1. Dashiell Hammett?s Sam Spade epitomized the hard-boiled, slightly shifty detective. He came to life in Hammett?s most famous work, ?The Maltese Falcon?. He was no angel! He even did his partner, Miles Archer, wrong. In which of these less-than-endearing activities did he engage, in the book? He stole Archer?s weapon. He killed Archer. He slept with Archer?s wife. He ratted out Archer to the cops.

2. Patricia Wentworth's Miss Maud Silver first appeared in "Grey Mask" in 1928, but what was her last appearance? "The Fingerprint"(1956) "The Allington Inheritance"(1958) "The Girl in the Cellar"(1961) "Poison in the Pen"(1955)

3. Rex Stout created one of the best-known of all fictional detectives of the 20th century, Nero Wolfe. Wolfe was an eccentric genius who lived in New York City in multi-story brownstone. Wolfe weighed a seventh of a ton and he was particularly fond of beer. What did Wolfe do to measure his daily intake? He had his chef, Fritz Brenner, bring him no more than six beers each day. He had a set daily supply placed in an office refrigerator. When it was gone, he was finished with beer for the day. He didn?t monitor his intake, but he never became inebriated. He saved the bottle caps from each beer and counted them.

4. Dame Ngaio Marsh created the aristocratic policeman sleuth Roderick Alleyn. What are the names of his wife and son, who feature in several of the novels? Martha Troy and Dicky Cordelia Grey and Ronny Deborah Riscoe and Bobby Agatha Troy and Ricky

5. Perry Mason was the lawyer/detective made famous by Erle Stanley Gardner. Perry?s secretary, Della Street, is nearly as well-known as he is. On what figure in Gardner?s life was her character based? His publisher's assistant. His wife. His sister-in-law. No one. He made her up.

6. Arthur Conan Doyle's brother-in-law created an anti-Holmesian character known as "the Amateur Cracksman"; what is his true identity? Harry "Bunny" Manders Mackenzie Crawshay A(rthur) J. Raffles

7. In 1939 Raymond Chandler created Phillip Marlowe, a quintessential hard-boiled operative who has inspired more than one later author to begin writing detective fiction. Chandler wrote a total of seven Marlowe novels. An additional, unfinished manuscript entitled ?Poodle Springs? was completed by another well-known writer of crime fiction. Who? Stephen White John D. MacDonald Robert B. Parker Ross MacDonald

8. Dorothy L. Sayers? enduring creation - Lord Peter Wimsey ? featured in a novel which made much of campanology. What was the title? Five Red Herrings The Nine Tailors Clouds of Witness Whose Body?

9. Travis McGee, a Floridian who lives on a houseboat, was the protagonist of 21 books in 21 years. John D. MacDonald found a rainbow of titles for his works, all of which contained the name of a color. Which of the following colors is NOT in any of the titles of the Travis McGee series? Pink Maroon Silver Turquoise

10. Father Brown, the Roman Catholic priest detective, was the hero of a series of short stories by whom? Ernest Bramah Anthony Berkeley R. Austin Freeman G. K. Chesterton