Grabtown

Their mother left them more than memories—she left them a murder.

When twin sisters Cassandra and Anastasia return to their childhood home in rural Connecticut, they discover an unpublished manuscript hidden among their deceased mother's belongings. Written by their mom's girlfriend AJ, it's a murder mystery that reads like fiction—except their mother is a key character, and the 40-year-old cold case at its center is all too real.

Cassie, a writer, sees a bestseller. Ana, terrified of what they'll uncover, wants to burn it.

As the sisters follow AJ's story into the disturbing truth behind an abandoned village the locals call Grabtown, the line between past and present blurs. Cassie's volatile husband Marsh demands they stop digging. A retired detective arrives asking dangerous questions. And someone believes AJ's manuscript isn't fiction—it's a confession.
What's really behind Marsh's lucrative rare-motorcar business? Why won't the past stay buried? And why is a major crimes detective now urging them to flee?

Grabtown is a gripping dual-timeline thriller that exposes the dark underbelly of small-town secrets, where sisterhood and courage become the only weapons against those who prey on the vulnerable. Perfect for fans of Kellye Garrett's Like a Sister, Shari Lapena’s Listen for the Lie, and Amy Gentry's Good as Gone.

These discussion questions were provided by the publisher DartFrog Books.

Book club questions for Grabtown by Sarah P. Blanchard

Use these discussion questions to guide your next book club meeting.

What do you think of the title, and its relationship to the book’s themes?

When Cassie and Ana discover AJ’s story about the 1985 murder, did you have expectations about what they might learn? Did those expectations change? If so, when?

What did you think of Jimmy, the murder victim? Was he ever a sympathetic character?

What surprised you about the plot? Were there twists you didn’t see coming?

As the timeline shifts between present-day and 1985, the point-of-view also shifts between third person close (Cassie) and first-person (AJ). Which timeline and PoV did you most relate to?

What’s your first impression of Marla in the present timeline? How does that change as Cassie begins reading the old story?

What about Cassie herself? Is she a sympathetic character, or did you see her as more selfish and self-centered? Did that change?

Ana is the “good” twin in the contemporary story. Did anything about her surprise you?

If Ana hadn’t been on the scene when Cassie opened the hard drive, would events have unfolded differently? Why did Cassie call Marsh before she went to the police?

Why do you think Cassie stayed married to Marsh for so long? And what helped her pull away from him?

Apart from investigating the case, what were Detective Androski’s roles in the story?

Consider other secondary characters: the shopkeepers, Jimmy’s wife Charlotte, Zach the reporter, Dotty the neighbor. Which ones resonated with you?

This story touches on difficult themes (child abuse, sexual exploitation, blackmail) that can be hard to talk about. Several critics have praised the author’s sensitive handling of these topics. How can a fictional story open the door for important discussions?

Other themes in Grabtown include the power of sisterhood, family loyalty, justice, adolescent peer pressure, social expectations, and small-town secrets. Which resonated with you, and why?

How do you feel about the endings of both stories? What did you like or dislike, and why?

Grabtown Book Club Questions PDF

Click here for a printable PDF of the Grabtown discussion questions