M E Roche
THE NURSE - DETECTIVE MYSTERIES
Book Club Questions for Mystery at Marian Manor
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Nora Brady is a student nurse, working at a long-term care facility (often called a nursing home) as her first patient care assignment. Have you been in such a place before? What were your thoughts about Marian Manor? Did anything surprise you?
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What were some of your favorite scenes from the book? Why did they stand out to you?
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What did you learn from the book or what did it teach you about yourself or others?
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Who was your favorite character? Why?
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Which character did you dislike or disagree with most? Why?
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Did you feel that Nora and Tina grew from their experiences at Marian Manor? What made you think this?
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What did you think of police Detective Dan Maguire? Why do you think he tried to exclude Nora from the official investigation?
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What did you think of Nora’s trip to San Francisco? Was that a smart move?
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Were you surprised by who ended up being the person(s) who committed the crimes? If you guessed, what clues had you noticed? If you were surprised, who did you think it would have been instead? Why?
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Were you satisfied with the ending? Did it make sense and tie up all loose ends? If you weren’t satisfied, what left you hanging?
Why do I think of Lemon Dreams when I think of my first nursing home experience? Because that was the first time I ever experienced this wonderful dessert, which has become a standby for whenever I want to fix something on the light side—something that may follow a spicy or heavy main course. It’s a shortbread crust with a lemon custard topping, dusted with powdered sugar. You can see from my recipe card that this has been well used. Thanks to Isabelle McCarthy, a fellow supervisor those many years ago. Our Director of Nursing was Jean Balazs who really was as wonderful as the Jean of Marian Manor!
RECIPE:
8” Square pan - Preheat oven to 350 degrees
½ cup butter
1 cup flour
¼ cup powdered sugar
pinch of salt
Cream butter and sugar; add flour and salt. Press mix into bottom of 8” pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes until lightly browned.
While this is baking, mix:
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 Tbsp flour
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
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Pour mixture over top of browned crust as soon as it comes from the oven. Bake another 20-25 minutes until completely set and lightly browned.
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Cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Best chilled before serving.
