4. Stephanie manages to get to her gun and shoot Munson in the foot. It seems unlikely that Stephanie under the stress of the circumstances intentionally aims and shoots Munson in the foot. What is more likely to have happened is that she pointed the gun and pulled the trigger and it happened to hit Munson in the foot.

5. Why do you think Stephanie is so amenable to doing what Ranger asks her to do?

6. Why is Stephanie's grandma moving back to Stephanie's parents' home and what do you think is the implication?

7. What happens when Stephanie talks to Cynthia Lotte and what does this say about Stephanie?

8. How is the farcical nature of this novel even more evident in Chapter 11?

9. What is one thing that is ironic about how Stephanie and Lula manage to finally get Munson into her car?

10. How does the situation with Mitchell and Habib and their dog napping demonstrate a narrative contrivance?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Some of Stephanie's friendship have a history that goes back to a time when Stephanie is a young girl. Some of them at the very least go back to her high school years. Discuss the following:

1. Choose one of Stephanie's longterm friendship and thoroughly analyze it to include why you think it has lasted and if you think it is a relationship that has "depth" to it.

2. What are the advantages of having friendships for many decades?

3. What are the disadvantages of having decades-long friendships?

4. There is a musical round whose first lines are "Make new friends, but keep the old." Do you think this is good advice?

Essay Topic 2

A number of characters in Hot Six are people who are living on the wrong side of the law, or at the very least at the edge of legality. Discuss the following:

1. Trace and analyze two characters who live in the "grey zone" between legal and illegal (not those who are mobster types such as the Ramos family members or Stolle).

2. Compare/contrast Stephanie's attitudes towards lawbreakers versus that of Joe Morelli.

3. Compare/contrast Joe Morelli's attitudes towards lawbreakers versus that of Ranger.