Book Club Questions for A Stone Cold Murder: A Reluctant Psychic Murder Mystery Book 1 by Kris Bock

The Reluctant Psychic Mysteries Discussion Questions by Kris Bock

In the Reluctant Psychic Mystery series, a quirky loner who can read the history of any object with her touch gets drawn into mysteries at the museum of oddities where she works.

Book 1: A Stone Cold Murder

Petra Cloch has the psychic ability of psychometry – she can glimpse the history of an object by touching it. Powerful emotions leave behind the strongest vibrations. If Petra touches a watch or ring someone has worn for years, she can sense the wearer’s personality and what they care about most. If she touches an object used as a murder weapon, she might sense the emotions of the killer and the killed – but that doesn’t mean she can identify the killer.

To save her sanity, Petra avoids close relationships except with her many pets. She studied geology, because rocks rarely speak to her. Her new job is supposed to focus on the rocks and minerals wing of a peculiar private museum in a small southwestern town. But she can’t avoid the echoes of violence all around her. If she doesn’t want murderers to go free, she’ll have to convince the local sheriff there is something to investigate. That means finding evidence beyond the psychic senses she hides.

Discussion Questions

 1. Main Character

   “Kris Bock opens A Stone Cold Murder with a voice so honest, snarky, and strangely endearing, you can’t help but get pulled in.”

  “I’ve never read a psychic protagonist who felt this real.” – Reader Reviews

 Petra has psychometry, the psychic ability to hold an object and pick up emotions left behind by other people. What do you think it would be like to live with this power? Would you handle it differently than Petra does? Would it make a difference if you only picked up emotions when you made a special effort?

 2. Psychic Abilities

    “…what truly resonated with me was Petra’s emotional journey. Her anxiety about being discovered, her cautious approach to forming friendships, and her affection for her pets (the cats! the ferrets! my heart!) made her character incredibly relatable.” – Reader Review

Petra has avoided friendships because she feels her psychometry gives her an unfair insight into other people, so it’s rude to keep that ability secret but dangerous to reveal it. What do you think we owe to our friends? What secrets are okay to keep?

3. Friend Liberty

  “Petra is such a compelling lead. Her psychometry isn’t just a plot device—it’s a curse that’s shaped her entire life.” – Reader Review

Liberty sees auras, and she doesn’t keep it a secret but also doesn’t use the skill much. What makes her skill different from psychometry? What psychic powers would be most challenging or most beneficial to have? Which one would you like to have, if any, and why?

4. Secondary Characters/Friendships

  “The tension is palpable. Every interaction Petra has—with the overly friendly Kit, the enigmatic Liberty, the bubbly Haven—feels loaded with suspicion. Who can she trust? Who else knows the truth?” – Reader Review

Once Petra opens up about the mystery she’s trying to solve, her new friends join her enthusiastically. If you had a friend trying to solve a mystery, what would you do? Do you like the idea of having a book club/mystery solving group? Have you always wanted to be part of the Scooby-Doo gang? Or would you leave this kind of thing to the authorities? Why?

5. Law Enforcement in Cozy Mysteries

  “What wrecked me emotionally was Petra’s struggle with trust. She’s spent her life pushing people away to protect herself, but now she has to rely on others to solve this murder. That slow, painful opening-up? The tentative friendships with Liberty and Elena? I felt every second of it.” – Reader Review

Cozy Mysteries often include a police officer friend or love interest, so the amateur detective can get inside information. How realistic is this? What do you think of Elena working in the Sheriff’s Office and being willing to share information with the gang?

6. Setting

   “The Banditt Museum feels like a character itself, full of hidden corners and whispered history.”

  “The depiction of the small-town environment is so vivid that I could almost sense the dust in the museum and feel the heat of the desert.” – Reader Reviews

 The Banditt Museum was inspired by a real place, the Billy the Kid Museum in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Would you like to wander the halls of the Banditt Museum looking for random treasures amidst all the junk? Have you ever been to a small town museum like this? If so, how do they compare to big city museums with bigger budgets and more staff? Do you have a preference? Why?

7. Genre

   “Kris Bock has crafted a story that’s equal parts murder mystery, psychological deep-dive, and small-town gothic horror (in the best way).”

  “Kris Bock blends murder, mystery, and psychic suspense seamlessly, and I’m obsessed.” – Reader Reviews

How would you categorize this book? Is it a cozy mystery? (They usually have an amateur detective, a small town setting, minimal violence, no sex on the page, and quite often a cooking or crafting element.) Is it a traditional mystery? (Vaguely defined but often includes police procedurals, hard-boiled detective stories, thrillers, and psychological suspense.) What about that reader’s gothic horror categorization? Does the category matter? Do you look for one over another?

8. Series

  “I really really enjoyed this – and my first thoughts upon completing it are ‘I hope this is actually the beginning of a series!’ I really enjoyed the intro to all the people in this small community. So many interesting characters – so many ways this could go further.”

  “Petra has come a long way within these pages, but the progress is still new. I am excited to see her journey continue. Death at Rock Bottom will be released on July 30 [2025]. I have saved a spot on my calendar.” – Reader Reviews

The Reluctant Psychic Murder Mystery series will continue. Did A Stone Cold Murder cause you to want to read the next book? Why or why not? How do you think Petra will get involved in more mysteries? How do you think her relationships with other characters will develop?

Bonus Question: The Reluctant Psychic Versus the Accidental Detective

Read about “Two Very Different Heroines” in Kris’s two mystery series at the Carla Loves to Read blog: https://carlalovestoread.wordpress.com/2025/05/10/a-stone-cold-murder-reluctantly-psychic-murder-mystery-by-kris-bock-bookreview-blogtour-giveaway/

If you have read books in both series, how do they compare? How do the main characters’ personalities lead them into different situations? How does the Arizona big city setting of the Accidental Detective affect the mysteries Kate finds, versus the New Mexico small-town setting of the Reluctant Psychic?

A Stone Cold Murder

Buy direct from the publisher
Amazon ASIN: ‎ B0DT291NVL

B&N ISBN-13: 9781966593324
Apple id: 6740542084
Kobo Book ID: 9781966593270
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About Kris Bock

Kris Bock writes mystery, suspense, and romance, often with smart, snarky heroines finding adventure (sometimes against their will) in the Southwest. She lives in New Mexico where she enjoys hiking with her husband and playing with their ferrets. See all of Kris Bock’s Mystery and Romance novels.

In the Accidental Detective humorous mystery series, a witty journalist solves mysteries in Arizona and tackles the challenges of turning fifty. This humorous series starts with Something Shady at Sunshine Haven, which made Barnes & Noble’s list of “Handpicked Favorites You’ll Love!”

Kris’s romantic suspense novels include stories of treasure hunting, archaeology, and intrigue. Readers have called these novels “Smart romance with an Indiana Jones feel.”

The Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series stars the employees and customers at a cat café. Watch as they fall in love with each other and shelter cats.

In the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series, a Texas ranching family wins a fortune in the lottery. Who wouldn’t want to be a billionaire? Turns out winning the lottery causes as many problems as it solves.

Sign up for the Kris Bock newsletter and get an Accidental Detective short story and other freebies. Then every two weeks, you’ll get fun content about pets, announcements of new books, sales, and more.

Kris also writes a series with her brother, scriptwriter Douglas J Eboch, who wrote the original screenplay for the movie Sweet Home Alabama. The Felony Melanie series follows the crazy antics of Melanie, Jake, and their friends a decade before the events of the movie. Sign up for the romantic comedy newsletter to get a short story preview, or find the books at Amazon US or All E-book retailers.

Kris writes for children as Chris Eboch. Her middle grade novels include The Eyes of Pharaoh, a mystery in ancient Egypt; The Well of Sacrifice, a Mayan adventure; and The Genie’s Gift, a middle eastern fantasy.

Find Kris Bock

Kris’s books from Tule Publishing (the Reluctant Psychic Mystery series, the Accidental Detective humorous mystery series, and the Accidental Billionaire Cowboys series)

Kris’s online store (ebooks only: the Furrever Friends Sweet Romance series, the Felony Melanie series, and romantic suspense) 
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