themes in Bad Liar, including struggles with addiction. In a time when our country contends with an epidemic of addiction–one that is often stigmatized instead of treated–what valuable questions does Hoag's novel pose about our current crisis?
4. "In his experience, crime almost always turned out to be depressingly, stupidly simple. Criminal masterminds were the stuff of movies and TV. People did what they did for simple reasons—money, lust, jealousy, fear. Pick a thread and follow it to the end. Luck was seldom necessary." (pg. TK) What do you make of Detective Nick Fourcade's philosophy that he doesn't "believe in luck" – just in human nature – when solving crimes?
5. There is a lot at stake between detectives/spouses Annie and Nick. How does their relationship as romantic partners and colleagues complicate their work, and the things they choose to share with one another? Could you (or do you) work alongside your partner in the same way? What sort of boundaries need to be in place between work/home to keep the peace?
6. In Tami Hoag's novels, the vibrant Louisiana bayou setting is as essential as the characters themselves. How does the fictional town of Bayou Breaux become an integral part of the plot?
7. We're told that B'Lynn and her husband wanted "to raise their kids in the safety and sanity of a small town, where life was simple and bad things didn't happen–or so they had naively believed." Do you think the comfort of small town safety still rings true for people? Do you think the small town atmosphere allowed bad things to happen in secret–or would they still have happened anywhere?
8. As we discover more about what took place, Nick thinks to himself that there isn't really a cut-and-dried villain in this case. Do you find it difficult to come to terms with the fact that there isn't a bad guy to hate? Or do you think it's more true-to-life that the truth comes with shades of gray?
9. One of the themes explored in Bad Liar is the tenuous bond of relationships that inevitably change over time. Looking at Izzy helping Tulsie, B'Lynn helping Robbie or Dozer helping Marc, do you think there is such a thing as going "too far" to help someone who is important to you?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Dutton. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.