Book club guide and discussion questions

At a glance

• Length: about 262 pages, a two-to-three week read for most clubs
• Genre: Texas oil and landman thriller, mystery, suspense
• Setting: Brazoria County, Texas Gulf Coast
• Themes: land and inheritance, family loyalty, buried history, power and money, marriage under pressure

Discussion questions

1. The novel opens at 2:17 a.m. beside an abandoned well. How did that opening set your expectations, and did the book deliver on them?
2. Jack Mercer knows right away that the scene doesn't look like an accident. What makes a reader trust, or doubt, a narrator's instincts?
3. A lease, a survey map and a photograph are the first clues. Why do paper records carry so much power in oil country?
4. Kate is pulled into the mystery alongside Jack. How does their marriage change as the stakes rise?
5. Mineral rights can be split from the land above them. How does that idea of hidden ownership work as a metaphor in the book?
6. Powerful energy families protect a secret for decades. What does the novel say about money, loyalty and silence in a small community?
7. How does Brazoria County, with its humidity, lease roads and Gulf Coast plants, work almost like a character?
8. The book is often compared to Landman, Yellowstone and The Pelican Brief. Which comparison fits best for you, and why?
9. Which revelation surprised you most, and did you go back to look for clues you'd missed?
10. The Lease is Book One of a series. What threads do you most want Book 2 to pick up?

Meeting plan (60–90 minutes)

1. Open with a first-impressions round: one word for the book from each reader.
2. Read the glossary together for five minutes. Folks who work in oil and gas usually have stories to share.
3. Work through the questions, and save the last three for the end.
4. Watch the trailer and vote on who should star in the movie.

Invite the author

Texas clubs can ask about a visit, in person or by video, by messaging The Lease on Facebook.