The Drowning Pool
Book Club Picks

Book Club Picks: The Drowning Pool

When Rick Bradshaw is found floating in the La Reine Gardens pool, many residents immediately make the suspect list. Starting with Rick's live-in girlfriend, Cheryl, all the way down to his on-again/off-again mistress, April, nobody is safe from speculation. When Mike Gardner takes the case he doesn't realize, however, how closely interconnected this group of people are to each other.

Kim Reynolds, the love of Mike's life, is also a resident at La Reine. Between finding time to work as a reference librarian, build a relationship with Mike, and earn his daughters' respect, Kim also moonlights as a consultant of the sixth-sense kind on Mike's cases. She agrees to involve herself with the Bradshaw case at Mike's request.

Besides Kim and his two daughters, Mike has another woman heavily involved in his daily life. Bert St. Croix is a recent hire on Mike's team and is working with one big chip on her shoulder. Mike's not sure what the problem is, but he knows that Bert is completely unhappy in New Jersey and sees the Bradshaw case as a waste of time.

Put all this together and what results is a case full of crazy characters, all hell-bent on proving their innocence. Will Mike, Bert, and Kim figure out who is behind the murder before something happens to one of them?

Book Club Picks: The Drowning Pool Opinion

I like that this book jumps right in on page one with the detective getting the call to investigate a murder. I also liked how naturally Mike Gardner changed roles from lover to hard-nosed cop to father without the blink of an eye. He is, by far, the driving force of this novel.

I wanted more development in the characters of Kim and Bert. I felt as though they were there mainly to serve a purpose in Mike's life, but also sensed that there was much more brimming under the surface of each. The reader would be much more invested in the overall story if these women's lives played a more central role.

For a book group, the large cast of secondary characters could either prove to be confusing for discussion, or extremely interesting. So many personality types are represented in the novel - a little something for everyone.

Book Club Picks: The Drowning Pool Discussion Questions

1. Do you think Rick Bradshaw was as bad as he was made out to be?
2. Is Bert a lesbian?
3. Do you think Kim will marry Mike? Why or why not?

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