Logo

Books Quiz - Genre - Crime Fiction (Questions)

Crime fiction is packed full of dastardly deeds, dogged detectives and villainous criminals. There are several different types of crime fiction from the classic ‘whodunit’ in the style of Agatha Christie or GK Chesterton, detective fiction which follows the investigations of someone like Sherlock Holmes or Inspector Morse, and legal thrillers such as those penned by John Grisham or Paul Levine . Whichever style you prefer, they all have their fair share of mystery and suspense.

Crime fiction has provided us with many memorable characters but how much do you recollect of the finer detail? Do you remember who had a secretary called Miss Lemon or the first name of detective Van der Valk? Certainly Ian Rankin created Inspector Rebus but where was Rebus born? Try this quiz on crime fiction and see if you can ‘detect’ all of the right answers!

1. What pseudonym was used by HC McNeile, creator of Bulldog Drummond?
[ ] Dapper
[ ] Flapper
[ ] Sapper
[ ] Tapper
2. Which fictional detective has a secretary called Miss Lemon?
[ ] Mike Hammer
[ ] Philip Marlowe
[ ] Hercule Poirot
[ ] Sam Spade
3. What is the name of the 'holistic detective' created by Douglas Adams?
[ ] Dirk Friendly
[ ] Dirk Gently
[ ] Dirk Kindly
[ ] Dirk Lively
4. Ian Rankin's creation Inspector Rebus was born in which area of Scotland?
[ ] The Borders
[ ] Fife
[ ] The Highlands
[ ] Perthshire
5. What is the name of Sherlock Holmes's landlady?
[ ] Mrs Hanson
[ ] Mrs Henson
[ ] Mrs Hodgson
[ ] Mrs Hudson
6. Which detective did Roger Moore play on TV from 1962 until 1969?
[ ] Lew Archer
[ ] Charlie Chan
[ ] The Saint
[ ] Lord Peter Wimsey
7. What is the title of Agatha Christie's 1942 novel featuring Miss Marple?
[ ] The Body in the Conservatory
[ ] The Body in the Kitchen
[ ] The Body in the Library
[ ] The Body in the Study
8. Sax Rohmer, the creator of Dr Fu Manchu, was born in which country?
[ ] England
[ ] Canada
[ ] Scotland
[ ] Wales
9. What is the name of Perry Mason's secretary?
[ ] Debbie Street
[ ] Della Street
[ ] Dinah Street
[ ] Donna Street
10. What is the first name of the Amsterdam detective Van der Valk, created by Nicolas Freeling?
[ ] Edgar
[ ] Marco
[ ] Piet
[ ] Wim

 

Logo
Books Quiz - Genre - Crime Fiction (Answers)
1. What pseudonym was used by HC McNeile, creator of Bulldog Drummond?
[ ] Dapper
[ ] Flapper
[x] Sapper
[ ] Tapper
His first Bulldog Drummond book was published in 1920
2. Which fictional detective has a secretary called Miss Lemon?
[ ] Mike Hammer
[ ] Philip Marlowe
[x] Hercule Poirot
[ ] Sam Spade
Poirot describes her as being 'unbelievably ugly and incredibly efficient'
3. What is the name of the 'holistic detective' created by Douglas Adams?
[ ] Dirk Friendly
[x] Dirk Gently
[ ] Dirk Kindly
[ ] Dirk Lively
Adams was working on a third Gently novel, The Salmon of Doubt, at the time of his death
4. Ian Rankin's creation Inspector Rebus was born in which area of Scotland?
[ ] The Borders
[x] Fife
[ ] The Highlands
[ ] Perthshire
Rebus' parents are buried in Fife
5. What is the name of Sherlock Holmes's landlady?
[ ] Mrs Hanson
[ ] Mrs Henson
[ ] Mrs Hodgson
[x] Mrs Hudson
Watson said of Mrs Hudson 'Not only was her first-floor flat invaded at all hours by throngs of singular and often undesirable characters but her remarkable lodger showed an eccentricity and irregularity in his life which must have sorely tried her patience. His incredible untidiness, his addiction to music at strange hours, his occasional revolver practice within doors, his weird and often malodorous scientific experiments, and the atmosphere of violence and danger which hung around him made him the very worst tenant in London'
6. Which detective did Roger Moore play on TV from 1962 until 1969?
[ ] Lew Archer
[ ] Charlie Chan
[x] The Saint
[ ] Lord Peter Wimsey
The Saint is the nickname of Simon Templar, created by Leslie Charteris. The first novel featuring The Saint was Meet the Tiger, published in 1928
7. What is the title of Agatha Christie's 1942 novel featuring Miss Marple?
[ ] The Body in the Conservatory
[ ] The Body in the Kitchen
[x] The Body in the Library
[ ] The Body in the Study
Miss Marple went on to appear in twelve of Agatha Christie's novels and in twenty of her short stories
8. Sax Rohmer, the creator of Dr Fu Manchu, was born in which country?
[x] England
[ ] Canada
[ ] Scotland
[ ] Wales
Dr Fu Manchu was a criminal mastermind and the archetypal evil villain
9. What is the name of Perry Mason's secretary?
[ ] Debbie Street
[x] Della Street
[ ] Dinah Street
[ ] Donna Street
The first time she appears, in The Case of the Velvet Claws, we are told that Della came from a wealthy family whose fortunes were lost in the stock market crash of 1929, forcing her to get a job as a secretary
10. What is the first name of the Amsterdam detective Van der Valk, created by Nicolas Freeling?
[ ] Edgar
[ ] Marco
[x] Piet
[ ] Wim
Freeling wrote eleven novels with Piet Van der Valk in them