Agatha Christie, English Author Quiz

Answer:

Agatha Christie was born as Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller on 5 September 1890 in Torquay, Devon, England. Agatha is known for her fictional detectives Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple. In 1971, she was made a Dame for her contributions to literature. Agatha Christie died on 12 January 1976.

"The Secret Adversary" was published in 1922 and is part of the Tommy and Tuppence series. Tommy Beresford, an ex-soldier, meets up with his old friend, Prudence Cowley, who has the nickname "Tuppence." As the friends are both out of work, the pair decide to start a company called "The Young Adventurers, Ltd".

Not long after the company is formed, they get their first inquiry from a Mr Whittington. He asks Tuppence what her real name is; not wanting to tell him her name, she gives Whittington the name of Jane Finn, which came up in conversation with Tommy earlier in the day. Upon hearing her name, Whittington loses interest and tells her to leave. When Tommy and Tuppence talk about the day's event, they decide to try and find Mr Whittington; however, he has disappeared from the planet. The pair then try and track down Jane Finn. This leads Tommy and Tuppence into a world of international espionage.

"The Sittaford Mystery", as it was called in the UK, was published as "The Murder at Hazelmoor" in the US. Both titles of the novel were released in 1931. The story takes place in the remote village of Sittaford on Dartmoor, England, during a heavy snowstorm. It follows a group of villagers who hold a séance that seems to predict the death of retired naval captain Joseph Trevelyan. When this prediction turns out to be a murder, it sets off a suspenseful investigation.

"The Seven Dials Mystery" was published on 24 January 1929 in the UK. As with many books by Christie the publisher was William Collins & Sons (UK) and Dodd, Mead and Company in the US.

Sir Oswald Coote and his wife, Lady Maria, have devised the perfect way to liven up their bored life. They plan to hold an extravagant weekend gathering at a secluded mansion called Chimneys, which they have rented. The intention is to invite only the "bright young things". However, the celebratory atmosphere is overshadowed by tragedy. A practical joke involving seven clocks and a sleeping guest results in an accidental death, raising serious concerns. The guests may not be who they claim to be, and as rumours about a mysterious organization called Seven Dials circulate throughout Chimneys, everyone will be suspecting murder.

The owners, Lord Caterham and his daughter Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent, return back to Chimneys. Bundle goes to London to see one of her friends who was at the weekend party, but on her way another guest, Ronny Devereux, who was at the party, steps into the path of her car and dies. Before he dies, he mutters "Seven Dials..." and "Tell...Jimmy Thesiger." She is later told it wasn't the car that killed him, as he had been shot. The plot continues as Bundle tries to solve the mystery.

"The Man in the Brown Suit" was published on 22 August 1924 in the UK. The book consists of 312 pages in the first edition and was in hardback form.

Anne Beddingfeld witnesses an incident at the Hyde Park Corner tube station, where a startled man inadvertently falls onto the live rails. At the scene, an alleged doctor is examining the body and finds a note. The doctor drops the note, which Anne picks up. When Anne reads the note, it says "17·122 Kilmorden Castle" and a real estate agent's appointment to view Mill House in Marlow, where a dead woman is discovered the following day. At the time when the woman was found dead, a young man was seen around the area and became a suspect. He was identified as wearing a brown suit. Anne was looking for an adventure, so she decided to investigate what had happened. She travels by ship to South Africa to try and find the man in the brown suit, not knowing what lies in wait.

The novel "Endless Night" was published on 30 October 1967 in the UK. The main characters are Michael Rogers, Fenella Rogers (Ellie), and Greta Andersen. Michael is a young man who dreams that one day he will live in a beautiful house. Mike has had several jobs, but at the moment he is a chauffeur. It is at this time he meets Rudolf Santonix, who is an architect, and tells Rudolf that one day he would like him to build him his dream home. One day when Mike was walking, he finds the Gipsy's Acre property and falls head over heels with the property and says to himself, 'One day I'll have my dream home built here with a young woman he has fallen in love with.'

When the property comes up for sale, Mike goes to the auction; however, the property never sells as it didn't meet its reserve. It was at this time, Mike was walking through the grounds; he meets up with Ellie. The pair get on very well together, and Mike tells Ellie of his dream. After a few weeks, Ellie goes away for her twenty-first birthday. While Ellie is away, Mike finds out the property Gipsy's Acre has been sold. When Ellie returns, she tells Mike she is very rich, and she was the one who had bought Gipsy's Acre and would like Rudolf Santonix to build his dream house and marry him.

A while later, a local gipsy tells the couple that Gipsy's Acre has a curse and is best left alone. This is where I now leave the plot, as it would spoil the story if you wished to read the rest of the plot. Although the novel is only 224 pages long, it keeps you in suspense and draws you along to the next page with excitement.

"Sparkling Cyanide", as it was called in the UK, was known as "Remembered Death" in the US. The book was published in 1945 in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

The plot of "Sparkling Cyanide". Seven people attend a dinner party at the Luxembourg restaurant for the birthday girl, Rosemary Barton. During the meal, Rosemary collapsed and died after the champagne she was drinking had been spiked with cyanide. The coroner's report said the death was a result of suicide by poisoning, especially as Rosemary had post-flu depression. However, all the guests at the party would inherit from Rosemary in the event of her death.

The plot then continues one year later with the six people who could have been the murderer. George, one of the remaining six guests, decided to hold another party at the Luxembourg restaurant to honour Rosemary, who died one year ago. George invited the same people as last year. With the new party in full swing, George, who was married to Rosemary, also died at the table while drinking champagne that was also laced with cyanide. Was the laced champagne meant for George, or was it supposed to be for someone else? The plot continues.

"The Secret of Chimneys" was published in 1925. The plot revolves around Anthony Cade, who takes on the job of taking a manuscript to London and on the return trip take back a bundle of love letters to a woman who wrote them. Meanwhile, in England, George Lomax who is a politician asks Lord Caterham to hold a party at the stately home of "Chimneys". At the party, which has some senior guests that are involved in trying to restore the monarchy in Herzoslovakia. Oil has just been discovered and there is talk about a British syndicate that will handle this new acquisition.

Now in London, Anthony Cade is confronted by two Herzoslovakian men who want the manuscript. One man offers Cade more money than he was offered for taking the manuscript to London, but Cade refuses; the other man pulls out a gun and asks for the manuscript. Cade overpowers the man. Later that night, while Cade is in bed at a hotel, a waiter sneaks into his room and steals the bundle of letters. The final plot returns to the stately home of "Chimneys", where a death happens, and the mysteries are explained. I'd like to tell you more about the plot, but it would be several pages long and spoil the story if you wished to read more.

"Ordeal by Innocence" was published in the UK in 1958 via Collins Crime Club and in 1959 by Dodd, Mead and Company in the US. The story revolves around the Argyle family. The story begins with Dr Arthur Calgary is going to see the Argyle family with some very interesting news. Two years previously, Rachel Argyle was murdered at her house. Rachel was the mother of five children she had adopted, and one of her sons, called Jacko, was charged with the murder. Jacko had an alibi, but was unable to prove it. At his trial, Jacko was given a life sentence for the murder of his mother but died in prison six months later.

When Dr Calgary visited the Argyle family home, he revealed that he was with Jacko on the day of the murder, so Jacko was innocent. The doctor thought the family would be pleased, but it had the opposite effect, as it meant someone else in the family committed the murder. The doctor hadn't come forward earlier because he was involved in an accident that left him with a memory loss. A photo of Jacko jogs the doctor's memory, and he felt he had to tell the police that Jacko was with him on the day of the murder. Another murder occurs within the family with twists and turns. Who was the killer in the family?

One of Agatha Christie's later novels, "The Pale Horse", was published on 6 November 1961 in the UK. A Roman Catholic priest named Father Gorman receives a final confession from Mrs Davis, a terminally ill woman. She gives him a list of names and a terrible secret in addition to her confession. But before he can use this knowledge, he dies in the fog. The main character, Mark Easterbrook, an historian, begins to gather information as the police begin their inquiry, which points him in the direction of a series of interconnected events.

Mark hears about a house that used to be a pub (inn) called "The Pale Horse". The house is now lived in by three witches. From the outside the house looks like any other, but on the inside it hides a dark secret with The house is not what it seems as you're drawn into the world of witchcraft and the occult with some kind of supernatural plots going on.

"Crooked House" was published in 1949. The plot is quite simple, but it is effective. The Leonides are quite a big, close-knit family that lives in a huge, run-down mansion. That was the situation until a deadly dose of barbiturates killed their wealthy grandfather, Aristide. Aristide is married to Brenda, who is fifty years younger; the family suspects that Brenda may have killed her husband so she can inherit his wealth. They also know that Brenda may be having an extramarital affair. The murderer did not anticipate the determination of Charles Hayward, the millionaire's granddaughter's fiancé, who is committed to discovering the truth from within the family as Scotland Yard looks for evidence.

Sophia Leonides tells Charles Hayward that they can't marry until the murderer is brought to justice. As it happens, Charles's father is the Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard, and the pair work together to solve the murder. All eight families are prime suspects, as they are all mentioned in the will of the deceased, so each one of them has a motive.

Family members are: Brenda Leonides: Aristide's much younger second wife (her surname is Leonides by marriage). Philip Leonides: Aristide's younger son. Roger Leonides: Aristide's elder son. Clemency Leonides: Roger's wife (surname by marriage). Sophia Leonides: Philip's daughter and Aristide's granddaughter. Eustace Leonides (16 years old): Philip's son and Aristide's grandson and Josephine Leonides (12 years old): Eustace's sister. Any one of these family members could be the murderer. Three more deaths happen: Janet Rowe, the family's nanny; Miss de Haviland; and Josephine. Were they murdered, or did something else happen? Wills can be changed without any family member knowing. Only one way to find out!

When I did the research on this book, I got so involved I decided to read it. I'm so pleased I did; it's an excellent read by one of the world's best crime writers.

All the wrong answers were written by Jeffrey Archer, an English novelist and former politician.