Due to the timely themes in many of her works, Clark's fiction serves as excellent material for group discussions. Her novels often draw inspiration from contemporary news stories involving women and children in peril. These narratives frequently mirror ongoing situations that members of the discussion group might have experienced, thus resonating deeply with them. Clark's themes and plots are both intensely emotional and personal, and despite their fictional treatment, they often allow for various interpretations that extend beyond the boundaries of her books.

For instance, while she doesn't identify as a feminist writer, her novels' focus on women and their challenges raises numerous issues currently debated in public and feminist circles. These include the role of marriage and children and the significance of careers in modern women's lives, the degree to which women still need to rely on male "protection" in a society more attuned to women's aspirations, and the extent to which patriarchal social attitudes continue to define and control women's lives. Her books routinely touch on these topics but often leave them unresolved by the end, sparking lively discussions.

1. Can the group identify similar real-life cases where a mother is accused of murdering her children to compare with the novel? Does Where Are the Children? reflect reality closely?

2. Discuss the heroine's strengths and weaknesses and how they might explain the novel's complex status as a "feminist" piece of fiction.

3. What is the nature of "evil" in Where Are the Children??

4. What are the causes of this "evil?"

5. Identify the traits of the "good" and "bad" men in the fiction. How do these traits impact Nancy?

6. What specifically draws readers to a Mary Higgins Clark thriller?

7. What other novels have you read that are comparable to Where Are the Children? and how do they differ?

8. Why does the Cape Cod setting work particularly well for this story?

9. Why is this book best described as a "thriller" rather than a "mystery" or another crime novel genre?

10. How does Where Are the Children? incorporate "Gothic" elements?