Grimes's novels are interesting to compare to each other and to those of other detective novelists. In The Man With a Load of Mischief, the first in the series, she establishes the formula for her subsequent novels. Throughout the series, her skills as a novelist grow and her characters change. A discussion group might explore the progression of the author and her characters from this first novel to later novels.

Fans of detective fiction tend to be fiercely loyal to their favorite authors, so discussions and probably arguments might center on comparisons between Grimes and other detective novelists.

Of particular interest might be discussions which compare Grimes to current writers who are working in the same tradition. Two such writers are Elizabeth George and P. D. James. George, like Grimes, an American who sets her novels in England, has written seven novels featuring a New Scotland...