Two Can Keep a Secret

In the closing chapters of the novel, it’s revealed that Katrin acted to protect her father after she discovered his involvement in Brooke’s disappearance, though Malcolm notes that she’s a victim of her father’s in her own way. Is Katrin a victim or a culprit? How does her portrayal in the novel reflect this role?

What is Ellery’s motivation for being so invested in the crimes of Echo Ridge? Do you think this motivation is resolved at the end of the novel?

The idea of the “wrong twin” comes up several times throughout the novel. What does it mean to be the “wrong twin”? How does this idea affect the characters?

Many of the characters in the book are struggling with survivor’s guilt. How does this struggle effect their lives?

Peter’s final words haunt Ellery. How do you think this knowledge will affect her relationship with her mother? What does it mean to have a secret like the one Peter tells her?

In the book, there’s often a divide between the world of high school and the more dangerous adult world of Echo Ridge as a place with a violent past. How does this divide play out? Where do these two worlds intersect, and how?

Often, the red herrings or suspicious actions of characters in this book are revealed to be grounded in trauma. How does this fact relate to the larger themes of the book?

Ellery returns to the idea that it’s always the boyfriend more than once. How do this and other assumptions affect Ellery’s ability to understand the crimes going on in Echo Ridge? In what other ways is Ellery making assumptions that might be blinding her from the truth?