BOOK CLUB GUIDE 

What do you think is the significance of the title "Last Lullaby?" 

Why was it so important for Eve and the authorities to learn the identity and nationality of the little girl stranded at LAX? Why was the FBI so annoyed to learn that the INS has sent the two adults back to Bangkok? 

Denise Hamilton's books usually take readers to cheap ethnic dives as her busy reporter Eve Diamond grabs a quick meal on the run. But in this case, Eve visits a brand new, expensive, hip restaurant called Tong whose food, owners and ambience are described with much gusto. How do the characters in the restaurant reveal themselves in this scene? 

Were you surprised to learn that the INS kept Serey Rath under armed guard in a motel room because it had no other facilities? What other setting might have been more appropriate? What should the INS do with the thousands of minors who enter the United States illegally each year while their immigration appeals are resolved? 

"Last Lullaby" is chock full of people who want children but can't have them, people who have children but don't want them and 'lost' children who are vulnerable to exploitation. Who else besides the little mystery girl is a "lost" child? 

Samson Brenner is a larger-than-life figure throughout this book. What lies behind his bluster and 'do-good' activism? What are his motives? Does the good he has done outweigh the bad? What is the symbolism of Brenner owing an "Aibo" mechanical dog and how did Hamilton use this to illuminate the human rights lawyer's personality? 

What role does Lorenzo the gamer boy from the cyber-cafe play in "Last Lullaby" and how does that change at the end? 

What did you think of the photojournalist Ariel and her child? Did you feel any sympathy for her? Why or why not? 

Many of us have fantasized at what might happen if an old boyfriend or girlfriend suddenly showed up in our lives again. How does Eve's romantic longing for her old boyfriend Tim affect her judgment? 

Part of a reporter's job is to develop sources in law enforcement. This is what Eve does with Officer Maxwell. How does her relationship with him change over the course of the book? Should she have agreed to keep his secrets? 

Lupe the hotel maid makes a split-second decision that changes the course of "Last Lullaby." Do you see her actions as heroic, or stupid? Why? What would you have done in her shoes?