1. How do Phoenix and Annalynn feel when they go to stand guard at the farmhouse? How do they each react to the shootout later? What would your reactions be in a similar situation?
  2. Why does the FBI suspect Phoenix and Annalynn took the gold coins? How do the agents’ suspicion and Phoenix’s dislike of the FBI affect the way both investigate?
  3. What does Phoenix’s response to Mrs. T’s situation reveal about Phoenix? How great is the threat to the elderly woman? What would you do if Mrs. T. was your neighbor?
  4. Is Annalynn right to push Phoenix to meet with her ex-husband, or does Annalynn’s interference cross the line?
  5. What do you see as his motives for coming to Laycock?
  6. Is Phoenix being smart or foolish to go slowly in her romance with Stuart? What does she stand to gain and to lose?
  7. How does the past overlap with the present in the various families’ private lives and in the investigation?