Presumption of Guilt Book Club Questions
by Peter Kirkland
These questions assume everyone has finished the book and contain spoilers, including the ending.
Presumption of Guilt gives book clubs plenty to argue about, from bail hearings and trial strategy to family loyalty and the uneven ways people experience the justice system. The story keeps asking who gets believed, who gets protected, and what it costs to fight for someone else.
Use these questions however your group likes: pick a few favorites, go in order, or let the conversation follow the tensions that hit hardest. There are no right answers here, just good reasons to listen to one another.
The Legal System and Inequality
- 1.When Lily Greco interrupts Andy Davis's bail hearing to tell Judge McKenzie that Davis is not a stranger and had threatened her, the judge dismisses her claim because the PFA was civil and did not appear in routine checks. How does this moment set up the novel's critique of the legal system's limits, and did you understand why Lily kept pushing despite the judge's skepticism?
- 2.At Destiny's bail hearing, John Novak asks for $1,000,000 bail and an ankle bracelet, while Lily argues that high bail would separate Destiny from Jasmine and risk her home; Judge Polenko sets bail at $200,000 with electronic monitoring. How did you weigh pretrial liberty against the prosecution's fear of flight, and did the ankle bracelet's cost feel like an overlooked burden?
- 3.Destiny later realizes she cannot afford private counsel after spending her resources on bail, and Lily is ashamed of having made that happen. How does the novel use Destiny's financial collapse to show inequality in the criminal justice system, and should Lily have warned her about that tradeoff before the bail hearing?
- 4.When Officer Wayne arrests Destiny at the dojo for Shannon O'Neill's murder, two moms lean away as if Destiny 'was trash,' while Lily offers to take Jasmine because she lives upstairs. How does this scene establish the novel's themes of bias, solidarity, and community, and did Lily's offer surprise you?
Family, Loyalty, and Hard Choices
- 5.Mr. Greco sits silently through the bail hearing and later questions Lily's theory linking Andy Davis to Sophia's death. How does his skepticism shape their relationship, and did you think his caution was reasonable or too passive given what Lily knew about Drew?
- 6.Lily decides to represent Destiny Harris in the murder trial even after her father Bobby Greco warns that friendship clouds her judgment, tells her to get malpractice insurance and call PI Jack Duval, and threatens to wash his hands of the case. Did you agree with Lily's choice to take the case anyway, and how much did her grief over Sophia drive that decision?
- 7.Darius Williams testifies that he loaned Shannon his 2022 Ford Escape, kept a handgun in his car, left keys in the men's locker room, and was still legally married to Destiny. How did his affair and his choices affect your sympathy for Destiny, and did you see Darius as a victim, a catalyst, or something else?
- 8.Lily's father congratulates her after the verdict but immediately criticizes her for not talking to the press and compares her win to a legendary horse race. How did his mixture of pride and critique land for you, and did it change how you saw his earlier warnings about representing Destiny?
- 9.Lily makes cherry pie with Sophia's recipe at Thanksgiving, her mother becomes emotional, and Jasmine laughs with Merlin while Destiny watches with joy. How do these small rituals and moments of family comfort balance the courtroom tension, and what did they add to the novel's themes of grief and healing?
Evidence, Witnesses, and Suspicion
- 10.Angie Campbell's letter claims guards at SCI Moreland were smuggling and selling to inmates, that Shannon planned to report it, and that Angie was transferred after talking. How did this prison-corruption theory change your understanding of Shannon's death, and did it make Destiny's conviction feel less certain?
- 11.Tyler White mostly stays silent but nods that Haley DeMarco is smuggling drugs and reacts with fear to Nyesha Walker's name. How do these wordless exchanges build suspicion, and did they make you trust Angie's account more or less?
- 12.Nyesha Walker found Shannon's body, tested negative for gunshot residue, and testified that Destiny threatened to 'take out' Shannon if she got pregnant, yet later refuses to talk to police and hires a drug-crime defense lawyer. How did her shifting role from witness to possible suspect affect your view of her testimony?
- 13.The defense plays DX-296, the spliced security footage showing Haley DeMarco leaving at 6:50 p.m., returning at 6:56 p.m., and bypassing the metal detector with a bag. Did this footage create reasonable doubt about who retrieved Destiny's gun, or did Haley's denial leave the question too open?
- 14.Shannon's damaged Samsung phone is found near Loyalhanna Creek, and Dr. Pavlik recovers a video of Shannon using a neodymium magnet to reveal a hidden cavity behind a shower tile. How did you interpret that video—as proof of smuggling, as a red herring, or as evidence that never got its full explanation because Judge Becker limited speculation?
The Verdict and Unresolved Questions
- 15.The jury finds Destiny not guilty, but Andrew Davis is indicted for first-degree murder, Haley DeMarco is arrested with competing motives, Nyesha refuses to talk, and the novel ends with the line that a killer has already beaten the system once. Did the ending feel like justice for Shannon and Sophia, or did it leave too many unanswered questions?