Discussion Questions for To Hell in a Handbasket:

1. In To Hell in a Handbasket, Claire Hanover must deal with the issue of her daughter Judy flying the nest and wanting to make her own adult decisions. How does Claire’s relationship with her daughter compare to your own with your mother and/or daughter? Is it healthy and mature? How could it be improved?

2. In some book, criminals—especially killers, crime bosses and drug dealers—are portrayed as pure evil. In To Hell in a Handbasket, however, both Leon and Gregori Ivanov are given human characteristics and friendly relationships and are not pure evil. Do you know someone who has committed a crime? Do they maintain somewhat normal relationships with friends and family? Is the portrayal of these criminals in To Hell in a Handbasket realistic?

3. To Hell in a Handbasket is set in Breckenridge, Colorado in March, with its snow, ice and cold and winter sports, such as downhill and cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling. How does this setting enhance the story? Could the events have taken place in a different setting, such as your home town, and if so, how would the story need to be changed?

4. To Hell in a Handbasket has a higher level of depicted violence that its predecessor, A Real Basket Case, with more deaths and lengthier descriptions of those deaths. It also has more action scenes. If you’ve read both books, which do you prefer? Why? Which is more suspenseful? In what ways?

5. To Hell in a Handbasket is not a typical who-done-it. It focuses more on the questions of “What is really going on here?” and “Why have these people died?” How does the plot compare to a typical who-done-it? Which form do you find more entertaining? Why?