SOME OF US ARE LOOKING: Discussion Guide

1. How does the scenic beauty of the Dingle peninsula contrast with the dark events of the story? Did this juxtaposition enhance the suspense for you?
2. Dimpna returns to her hometown after years away. How do you think her past and her time away influence her reactions and decisions throughout the novel?
3. The theme of the rabbit’s foot as a symbol of luck recurs throughout the story. What do you think the author is trying to convey with this symbol, especially in the context of the murder mystery?
4. The community dynamics are a significant part of the story, from the tourists to the local caravan. How do these different groups interact, and what tensions do you notice?
5. How do Dimpna’s personal connections and Detective Sergeant Cormac O’Brien’s professional expertise complement each other during the investigation?
6. Jealousy and tangled relationships play a significant role in the narrative. Which relationships surprised you the most, and why?
7. The meteor shower and other atmospheric elements added to the novel’s tension. How did these elements influence your reading experience, and were there any moments where you felt a strong sense of foreboding?
8. Were there any signs or warnings that you, as a reader, noticed before Dimpna and Cormac? Discuss moments where you felt the characters might be overlooking crucial clues.
9. How does the book explore the concept of returning home? Are there universal themes that readers can relate to, regardless of cultural background?
10. Consider the title “SOME OF US ARE LOOKING.” Without knowing the plot, what do you think this title suggests about the themes or motifs of the book?
11. How do you think superstitions, like the belief in a lucky rabbit’s foot, can be woven into modern mysteries? Do you think they add an interesting layer to the narrative?

In late summer, the Dingle peninsula is thronged with tourists drawn to County Kerry’s dark mountains and deep, lush valleys. For Irish vet Dimpna Wilde, who has returned to run her family’s practice after years away, home is a beautiful but complicated place—especially when it becomes the setting for a brutal murder . . . 

In Dimpna Wilde’s veterinary practice, an imminent meteor shower has elevated the usual gossip to include talk of shooting stars and the watch parties that are planned all over Dingle. But there are also matters nearer at hand to discuss—including the ragtag caravan of young people selling wares by the roadside, and the shocking death of Chris Henderson, an elderly local, in a hit-and-run.

Just hours before his death, Henderson had stormed into the Garda Station, complaining loudly about the caravan’s occupants causing noise and disruption. One of their members is a beautiful young woman named Brigid Sweeney, and Dimpna is shocked when Brigid later turns up at her practice, her clothing splattered in blood and an injured hare tucked into her shirt.

Brigid claims that a mysterious stranger has been trying to obtain a lucky rabbit’s foot. Dimpna is incensed at the thought of anyone mutilating animals, but there is far worse in store. On the night of the meteor shower, Dimpna finds Brigid’s body tied to a tree, her left hand severed. She has bled to death. Wrapped around her wrist is a rabbit’s foot.

Brigid had amassed plenty of admirers, and there were tangled relationships within the group. But perhaps there is something more complex than jealousy at play. The rabbit’s foot, the severed hand, the coinciding meteor shower—the deeper Dimpna and Detective Sargeant Cormac O’Brien investigate, the more ominous the signs seem to be, laced with a warning that Dimpna fears it will prove fatal to overlook.