Tracy Grant Book Club discussion
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The Westminster Intrigue
Rannoch Series
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Reading Guide - Alexander Radford
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It did not surprise me. Not long after he was first mentioned in the series, I thought about the initials and began to wonder if Alistair was really dead.I have no idea where it will take the story, but it won't be good. I wonder about Giselle and how their relationship will go. I'm hoping Malcolm and Melanie won't have to leave Berkley Square.
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I have no idea where it will take the stor..."
I did wonder if the initials were too much of a giveaway! I actually wondered if the prologue with Edgar was too much of a giveaway in GLENISTER PAPERS. On the other hand, one wants to plant clues. Do mean you worry about Malcolm and Gisele's relationship? Definitely some challenges for them. I've actually already written a scene between them about Alistair which ended up not fitting in WESTMINSTER but will go in the novella or the next novel. Both of those take place very quickly after WESTMINSTER - all within October/November 1820.
Alexander's identity didn't surprise me, but I wondered how he pulled it off. Alistair's return is going to bad for a number of characters. I think Malcom & Suzanne will be okay even if they have to purchase a new house. I worry about Malcom & Giselle's relationship and the fact that she kept the truth of Alistair from him. I am also concerned of how Alistair will treat Giselle and her family and their him in Scotlant. My main concern is about Lady Frances and Archie's relationship. Alistair could very easily threaten Frances with the truth about Archie's involvement in the Ireland issue since he wasn't given a pardon by the King.
Lastly, I wonder how Hurbert is going to react once he finds out about Alistair. Everyone will truly have to work together to defeat Alistair before he damages too many lives.I agee with Deb. Tracy, feel free to kill Alistair off again permanently. :-)
Definitely interested in how this will affect Malcolm and Giselle's relationship. I think Malcolm seems to be taking on too much self guilt about Giselle's actions from the standpoint of not giving her enough attention.But, I was referring to Giselle's relationship with Alistair, considering it was mentioned that Alistair cared more about her than his other children and the fact that she isn't his child. Also, her work against the league.
First of all - thank you Kimberly!!! I admit to being slow about picking up on the initials but then I was assuming Alistair was dead, I guess I need to start paying attention to the little nuances Tracy throws in. But ya, I totally missed it.I can only hope that Giselle gets out of this intact and goes home to her husband and child. I guess I feel more for him, because to some degree he is out of the loop of the whole spy gig and is trying to give her the freedom to do what she feels is right. But it can't be easy especially for a man from that time period.
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I agee with Deb. Tra..."
Oh but killing Alistair off would end so many possible complications :-). Gisele's been working with him for over a year undercover so his revealing himself to Malcolm and Melanie doesn't necessarily change her dynamic with Alistair, though it will definitely impact her relationship with Malcolm (on the other hand Malcolm is pretty practical about the need to focus on resolving a crisis, and I think he does understand why Gelly and Julien kept it secret even if he doesn't agree with them(). Alistair doesn't know about Archie's work in Ireland and for the French - that we know of,. You're right, that is a big potential risk.
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I'm not sure Malcolm thinks his not paying attention to Gelly lead to her work against the League. I do think he regrets that he left Britain and wasn't there for her after Arabella died. And I actually think he's right to regret that, though i think he needs to cut himself some slack given everything he was going through himself!
Gisele's relationship with Alistair is definitely complicated.. I've already written a scene between her and Malcolm about Alistair and her work with/against him that didn't fit in WESTMINSTER so I'm saving it for the next novella or novel, As I mentioned to Ki, she's been working with/against Alistair for a while so his return is already impacting her. But his end game is likely to sharpen the situation.
Mod
I do think the fact that he was assumed dead made it a far from obvious assumption, even with the initials! Gisele's actually been back in Scotland with Andrew and Ian for quite a while. But she's working with Alistair (and actually working undercover against him). and she's seen him a number of times.
I don't disagree that with Alistair in the mix,things will continue to get complicated. He is a lightening rod for everyone around him. The good thing is that I feel most of them are aware of his personality and can take steps to mitigate it. But then there are others who I think he could influence. I think Julien is more clear eye about him but Gelly, well he is the only father she has ever known. And even if she is working for and against him, it will be hard no matter the end result. So yes, we need a new villain to deal with otherwise there our heroes would have nothing to do :)
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Really good point about Gelly and Alistiar. One of the themes of the series is people becoming the parents of children who aren't theirs biologically. Alistiair is Gisèle's father just as Malcolm is Colin's. Which makes Gisèle's feelings for Alistair very complicated. And even though she's working against him, she feels it on a level Julien and the others don't.
Question 3 - did Alexander Radford's identity surprise you? If not, why? And as an add-on - where do you think his return will take the story?
Also, if you haven't seen it, I am having a virtual book party for WESTMINSTER with special guest Lauren Willig on June 24 at 5:00 pm Pacific/8:00 Eastern. Free and via Zoom so you need to advance register. You can sign up here - https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/...- or email me at tracy@tracygrant.org. We will be taking questions at the event, but you can also post them here or email them to me.