Gamache does not reveal to anyone that Amelia is connected to his family history, even though this concealment leads to confusion and even pain among the characters he loves. Why is Gamache so hesitant to reveal his relationship to Amelia? Does his secrecy end up protecting or endangering her?

Each of the four cadets is “othered” and isolated in some way. Why does this make them vulnerable to Leduc? How does it lead them to form relationships with one another, and does it bring them together or drive them apart?

Gamache repeatedly makes bold and risky decisions, which other characters sometimes openly question. Can Gamache accurately assess his ability to maintain control of volatile situations? Do any of his risks backfire, and how does Gamache cope with these mistakes?

Investigating Leduc’s death is challenging because many people hated him and wanted him dead. How do Gamache, Lacoste, and Jean-Guy approach questioning the various suspects? How do they determine what is true and what is not, and how does the overall investigation give them greater insight into Leduc’s character?

Immediately after the murder, Gamache rushes the four cadets to Three Pines. How does this change of setting impact the development of these young characters? What do they learn from the community they encounter there?

Elizabeth Coldbrook contributes information essential to solving the crime, but she does so in a coy and obscure way because she wants to protect her job. Should Elizabeth have acted more decisively to assist the investigation? What responsibility does the gun manufacturing company bear for the violence perpetrated by the weapons it makes?

Gamache must confront the knowledge that because he allowed Leduc to stay on at the academy, Leduc was able to continue his sadistic abuse and torment more cadets. To what extent did Gamache’s plan fail the cadets he was entrusted to protect? Was Gamache naïve to assume that he could manipulate and control Leduc?

The cadets do not share what Leduc did to them until Gamache and Jean-Guy figure it out independently. Even then, some of them continue to defend Leduc. How could Leduc inspire such obedience and loyalty from the cadets even while abusing them? Why do the cadets, especially Jacques, find it hard to change their perspective and trust Gamache rather than Leduc?

Why can Gamache forgive Amelia and even greet her father at the graduation ceremony? How is the loss of his parents formative for him, and how does he prevent himself from becoming angry and embittered?