Murder Road Quiz: 20 Questions on Simone St. James's Thriller

Plot & Sequence Questions (1–8) 1. What event sets the main conflict in motion?

A) April and Eddie get lost on their honeymoon
B) They pick up a bleeding hitchhiker named Rhonda Jean
C) They witness a murder on Atticus Line
D) They are accused of murder by the police 2. Short answer: What does Eddie claim he saw in the bed of the truck that followed them? 3. What is the name of the road where the murders occur?
A) Five Pines Road
B) Atticus Line
C) Coldlake Falls Road
D) Hunter Beach Road 4. Put these events in the correct order:
a) They meet Rose at the bed-and-breakfast
b) They find the memorial flower for Katharine O'Connor
c) They visit Hunter Beach
d) They are questioned by Detective Quentin
A) d, a, b, c
B) a, d, c, b
C) b, a, d, c
D) c, b, a, d 5. Who is the Lost Girl?
A) Rhonda Jean
B) Shannon Haller
C) Katharine O'Connor
D) Trish 6. Short answer: What evidence links Max Shandler to Rhonda Jean's murder? 7. What happens to John Haller at the end of the novel?
A) He is arrested for Shannon's murder
B) He dies of brain cancer after shooting Eddie
C) He escapes to another state
D) He is killed by Eddie in self-defense 8. Short answer: What does Detective Quentin plan to do after the mall construction begins on Atticus Line?

Character Motivation Questions (9–13) 9. Why does April briefly consider fleeing the hospital after they bring Rhonda Jean in?

A) She is guilty of the murder
B) She fears being blamed because they look like murderers
C) She wants to avoid paying for the hospital
D) She is scared of the truck driver 10. Short answer: Why does Eddie refuse to tell the police about the truck that followed them? 11. Why does Rose lend Robbie's car to April and Eddie?
A) She wants them to leave town quickly
B) She wants to help them investigate Rhonda Jean's death
C) She is paid a large sum of money
D) She wants to get rid of them because she suspects them 12. Short answer: Why does April decide to stay in Coldlake Falls instead of leaving when they have the chance? 13. Why does Eddie break into John Haller's house?
A) To steal evidence that would incriminate him
B) To find information about Shannon Haller, especially a roll of film
C) To confront John about the murder
D) To get revenge for the attack on April

Theme & Symbol Questions (14–17) 14. What does Atticus Line symbolize throughout the novel?

A) Freedom and escape
B) Danger, death, and the haunting past
C) New beginnings for the honeymooners
D) Community and small-town life 15. Short answer: What does the pink cloth flower memorial for Katharine O'Connor represent? 16. What does the recurring cold sensation signify in the story?
A) The presence of the ghost (the Lost Girl)
B) The onset of illness
C) The change in weather
D) The characters' fear of the police 17. Short answer: What does the deliberately ripped tag on the Lost Girl's shirt symbolize?

Synthesis Questions (18–20) 18. Short answer: How does the novel connect the theme of identity to both April and Shannon Haller? 19. What is the significance of Eddie's military past in the story?

A) It explains his violent tendencies
B) It makes him a prime suspect in the murders
C) It connects to his PTSD and hallucinations, which mirror the supernatural events
D) It is irrelevant to the plot 20. Short answer: How does the novel use the supernatural (the Lost Girl's ghost) to comment on real-world issues like domestic abuse and police corruption?

Answer Key

1. B — The conflict begins when April and Eddie pick up Rhonda Jean, who is bleeding and being chased. This leads to the murder investigation and their entanglement with the town.

2. Eddie claims he saw a teenage girl sitting in the bed of the truck, fading in and out. This is the first hint of the supernatural.

3. B — Atticus Line is the road where the hitchhiker murders occur, and it becomes the central setting for the haunting.

4. A — The correct order is: d (questioned by Quentin), a (meet Rose), b (find the memorial flower), c (visit Hunter Beach).

5. B — The Lost Girl is revealed to be Shannon Haller, Eddie's birth mother, who was killed in 1976.

6. Evidence includes Rhonda Jean's bloodied backpack in Max's truck, blood in the cab, her jacket belonging to Max, and a knife with blood.

7. B — John Haller dies of brain cancer after shooting Eddie; his death is confirmed in the epilogue.

8. Quentin plans to be waiting when construction digging uncovers more bodies, so he can identify and remember them.

9. B — April considers fleeing because she and Eddie look like murderers, covered in blood, and she fears being blamed.

10. Eddie refuses to tell the police about the truck because he fears they won't believe him and it will make them look more suspicious.

11. B — Rose lends them the car to help them investigate, believing they are innocent and wanting to uncover the truth.

12. April decides to stay because she feels chosen by the Lost Girl and wants to help solve the mystery, despite the danger.

13. B — Eddie breaks in to find information about Shannon, specifically a roll of film from a camera that might contain clues.

14. B — Atticus Line symbolizes danger, death, and the haunting past, as it is the site of multiple unsolved murders and supernatural occurrences.

15. The memorial flower represents remembrance of a victim and the lingering presence of the past, as well as the town's failure to solve the case.

16. A — The cold sensation is a supernatural signal indicating the ghost's presence, as experienced by April and others.

17. The ripped tag symbolizes the deliberate erasure of Shannon's identity, making her impossible to identify and thus forgotten.

18. Both April and Shannon have hidden or fabricated identities: April changes her name and past to escape her abusive father, while Shannon's identity is erased by her killer. The novel explores how identity can be constructed, hidden, and violently stripped away.

19. C — Eddie's military past connects to his PTSD and hallucinations, which parallel the supernatural experiences and make him more empathetic to the ghost's presence.

20. The ghost of Shannon drives the investigation, exposing police corruption and the failure to solve murders of marginalized people, while also highlighting the cycle of domestic abuse that affects both Shannon and April.