·  In what ways is Walt the archetypal Western lawman? In what ways is he different?

·  Why does Gina pretend to be pregnant with Ozzie's baby? What does she hope to gain?

·  Should Betty have told Ozzie about her relationship with Geo? Does a parent owe it to her child—young or grown—to share her romantic status?

·  Is Walt's own reluctance to commit to Vic rooted in their age difference, their working relationship, or in Cady's engagement to Michael? What would you do in Walt's position?

·  Discuss the metaphorical significance of the book's title.

·  Does Walt do the right thing by trying to cure Sancho of his "bullet fever"? Would Sancho's reaction have been the same if he hadn't recently become a father?

·  In this novel, is it more difficult to be a parent, or a child?

·  An injection of air kills Geo, but one also saves Walt's vision. Are there any other examples of this kind of duality in the novel?

·  Did you feel any sympathy towards white supremacist, Felix Polk/Paulson, because of his cancer, and the fake granddaughter that his so-called pals used to trick him? If so, did you find these feelings troubling?

·  When Walt discovers that Gina is the killer, he seems to want to exculpate her crimes, saying: "She's a poster child for fucked-up—in and out of foster homes, finally living on the streets, and prostitution." (p. 301). What are your thoughts?