The Killer's Cousin
Discussion Guide

A Book Discussion Guide for
The Killer's Cousin by Nancy Werlin
Edgar Award Winner, 1999

Dial/Speak reprint | Feb. 2009 | 240 pp. | $7.99
ISBN-10: 0142413739
ISBN-13: 978-0142413739

Book Discussion Guide by Lynn Rutan

From the Book Jacket

Recently acquitted of murder, seventeen-year-old David has moved to Massachusetts to complete his senior year of high school. His aunt and uncle have offered him shelter—escape from the media's questions and from the uncertain glances of his neighbors and ex-friends.

His attic apartment doesn't feel much like a shelter, though. He sees ghostly shadows at night, his aunt is strangely cold, and his eleven-year-old cousin, Lily, is downright hostile. And as Lily's behavior becomes more and more threatening, David can't help wondering why. What ugly secrets lurk within the walls of Lily's home?

There's one thing David knows with certainty. The more he learns about his cousin Lily, the harder it is to avoid thinking about his own past.

* * *

An American Library Association "Best of the Best: Best 100 YA books of the Past 10 Years" selection, 2005.

About the Author

Nancy Werlin was born in Massachusetts, where she still lives. In writing for teenagers, she always strives to combine the emotional intensity of a coming-of-age story with the page-turning tension of a suspense thriller. Nancy's books have won numerous awards and accolades, including National Book Award finalist. The Killer's Cousin won the Edgar award for best young adult mystery. Visit her web site at www.nancywerlin.com.

Book Discussion Questions

As you read:

• In the Prologue, David introduces himself and says that the tabloids asked if the reason he was acquitted was because his father was a lawyer. “Powerful litigator calls in favors?” Then David says, “ I am no more willing to talk about Emily and what happened my senior year of high school – my first senior year – than I ever was.” What can you predict about the book from this section?
• David comes home to find Lily in his room, looking through his things. When he asks her to leave, Lily asks him, “Did you feel powerful? Were you glad? Even for a minute?” What do you think she means? How does this encounter make you feel about Lily?
• In Chapter 5, David tells us, “Greg listened as I was acquitted of killing his sister. There have been only hints before this first revelation. What did you guess had happened?
• Raina asks to paint David and he refuses. “No one feared me – except me,” he thinks. David keeps giving us reasons to suspect the worst of him. Why?
• Why is Lily so upset when her parents start to talk to each other and seem to revive their relationship?
• David keeps excusing Lily’s rude behavior, saying, “She’s just a kid.” Do you think he is right?
• The interaction of characters provides a way for an author to develop complex characters. What do we learn about David from his friendship with Frank Delgado? With Raina Doumeng?
• Lily plays a series of nasty tricks on David and he manages to stay calm. Then in Chapter 30, David tells us, “The next day I came home to the most alarming Lily-trick yet. Nothing.” David tears the room apart. Why do you think he looses his composure on the day she has done nothing?
• When David’s father comes to get him, Lily is upset about David’s leaving. Since she has clearly resented David’s presence, why do you think she is so unhappy about what is happening?
• In the hotel, David feels that he can tell his father everything that has happened. His father has never promised to believe him. Why do you think David is finally able to do this?
• As the fire rages around them, Lily tells David that she killed Kathy. David tells her that her punishment is to live with it. Do you think Lily actually killed her sister or just thinks she did? Is living with her guilt punishment enough if she did?
• Vic and Julia are very distant from David after the fire, even though he saved Lily’s life. Can you explain this behavior?

After you finish the book:

• David "tells" his story in first person. Of course, this is really the author speaking. How would the story change if the author had chosen to use third person?
• Think about the title. At the end of the book, does it have a different meaning for you?
• Kathy appears to and speaks to David. Do you think she is just in David’s mind or is Kathy really a ghost?
• When did you first suspect that Lily might have played a role in Kathy’s death?
• If you were on a jury, would you have acquitted David of Emily’s death?
• David tells Lily that it doesn’t matter whether you meant to do something so horrible or not. “What matters is that you know that you could do it again. That it is possible.” What do you think about that? Do you think either David or Lily could do something like that again?
• After the fire, David says that saving Lily had somehow given him hope that he would find ways to atone in the future. Do you think David will ever forgive himself?
• The author skillfully resolves many of the puzzles but leaves a few tantalizing questions. What are some of these? How do you feel about this technique?