I Love a Good Mystery! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie released her first novel, "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" in 1920 and it was the first of many to feature the Belgian Hercule Poirot, crime-solver extraordinaire. Her bibliography would inevitably contain over five dozen works of detective fiction spread over five decades until her death in the 1970s.

Her works have been adapted countless times over with some of her most famous being "Murder on the Orient Express", "And Then There Were None", and "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd".

Answer: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was released in Sweden in 2005, one year after Larsson's death, and it was followed by two more to create the best-selling "Millennium" trilogy including "The Girl Who Played With Fire" and "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest". All three followed journalist Mikael Blomkvist (Michel Nyqvist in the Swedish adaptation and Daniel Craig in the U.S. version) and hacker Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace in Sweden, Rooney Mara in the U.S.). Both films were critically-acclaimed upon their release; the U.S. version was directed by David Fincher, who previously made "Fight Club", "Se7en", and "The Social Network". "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo", a crime mystery, followed the two main characters as they attempted to get to the bottom of a family's mystery.

While the two scrambled to locate a girl missing for decades, they had to watch their own backs to avoid getting themselves killed.

Answer: Murder in Small Town X

Created as a semi-real mystery, "Murder in Small Town X" literally crafted a mystery from the ground up by setting actors inside a small Maine town (Sunrise, Maine; actually Eastport, Maine in real life) and having ten contestants try to stop a serial killer from striking again.

As suspects were narrowed down, contestants were also removed from the game (via a 50% chance vote). After several episodes, Angel Juarbe Jr. won the $250,000 prize in September 2001. Tragically, he passed away during 9/11 in the World Trade Centers.

Answer: Building a Mystery

"Building a Mystery" became one of Sarah McLachlan's biggest hits in the 1990s and her album, "Surfacing", became one of the top-selling Canadian records of the decade. "Building a Mystery" was the album's first single (followed by "Sweet Surrender", "Adia", and "Angel") and it won a Grammy in 1998 on top of Canadian Juno Awards. The success of this album and single bolstered attendance for McLachlan's 'Lilith Fair', a festival supporting female singer-songwriters.

The event was popular for a couple of years before it went by the wayside. McLachlan has since released several popular CDs and hits.

Answer: Film Noir

Film Noir was characterized by dark lighting, shadows, and chiaroscuro stylization derived from 1920s German Expressionist works (like "The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari"). Emerging at the dawn of the Cold War, many of these mystery films were written by famous hard-boiled detective writers (like Raymond Chandler) and featured recognizable actors including Robert Mitchum, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Fred MacMurray, and Barbara Stanwyck. "The Big Sleep" in particular was based on a novel featuring Philip Marlowe. The Noir film has since evolved (as a genre) into Neo-Noir. Examples of this style include "Blade Runner", "Minority Report", and "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" amongst others.

It came into prominence after the 1950s.

Answer: Mystery Case Files

"Mystery Case Files" was created for the casual puzzle gamer and found its audience on the computer and the Nintendo DS with several titles. First releasing in 2005 with the "Huntsville" game, it has since sold innumerable copies catering to those who enjoy seek-and-finds. Many of the game's levels involve locating hidden objects in non-moving images. You click on the items to get through the stage in a given time.
The series was created by Big Fish Games, an online game company who slowly spread to handheld devices with "Millionheir" in 2008.

Answer: Maggie Simpson

In a classic cliffhanger season finale episode, "Who Shot Mr. Burns? (Part 1)", the town of Springfield was plagued by Mr. Burns' plot to block out the sun, thus forcing the citizens to require more of his plant's nuclear power. In the end of the episode, in a "Dallas"-esque 'Who shot J.R.?' style, Mr. Burn was shot by an unknown assailant. The plot wasn't solved until the next season premiere.

It was revealed to be the infantile Maggie Simpson who accidentally grabbed Burns' gun when it fell out of his holster and into her hands.

A deleted scene aired in a later clip show featured an alternate concept in which Smithers committed the crime but this was left on the cutting room floor.

Answer: The Murders in the Rue Morgue

"The Murders in the Rue Morgue" was fairly surprising for its time. With a sensational title and concept, it sold many copies upon its first release in magazine publications. Poe, many say, created an exceptional work of proto-detective fiction using Dupin as the scrupulous investigator and instances of ratiocination to solve what many would believe to be an almost uncanny crime.
In the story, Dupin tries to solve the murder of two women in Paris. When he discovers a non-human hair at the crime scene, he must prove the validity of a rather strange conclusion.
"Rue Morgue" later had influence in the horror genre as well; a magazine called "Rue Morgue" was created in Canada in the 1990s. Dupin later appeared in two other detective works by Poe in subsequent years.

Answer: Heavy Rain

"Heavy Rain", despite being unconventional from a gaming sense, received stellar review scores and became an instant hit for players interested in immersive stories. The player takes on the role of a man searching for the killer as well as a police officer, FBI profiler, and a photojournalist.

In the game, the goal is to find and bring the Origami killer, a serial murderer, to justice. In a heavily atmospheric turn, many of the scenes are drenched in rain; the killer drowns his victims during downpours and all of the victims are children. The game was followed by additional downloadable content after its release to extend the story. "Heavy Rain" was named PS3 Game of the Year in 2010 by IGN and Gamespy.

Answer: Robert Downey Jr.

Downey Jr. won the Golden Globe for Best Actor (Musical or Comedy) in 2010 for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes in the first of Ritchie's "Sherlock Holmes" movies. A sequel, "A Game of Shadows", was released starring the same cast in 2011.
Many other actors have portrayed Holmes in the past as well...MANY. One of the most adapted literary figures ever, Holmes has been seen in movies, TV shows, miniseries, and even video games! The character was created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in 1887 and he first appeared in "A Study in Scarlet".