Christie Quintets 2 Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Published in 1926, "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd" was Agatha Christie's sixth novel. The character of Caroline Sheppard, Dr Sheppard's spinster sister, was the inspiration for the character of Miss Jane Marple, who appeared for the first time the following year in a short story entitled "The Tuesday Night Club", published in "The Royal Magazine" (December 1927). That story later became the first chapter of a collection called "The Thirteen Problems", also known as "The Tuesday Club Murders" in the U.S.

Answer: Crooked House

In "Crooked House", three generations of the Leonides family live together. The patriarch, Aristide Leonides, is poisoned when somebody switched his insulin for his eserine (eye drops). Ironically, Aristide himself provided the blueprint for his murder when Josephine asked "Why does it say "Eyedrops - not to be taken" on the bottle?" Aristide answered her: "If Brenda were to make a mistake and inject eyedrops into me one day instead of insulin - I suspect I should give a big gasp, and go rather blue in the face and then die, because, you see, my heart isn't very strong".

When this was the method later used to kill Aristide, it suggested that someone with intimate knowledge of the household was responsible rather than a stranger -- despite Nannie's insistence that it had to be the Communists or the Catholics!

Answer: Sleeping Murder

Newlywed Gwenda Reed buys a house on impulse and subsequently experiences a series of "worrying experiences" associated with the house. She thinks she is going mad and confides her fears to Miss Marple, who assists her to realise that, as a 3-year-old child, Gwenda witnessed a murder in the house and that the "worrying experiences" were actually childhood memories. Digging a little deeper, Gwenda and her husband Giles discover that the victim was Gwenda's stepmother, Helen.

Unfortunately, their investigations provoke the murderer to kill again.

Answer: Evil Under the Sun

Arlena Stuart and Patrick Redfern are both married - but not to each other. Their flirtation, and probable affair, caused great distress to Patrick's wife, Christine. Arelena's husband, Kenneth Marshall, however, seems unperturbed by it. When Arlena is murdered, Poirot is astute enough to realise that the murder is very "slick" and well-timed.

This led him to believe that this was not a first-time offence. Therefore, he requested from the police details of any similar crimes in recent years.

When he read the case history of the murder of Alice Corrigan, he recognised the similarities between the two cases and was able to solve both.

Answer: The Moving Finger

This novel is narrated by Jerry Burton, a newcomer to the village of Lymstock. Many of the residents of Lymstock have been receiving anonymous "poison pen letters". Jerry and his sister Joanna receive one, which they dismiss as simply spite because they are new to the village, and because the accusation (that Jerry and Joanna were not brother and sister but were living in sin) was untrue.

However, the situation becomes serious when two people die as a result of the letters. The vicar's wife, Maud Dane Calthrop, decides the police are not getting very far in their enquiries, so she calls in an expert - Miss Jane Marple! This novel is unusual in that Miss Marple does not appear until very late in the progression of the story.

Answer: Nemesis

Miss Marple met Jason Rafiel in the novel "A Caribbean Mystery". In that story, Miss Marple described herself as "Nemesis" and enlisted Mr Rafiel's help to solve two murders and prevent a third. The novel "Nemesis" begins with the death of Jason Rafiel.

His lawyers subsequently contact Miss Marple regarding a bequest of 20,000 pounds if she will undertake an investigation on Mr Rafiel's behalf. So Miss Marple once again assumes the role of Nemesis, Greek goddess of retribution, to investigate the murder of Verity Hunt. Jason's son Michael is in prison, accused of her murder.

Answer: 4.50 from Paddington

Mrs Elspeth McGillicudy witnesses a murder on a train. However, when she reports it to the railway staff and the police, they do not believe her. There is no evidence, no dead body, no other witnesses, and no-one fitting the description of the victim has been reported as missing. Miss Marple, however, believes her.

She decides to investigate and deduces that the body must have been pushed out of the train and it is most likely somewhere on the Crackenthorpe estate. She hires Lucy Eylesbarrow to infiltrate the household and find it. Lucy does locate the body in a barn on the estate and, while the police attempt to identify the dead woman, the murderer strikes again.

Answer: Lord Edgware Dies

Lord Edgware is stabbed to death in his study. There are witnesses who can identify his estranged wife, Jane Wilkinson, being in his house around the time of the murder. However, there are also 12 reliable witnesses who will swear that she was attending a dinner party. And she cannot be in two places at once, can she?

"Lord Edgware Dies' was published in 1933. The American title is "Thirteen at Dinner".

Answer: Hickory Dickory Dock

Nigel Chapman and Celia Austin are two of the residents of a student hostel owned by Mrs Nicoletis. The hostel is managed by Mrs Hubbard, the sister of Hercule Poirot's secretary, Miss Felicity Lemon. Mrs Hubbard bring Poirot a "unique and beautiful problem" involving a series of bizarre petty thefts and three incidents of vandalism, which escalate into three murders, all connected with the hostel.

Answer: Towards Zero

Superintendent Battle decides to visit his nephew, Inspector James Leach, and so becomes involved in solving the murder of Lady Tressilian. Battle had a little help, indirectly, from Hercule Poirot, who does not appear in this story, although Battle mentions him a few times.

His knowledge of Poirot's love of symmetry inspires him to deduce the real murder weapon. He also has a helping hand from Angus MacWhirter, who makes some clever deductions based on a damp rope, a smelly dog, a decaying fish, and a mix-up at the dry-cleaners.

His statement enables Battle to solve the crime and apprehend the real killer.