"STARTER KIT" FOR
MYSTERY DISCUSSION GROUPS
(for the Ben Candidi Mystery-Thriller Series, by Dirk Wyle)



For Pharmacology Is Murder, by Dirk Wyle

  • A walk through the rogues gallery (of 13 professors)


  • Which provided the most direct path to the killer: forensic science or analysis of personality and motive?


  • Did the prosecution present a sufficient case?


  • Was justice served?


  • Discussion of the crime


  • Ben Candidi's personality and character


  • Within the broad spectrum encompassed by the terms "detective fiction," "mystery" and "thriller," how would this story be classified?



For Biotechnology Is Murder, by Dirk Wyle

  • The first hint of skullduggery


  • Clues for murder to come


  • Clues on how to find a corpse


  • Why all was not well at BIOTECH Florida


  • Patents and contracts. Do they bore you to tears or drive you to murder?


  • A bad guy's favorite things


  • The subconscious as an investigative tool


  • Ben's bag of tricks


  • When did the clues reach sufficiency?



For Medical School Is Murder, by Dirk Wyle

  • The first clues that Prof. Peterson was murdered


  • Clues to the identity of the murderer


  • Clues for the motivation of the murderer


  • Clues for method of murder


  • Did anyone other than Ben suspect foul play? If so, what kept them from acting?


  • What were the greatest barriers to discovery of the crime?


  • At what point in the story do the clues become sufficient?






For Amazon Gold, by Dirk Wyle

  • How many mysteries did Ben have to confront?


  • For each mystery, when did the clues become sufficient to suggest a solution?


  • How did the "Miami mystery" and the "Amazon mystery" converge?


  • When and where were the clues sufficient to predict immediate danger?


  • Did any of the characters in the story act illogically?


  • Who were the villains?





For Bahamas West End Is Murder, by Dirk Wyle

  • Ben and Rebecca's improvised crime scene investigation


  • When did we first meet the murderer and did his/her behavior offer any clue?


  • Sgt. Townsend's legal-bureaucratic footdragging


  • Was SAWECUSS a reasonable hypothesis?


  • Did Ben and Rebecca interpret things correctly after the fish fry?


  • With so many suspects, what is a pair of reluctant non-professional sleuths to do? Did Ben and Rebecca act reasonably or were there alternative tactics and strategems that they should have adopted?


  • Did the author play fair with you? Did he give enough clues for the reader to figure it out himself/herself?


  • If yes, then when did the clues become sufficient to point to the murderer(s)?


  • Chase and showdown scenes


  • Besides Ben and Rebecca, who else came out a hero at the end of the story?


  • Was there a moral at the end of the story?




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