CAGED Book Club Discussion Starters
SPOILER WARNING
Summary:
FBI neuroscientist Sayer Altair hunts for evil in the deepest recesses of the human mind. Still reeling from the death of her fiancé, she wants nothing more than to focus on her research into the brains of serial killers. But when the Washington D.C. police stumble upon a gruesome murder scene involving a girl who was slowly starved to death while held captive in a cage, Sayer is called in to lead the investigation. When the victim is identified as the daughter of a high profile senator, Sayer is thrust into the spotlight.
As public pressure mounts, she discovers that another girl has been taken and is teetering on the brink of death. With evidence unraveling around her, Sayer races to save the second victim but soon realizes that they are hunting a killer with a dangerous obsession…a killer who is closer than she thought.
Major Characters:
Sayer Altair – FBI Senior Special Agent with the Critical Incident Response Team and neuroscientist at the FBI’s National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime
Vik Devereaux – FBI Special Agent with Crimes Against Children and Sayer’s assigned partner.
Joan Warren – FBI Chief Medical Examiner
Ezra Coen – Crime scene technician and all around computer wiz. Double amputee.
Janice Holt – FBI Assistant Director
Andy Wagner – FBI lead profiler.
Sophia McDuff – Sayer’s Nana, former librarian.
Charles Van Hurst – Powerful senator, father of Gwendolyn, the victim found in the cage.
Tino de la Vega – Sayer’s downstairs neighbor and dog co-parent to Vesper.
Franklin Winters – Real Estate agent and primary suspect.
Leila Farouk – Second victim.
Adrestia Stephanopolis – Leila’s friend and the third victim.
Jake Pendleton – Sayer’s dead fiancee.
Discussion Starters
What was your favorite part of Caged? What was your least favorite part?
If you could have dinner with one of the characters in Caged, who would it be and why?
Crime writers try to throw off readers with red-herrings to purposely lead them astray. Were you thrown off track? If so, what you tripped up? Did any particular twist really surprise you?
What did you think about the science in Caged? Had you ever heard of manufactured DNA before? Do you think the criminal justice system should be worried?
What did you think about the Maya, Egyptian, and Greek mythology about twins?
Sayer’s work on the brains of serial killers raises some difficult questions about nature versus nurture and the origins of violence. There is good evidence that people with the right genetic and neurological makeup are far more likely to be violent. What do you think should be done with children who display those traits? There is also evidence that childhood trauma dramatically increases the likelihood that an adult will be violent. If there is evidence of severe childhood trauma, does that reduce a criminal’s culpability?
Are there any aspects of the FBI and criminal investigation that you wish you knew more about?