In an introduction to a 1985 omnibus volume of three Leonard novels, political columnist George Will says, "Leonard's novels are about marginal people, small people incompetent at even petty crime; or his novels are about quiet professionals who, like Leonard, are underestimated for a long time." Given the large and varied cast of Freaky Deaky, any discussion probably will revolve about its characters. Although Will wrote three years before the publication of Freaky Deaky, his statement could be a means of providing an initial focus to a discussion.

1. In Freaky Deaky, Leonard presents a gallery of losers. Are there any winners in the novel?

2. A critic has written of the "masters of manipulation" that people this novel. Who are they? Do they differ from each other? Is this character type present in other Leonard works?

3. The ex-convict is a familiar character type in Leonard novels. To which...