Test Your Knowledge of Killing Stalking

Welcome to the ultimate Killing Stalking quiz. This companion covers the entire story of former child star Suzanne Barnes Grolier as she uncovers a decades-long stalker in Springvale. Before you begin, you may want to review the main Killing Stalking book page, check answers in the questions and answers section, or revisit the ending explained.

Part 1: Plot and Sequence (8 questions)

1. Where does Suzanne move to at the start of the story?

A) Los Angeles
B) Springvale
C) Paris
D) Boston

2. What accident kills Suzanne’s husband Jan‑Michel and their son Allan?

A) A plane crash
B) A car accident in Europe
C) A gas leak at their home
D) A fire on a movie set

3. In the epilogue, what object reveals Raymond’s crimes?

A) A diary
B) A video tape
C) A collection of news clippings
D) A locked safe

4. Who is the masked axeman that attacks Suzanne in the final confrontation?

A) Arthur Barnes
B) Timothy Randolph
C) Raymond Barnes
D) Detective Peter Wilson

5. How does Suzanne defeat the axeman during the final fight?

A) She shoots him with a gun
B) She stabs him with a knife and he falls over a fence
C) She hits him with a frying pan
D) She locks him in the basement

6. What happens to Tim Randolph after Suzanne rejects his marriage proposal?

A) He apologises and leaves
B) He admits he orchestrated the attacks on her
C) He helps the police find Arthur
D) He dies in a car crash

7. Which character is initially arrested as the prime suspect for the stalking?

A) Dana Cody
B) Arthur Barnes
C) Raymond Barnes
D) Tim Randolph

8. What caused the death of actress’ co‑star Larry Hartvale twelve years before the main story?

A) A stunt gone wrong
B) A heart attack on set
C) A prop gun loaded with live ammunition
D) A fall from a height

Part 2: Character Motivation (5 questions)

9. Why does Suzanne return to Springvale?

A) To find a husband
B) To write her autobiography and confront her past
C) To audition for a movie
D) To escape a stalker

10. What is Arthur’s primary motive for his actions throughout the story?

A) Jealousy of Suzanne’s fame and unrequited love
B) Revenge for his father’s death
C) Greed for Suzanne’s inheritance
D) Fear of being exposed as a fraud

11. Why does Tim Randolph propose to Suzanne on the night of the dinner?

A) He truly loves her
B) He wants to use her to boost his talk show ratings
C) He feels guilty for past betrayals
D) He is being blackmailed

12. What drives Raymond Barnes to try to kill Suzanne?

A) Hatred for her taking his wife’s attention and ruining Arthur’s career
B) Disagreement over her acting choices
C) Fear that she would expose his financial crimes
D) Revenge for her mother’s death

13. Why does Dana Cody initially take the job as Suzanne’s assistant?

A) She was a childhood friend who wanted to reconnect
B) She needed money and a place to stay
C) She was hired by the stalker to spy on Suzanne
D) She wanted to become an actress herself

Part 3: Theme and Symbol (4 questions)

14. The recurring motif of accidents — the film set death, the brake failure, the firebomb — most directly represents:

A) Suzanne’s bad luck
B) A deliberate campaign of terror
C) The power of fate
D) Incompetence of the police

15. What does the leather mask worn by the axeman symbolise?

A) The loss of identity and dehumanisation
B) Protection from the cold
C) The killer’s profession
D) The anonymity of celebrity

16. The “fence” that collapses under the axeman’s weight in the final scene is a symbol of:

A) Suzanne’s emotional barriers finally breaking
B) The fragility of safety and order
C) Arthur’s mental stability
D) The police force’s failure

17. Which theme is most clearly explored through Suzanne’s work on her autobiography?

A) The corrupting influence of money
B) The use of storytelling to process trauma and find closure
C) The impossibility of fame
D) The necessity of revenge

Part 4: Synthesis (3 questions)

18. Compare the two threatening phone calls Suzanne receives — the distorted‑voice call threatening she will “burn like a doll” and the earlier call where she screams back. How do these calls advance the plot and character development? (Short answer)

19. Why is it significant that the final attacker is not Arthur or Tim, but Raymond? What does this reveal about the novel’s view of trust and family? (Short answer)

20. How does the flashback to the film‑set death of Larry Hartvale (the “12 Years Ago” chapter) serve as both a literal and thematic starting point for the entire story? (Short answer)

Answer Key

1. B – Springvale
Suzanne moves there after her husband’s death to write her autobiography (outline ch.1).
2. B – A car accident in Europe
The accident killed Jan‑Michel and Allan while the family was on a trip (outline ch.2).
3. A – A diary
Arthur brings Raymond’s journal, which details his sabotage and murders (outline Epilogue).
4. C – Raymond Barnes
The mask is removed to reveal Suzanne’s stepfather (outline ch.45‑46, evidence ch.46).
5. B – She stabs him with a knife and he falls over a fence
Suzanne uses a fencing move, stabs Raymond in the shoulder, and he crashes through the fence to his death (outline ch.45‑46).
6. B – He admits he orchestrated the attacks on her
Tim confesses in the parking lot, saying he wanted to control her and boost his show (outline ch.42‑43, evidence ch.43).
7. B – Arthur Barnes
Arthur is arrested after breaking into Suzanne’s house, but is later released (outline ch.39‑41).
8. C – A prop gun loaded with live ammunition
Raymond switched the blanks for real bullets, causing Larry’s death (outline ch.1, Epilogue).
9. B – To write her autobiography and confront her past
She tells Dana she returned to “confront old ghosts” (outline ch.2‑3).
10. A – Jealousy of Suzanne’s fame and unrequited love
Arthur confesses his love and is envious of her success and relationships (outline ch.23‑24, 32).
11. B – He wants to use her to boost his talk show ratings
Tim reveals he planned the proposal as a publicity stunt (outline ch.43).
12. A – Hatred for her taking his wife’s attention and ruining Arthur’s career
The journal shows Raymond blamed Suzanne for stealing Lenore and Arthur’s future (outline Epilogue).
13. A – She was a childhood friend who wanted to reconnect
Dana shows up at Suzanne’s house and is immediately recognised as an old friend (outline ch.2).
14. B – A deliberate campaign of terror
The accidents are all orchestrated by Raymond (and later Tim) to harm Suzanne.
15. A – The loss of identity and dehumanisation
The mask hides the killer’s face and makes him a faceless threat, reflecting how obsession strips away humanity.
16. B – The fragility of safety and order
The fence that collapses under Raymond’s weight shows that even seemingly solid protections can give way.
17. B – The use of storytelling to process trauma and find closure
Suzanne’s memoir helps her understand her past, and the act of writing becomes therapeutic (outline ch.2‑3, 25, 42).
18. Short‑answer expected points: The calls escalate the threat from anonymous letters to direct, psychological attacks; Suzanne moves from passive fear to active defiance (screaming back), showing her growing resilience and refusal to be controlled.
19. Short‑answer expected points: It subverts the reader’s suspicion of Arthur and Tim, showing that the greatest danger came from a trusted family member; the novel criticises blind trust in family bonds and reveals how hidden madness can destroy those closest.
20. Short‑answer expected points: It establishes the first “accident” as a murder, introduces Suzanne’s guilt and the theme of reality vs. fiction, and sets the pattern of manipulation that continues for decades; it also introduces the weapon (live ammunition) that Raymond later uses as a metaphor for the control he exerts over Suzanne’s life.