Artifact (A Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery)
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Reader’s Discussion Guide
1. Written in first person, the reader only sees what Jaya sees. Was she a reliable narrator, or did she have blind spots you could see?
2. Would you make the same choices as Jaya? Would you have hopped on a plane to Scotland if you were the only person who believed someone dear to you was murdered? Would you have bailed Lane out of jail after he revealed his secret?
3. Artifact is a fair-play “puzzle” mystery where the reader is given clues to solve the mystery. Did you solve it? What types of misdirection obscured the truth about the treasure and the killer?
4. What was the most surprising plot twist? Did you find the plot twists the most memorable parts of the book, or were you more drawn to the characters and their relationships?
5. Superstition is used to reveal non-supernatural truths. How did Scottish legends and folklore shed light on the secrets of the buried treasure? Were you familiar with any Scottish folklore before reading Artifact?
6. Being part of two cultures and spending parts of her life in each, Jaya describes feeling like an outsider. Do you think that’s one of the reasons she and Lane have a connection? And is that why her music is such an important part of her life?
See the scenic settings of the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mysteries on Gigi’s Pinterest boards: http://pinterest.com/GigiPandian
Learn more about the history of British India and Scotland at the British Library’s online gallery: http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery
About Gigi Pandian
Gigi Pandian is the child of cultural anthropologists from New Mexico and the southern tip of India. After being dragged around the world during her childhood, she tried to escape her fate when she left a PhD program for art school. But adventurous academic characters wouldn’t stay out of her head. Thus was born the Jaya Jones Treasure Hunt Mystery Series. The first book in the series, Artifact, was awarded a Malice Domestic Grant.
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