The Deep End Reading Kit

What Is The Deep End?

The Deep End is the first book in the Country Club Murders Series by Julie Mulhern. The amateur sleuth is Ellison Russell, a spirited artist and mother who solves a country club related mystery in Kansas City in 1974.

Read more about The Deep End.

The Deep End Reader Questions

Use these questions to reflect on the story after you read it or to spark discussions in a book club.

• Who is your favorite character from The Deep End?

• Did you have a favorite scene in The Deep End? What did you like about this scene?

• Do you think Ellison is a good amateur sleuth?

• What did you think of the setting (Kansas City in 1974)?

• Did you catch any of the 1970s references? Did they make you feel nostalgic for the time period?

• Compare The Deep End to other cozy mysteries you've read. What makes The Deep End unique?

• What did you think of the book's tone? Was there a good balance between cozy elements and more serious themes?

• In what ways did Ellison change from the start of the book to the end of the book?

• Were you able to guess the culprit?

• What clues helped and what red herrings threw you off the trail of the killer?

• If you were Ellison, which Country Club character would you choose to be your sleuthing sidekick?

• Are you Team Hunter or Team Anarchy?

• Did Henry get what he deserved?

• How do you like your chicken salad: grapes or no grapes?

• Would you like to see The Deep End made into a movie or TV show? Who would you pick to play Frances, Ellison, and Grace?

• Are you going to read Guaranteed to Bleed, the next book in the Country Club Murders Series?

• Do you have any predictions for future books in the series?

The Deep End Book Club Activities

• Play a game of bridge. You can learn to play bridge with this free text-based bridge tutorial from Bicyclecards.com. You can also use this YouTube video playlist from the American Contract Bridge League to learn to play bridge through ten easy videos for beginners. The videos cover set-up, rules, and scoring.

• Plan an outing to play a country club sport like golf or tennis.

• Have a night in (or a night out to discuss the book with fellow readers). Serve wine and fondue. Here is tasty cheese fondue recipe from Food Network to try.

• Have a themed book club meeting with food mentioned in The Deep End. A few menu items you could serve include club sandwiches, chicken salad (grapes or no grapes), gazpacho, and/or wedge salads.

• Ask every book club member to bring an index card or a piece of paper with a memory from 1974 or a fun fact about 1974. Take turns reading each memory or fact out loud.

• Imagine that The Deep End is being adapted into a television series. Take turns saying which actor or actress you would choose to play your favorite character from the book.

Aggie’s Chicken Salad Recipe

Ellison loves Aggie’s grape-free chicken salad. Here is a chicken salad recipe from author Julie Mulhern that was inspired by The Deep End.

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked white-meat chicken or turkey chopped

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1 stalk celery chopped

• 1 green onion diced

• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• Pepper to taste

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. This chicken salad can be kept covered and refrigerated for up to one week.

Go Beyond the Book

The Deep End is set in 1974. Follow the links below to take a trip back in time and learn more about this era.

• See the year in pictures in this 1974 Photo Story from The Atlantic.

• Read the history of TaB soda, Ellison’s drink of choice.

• Listen to the Billboard Top 100 Songs from 1974 on Spotify.

• Read a Halston biography to learn more about Halston, an iconic 1970s clothing designer. (Madeline was wearing a Halston dress in the first chapter of The Deep End.)

• Read an article from Ingram’s about growth and development in Kansas City in the 1970s.

• Read an article from American Heritage about the history of American Country Clubs.