Discussion Questions for Fatal Descent:

1. Fatal Descent is the third book in the RM Outdoor Adventures series, and takes Mandy Tanner and her now-fiancé Rob Juarez away from the setting of the previous two books, the upper Arkansas River valley in Colorado. What do you think of the setting for Fatal Descent, the Colorado River in the remote Canyonlands of Utah? Does it add to or detract from the story and the suspense? Do you like reading about a new setting or would you prefer that all the books in the series take place in one setting?

2. Fatal Descent is a variation on a "manor house mystery" where members of a closed group are stuck in a remote location with minimal opportunity for outsiders to enter or for members of the group to escape (often an English country house in the 1920s and 30s). Then they all become suspects in a murder of one of their number. In Fatal Descent, instead of a manor house, the closed group of rafters and guides in Rob and Mandy's expedition are "locked up" in the remote canyons through which the Colorado River flows. What have been some of your favorite manor house mysteries? Does Fatal Descent effectively set up the suspenseful situation of a group of people stuck with an unknown killer among them?

3. Were the motive(s) of the killer(s) in Fatal Descent realistically portrayed? Did you believe that they could drive someone to murder? If so, why? If not, why not? Do you feel the killer's motive(s) must be realistic to make for a good mystery novel or does it not matter much, in relation to other aspects of the mystery novel?

4. Have you ever taken a guided expedition into a remote outdoor setting? What were your experiences on the trip? Was the relationship between guides and clients accurately shown in Fatal Descent? Were the tasks and activities that guides and clients performed typical of such expeditions? Did reading Fatal Descent make you more or less likely to want to go on such an expedition?

5. In addition to Rob and Mandy, only two other characters appear from the previous novels in the series, river guides Gonzo and Kendra. How have your feelings for these four characters grown or changed through the series? How would you like to see them grow in future books in the series? What was your impression of the new characters introduced in Fatal Descent?

6. In Fatal Descent, protagonist Mandy Tanner is not working as a whitewater river ranger, but is wearing her other hat, working as a river guide and outdoor expedition leader. Which role do you prefer for Mandy? Why?

7. All three books of the RM Outdoor Adventures series feature the outdoor sport of whitewater rafting. The second book, Wicked Eddies, adds fly-fishing and Fatal Descent adds climbing. Do you appreciate the addition of other outdoor sports or would you prefer the series focus only on whitewater rafting? If you like the addition of other sports, what sports would you like to see featured in future books in the series?