By Hook or by Crook cover

By Hook or by Crook

by Emma Lathen

John Putnam Thatcher, senior vice president of the Sloan Guaranty Trust, becomes involved with Parajians, Inc., the largest Oriental-rug business in the country and a major account of the Sloan. A violent rivalry in the Parajian family that results in two murders soon teaches Thatcher more than he cares to know about carpets and wall hangings. And it is only his famous logic and imperturbable cool that keep the rug from being pulled out from under them all.

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Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?