A Pocket Full of Rye (1953) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Miss Irene Grosvenor

"Miss Grosvenor was Mr Fortescue's own special personal secretary; unkind rumour always hinted that she was something more, but actually this was not true". She was described as supercilious and haughty, but her professional poise was shattered when she walked in on Mr Fortescue having convulsions and he accused her of poisoning his tea.

However, Professor Bernsdorff, the pathologist, assured the police that the poison had to have been administered a few hours before, most likely at breakfast, which implicated the family rather than Rex's staff.

Answer: Miss Mary Dove

Miss Dove tells Inspector Neele quite candidly that she is efficient and therefore very well paid, but that she had no feelings of loyalty towards her employers, describing them as "odious". Her parting shot to Inspector Neele, at their initial meeting was "I should hardly advise you to go too much by all I've told you. I'm a malicious creature".

Answer: Rex Fortescue

Rex Fortescue was poisoned with taxine, an alkaloid derived from the berries of the Yew tree. When he investigated, Inspector Neele found that Rex was not quite what he purported to be. "His father's name wasn't Fortescue. Fontescu - and he came from somewhere in Central Europe. I suppose this man thought Fortescue sounded better". Rex was a clever man who had "put through one or two deals that are questionable to say the least of it, but (always) just within the law."

Answer: Adele Fortescue

When Mary Dove described Adele as "a real sexy piece", Inspector Neele was shocked. However, when Neele met Adele, he realised the truth of the description. Inspector Neele thought that Adele "spoke and moved and breathed sex - and yet, within it all, her eyes had a shrewd appraising quality. Adele Fortescue...liked men - but she would always like money even better".

Answer: Lancelot Fortescue

Lancelot, known as Lance, told his wife, "the queer thing was that I never forged that cheque - though of course nobody would believe that after that time I swiped funds out of the till and put it on a horse. I was dead sure I could put it back, and anyway it was my own cash in a manner of speaking. But that cheque business - no. I don't know why I've got the ridiculous idea that Percival did that - but I have, somehow."

His wife, Patricia, felt that Lance, despite his previous transgressions, was more honest than his father, who was likely crooked but "technically always managed to be within the law".

Answer: Gladys Martin

Gladys Martin was an orphan who, at the age of 17, was sent to Miss Marple for training in domestic service. Miss Marple was very angry when she learned that Gladys had been murdered and found with a clothes peg on her nose. She said it was wicked and a "cruel, contemptuous gesture".

Answer: Effie Ramsbottom

Aunt Effie was the sister of Rex's first wife. She is described as being over 70.
She came to live with the family while her sister was alive and stayed on after her sister's death. She stayed in her room and did not eat meals with the family. The family considered Aunt Effie to be peculiar. Jennifer thought she ought to be in a home (aged care facility) but Lance said "Heaven help any old ladies' home that got Aunt Effie in their midst".

Answer: Percival Fortescue

Percival, known as Percy or Val, lived at Yewtree Lodge with his wife, Jennifer, where they had a self-contained flat. Mary Dove told Inspector Neele that Percival was a "mealy-mouthed hypocrite. He's prim and sly and cunning. He's terrified of his father and has always let himself be bullied, but he's quite clever at getting his own way. Unlike his father, he's mean about money".

Answer: Vivian Dubois

Vivian was not happy when the police became involved with the deaths of Adele and Rex Fortescue. He was concerned about the letters that he had written to Adele. Adele lied and said she had burned them, but Vivian correctly surmised that she hadn't, which made him very uneasy in case they should be found by the police and misinterpreted. "Women were all the same.

They promised to burn things and then didn't".

Answer: Miss Jane Marple

Miss Marple was able to give Inspector Neele information regarding Gladys Martin's background and character. She told him that Gladys "was very keen on men, poor girl. But men didn't take much notice of her and other girls rather made use of her." Miss Marple was astute enough to realise that Gladys' personality was the key to the mystery and the murderer had used Gladys' gullibility to facilitate his/her plans.