Thematic Christie Trivia

1. In which 1953 novel does Miss Marple investigate the death of a business man, Rex Fortescue, who has been poisoned by marmalade laced with taxine?

From Quiz Death By Coriander

Answer: A Pocket Full of Rye

'A Pocket Full of Rye' takes its title from the nursery rhyme 'Sing A Song of Sixpence' and the murders loosely follow the words of the rhyme. Rex, 'the king', died at work or 'in his counting house', as it says in the nursery rhyme, while his wife, 'the queen', is 'in the parlour eating bread and honey' when her tea is spiked with cyanide. Miss Marple becomes involved in the case when she receives a letter from her former maid, Gladys, who is now working at the Fortescues' home, Yewtree Lodge, begging Miss Marple for help. Unfortunately, soon after sending this letter, Gladys is murdered and Miss Marple is determined to catch her murderer. It is Miss Marple who notices the similarities between the deaths and the nursery rhyme.

From Quiz Recycled Christie

Answer: The Pale Horse

Mary Delafontaine is the murderer in the short story 'How Does Your Garden Grow?', a fact which Poirot discovers through examining the shells in the garden. The same name is used in the novel 'The Pale Horse' on the list of possible murder victims given to Father Gorman (for which he is killed early on in the book).

From Quiz Murder by Numbers: Agatha Christie Novels 2

Answer: Mrs de Rushbridger

In one of my favourite Christie novels, Mrs de Rushbridger is the third and final murder. The poor woman dies from eating poisoned chocolates to hide the fact that she knows absolutely nothing at all about Dr Bartholomew Strange's death. Mrs Mugg is actually the name of Charles Cartwright's wife; we never see her in the story as she is in an insane asylum and the reason why Cartwright believes he has to murder his best friend Bartholomew Strange. Egg is the woman Cartwright wants to marry, and Alexis Restarick appears in a completely different novel!

From Quiz Agatha Christie by the Numbers

Answer: Appointment with Death

Poirot took up the challenge to solve the murder of Mrs. Boynton in one day. Although he was initially baffled, he managed to solve it.

From Quiz Literary Allusions in Christie Books

Answer: William Tell

William (Wilhelm in German) Tell is known for shooting an apple off his son's head. Mrs. Oliver, in her usual fussy way, explains that she met Poirot on the road, or rather, hit him with an apple core - "Like William Tell, but the other way round". Albrecht Gessler was the tyrannical reeve who, according to legend, was killed by Wilhelm Tell; Arnold Winkelried is another key figure in Swiss lore, and Henri Dunant is the founder of the Red Cross.

From Quiz Motive for Murder

Answer: After the Funeral (U.S. title "Funerals are Fatal")

The culprit here is the genteel Miss Gilchrist, an amateur painter, and very knowledgeable about art. For years she suffered in silence as her elderly employer, the foolish, garrulous Cora Lansquenet (herself the widow of an artist, whom she married against her wealthy family's wishes) prattled on about art and bought perfectly worthless daubs at local shows. Then, one day, Cora purchased a rare Vermeer, not realizing its value. Miss Gilchrist, who never ceased mourning the loss of her tea shop during the war saw an opportunity to finance another such venture by selling the painting; but she had to get rid of Cora first. When Cora's brother, Richard Abernathy, dies suddenly, Miss Gilchrist drugs Cora, dons her clothes, jewelry, and hairpiece, and impersonates her at the funeral supper, where most of the family haven't seen the real Cora in ages, if at all. There she drops a typically Cora-like bombshell about Richard having been murdered. She then returns home and bashes Cora's face in with a hatchet. As a result of the bombshell at the funeral supper, it's assumed that Richard's murderer also did away with Cora, fearing exposure. Poirot, however, is not deceived; a few small details, such as a recently made oil painting, a bouquet of wax flowers, and a nun, (seen only by Miss Gilchrist) pique his interest. When an autopsy on Richard Abernathy reveals nothing untoward, Poirot fits the pieces together and exposes Miss Gilchrist. She is taken to prison, where she goes mercifully potty and makes demented plans for a tea shop franchise.

From Quiz Agatha Christie and Literature

Answer: Parker Pyne Investigates

'Gates of Damascus' is a poem by James Elroy Flecker that contains the lines "Four great gates has the city of Damascus... Postern of Fate, the Desert Gate, Disaster's Cavern, Fort of Fear...". The novel 'Postern of Fate' features Tommy and Tuppence and was the last book written by Christie. The same poem is featured in another of Christie's stories, 'The Gate of Baghdad', which is a part of the short story collection 'Parker Pyne Investigates'. The story features Parker Pyne who is on a visit to Damascus and Baghdad.

From Quiz Agatha Christie and Nursery Rhymes

Answer: A Pocket Full of Rye

'A Pocket Full of Rye' is a Miss Marple mystery that uses the nursery rhyme 'Sing a Song of Sixpence' as its theme. The novel features a businessman, Rex Fortescue, who is poisoned and in his pocket was a handful of rye! Also featured is a pie with four (dead) blackbirds. And a key theme in the novel is a mine in East Africa called the Blackbird mine. Also, a maid has her nose nipped off (she is killed and a clothes peg placed on her nose).

From Quiz Agatha Christie's Plot Devices

Answer: "The Murder at the Vicarage", "Lord Edgware Dies (a.k.a. Thirteen At Dinner)", "The Hollow"

In "Murder at the Vicarage", the murderers each confess but seem to be cleared later. In "Lord Edgware Dies", the murderer announces herself at the door and kills the victim exactly the way she said she would, but has arranged alibis to make it look as if she was framed. In "The Hollow", Poirot actually sees the murderer standing above the victim with the gun, but the other witnesses all conspire to protect the murderer. Variations are "The Mysterious Affair at Styles", where the murderer wants to appear guilty and be accused in court only to be exonerated once double jeopardy has attached (so that he could never be accused of that crime again even if he was proven guilty), and "Ordeal of Innocence", where the presumed murderer dies in jail, but the subsequently revealed alibi serves to re-open the case and it turns out the accused was, after all, pulling the strings behind the murder.

From Quiz The Christie Murder Atlas

Answer: Murder on the Links

Paul Renauld may have been very rich but he was also very desperate when he sent that letter to Hercule Poirot in London--and it got action, too. Poirot and his friend Capt. Hastings hurried off but arrived only in time to avenge a "Murder On The Links" (1923). It was in the course of his usual bumbling about that faithful Hastings met his "Cinderella".

From Quiz Murder by Poison

Answer: arsenic

Murder by poisoning was the theme of more than half of Agatha Christie's novels, plays and short stories. She once said "Give me a decent bottle of poison and I'll construct the perfect crime". Arsenic was her favourite poison, according to www.nature.com. Arsenic used to be easily obtained from fly papers and rat poison, thus it was a very popular choice for poisoners in the past. It is said to have been the favourite poison of the Borgias as well.

From Quiz Whatdunit?

Answer: Mrs. Boyle (Three Blind Mice)

All four were strangled, but it was the highly unpleasant Mrs. Boyle who got it with the raincoat belt. (Betty Barnard of "The ABC Murders" was strangled with her own belt, however, making her a sort of runner up?)

From Quiz A Christie for Christmas

Answer: Nemesis

Throughout her writing career, Agatha Christie produced, on average, only one novel per year. Publishing companies are well aware that the best time of the year for book sales is pre-Christmas so her publishers usually released her books towards the end of the year, typically in late October or November. "Nemesis" is the last Miss Marple mystery that Agatha Christie ever wrote, even though "Sleeping Murder" was the last one published. As one would expect from the title, the theme is retribution and Miss Marple is Nemesis personified.

From Quiz That Was Incredibly Stupid

Answer: Dr. Armstrong

Dr. Armstrong is too obsessed with social classes and integrity to believe a judge would be a serial killer. This is his downfall, as he helps Justice Wargrave fake his death under the guise of tricking the real killer. In reality, this is a ploy by Wargrave to trick Armstrong and kill him by pushing him over a cliff. It also removes suspicion from Wargrave and allows him to kill the remaining victims more easily.

From Quiz Death By Coriander

Answer: After the Funeral

In this excellent, intriguing and surprising novel, a family have gathered for the funeral of their patriarch, Richard Abernethie. Although his death appears to have occurred due to natural causes, his sister, the eccentric Cora Lansquenet, makes a comment which suggests that he was murdered and that it has been hushed up. When Cora is murdered very shortly afterwards it looks like somebody was trying to silence her. When Miss Gilchrist, Cora's live-in companion, becomes ill, but does not die, after eating a slice of wedding cake which contained arsenic, it seems even more apparent that Cora may have been on the right track. With every member of the family having benefitted somewhat from the death of Richard Abernethie, Poirot has no shortage of suspects and he has his work cut out to solve this gripping mystery.

From Quiz Murder by Numbers: Agatha Christie Novels 2

Answer: Victoria Johnson and Lucky Dyson

Victoria Johnson is a maid working at the hotel where Major Palgrave is killed and works out that the blood pressure tablets in his room were planted there after his death to give a rational explanation for his death. She is stabbed late one night and found by the unfortunate Molly Kendal. Lucky Dyson turns out not to be so lucky after all - she is drowned in the creek after being mistaken for Molly Kendal. It's only her badly dyed roots that give her away to Miss Marple's eagle eyes!

From Quiz Agatha Christie by the Numbers

Answer: Mr. Brown

Mr. Brown turns out to be Sir James Peel Edgerton, a man whom Tommy and Tuppence initially trusted.

From Quiz Literary Allusions in Christie Books

Answer: The Lady of Shalott

Featured prominently in the book of the same name (that is, "The Mirror Crack'd From Side to Side", or "Mirror Crack'd" for short), this is the quote that Miss Marple's friend Dolly Bantry uses to describe the expression on movie star Marina Gregg's face shortly before an unexpected death occurs at her party. The book also closes with the last lines of this poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson.

From Quiz Murder on the Dancefloor

Answer: Bridge

Hercule Poirot meets an eccentric collector, Mr. Shaitana, at an exhibition of snuff boxes, who tells Poirot he has a far more interesting collection. At a dinner party hosted by Shaitana, Poirot realises that the collector has invited four sleuths and four other people who have apparently gotten away with murder in the past. Afraid of their long hidden secret coming out in the open, one of the four murders Shaitana while a game of bridge is on in the adjacent room. It is up to Poirot and the other three detectives to expose Shaitana's killer.

From Quiz Agatha Christie and Literature

Answer: Julius Caesar

William's Shakespeare play 'Julius Caesar' contains a speech by Brutus in Act IV. Following is one of the line in the speech: "There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune". The title of Agatha Christie's novel 'Taken at the Flood' is inspired from these lines. The novel is also known as 'There is a Tide'. The title also refers to a character in the novel who makes use of an opportunity to strike gold.

From Quiz Agatha Christie and Nursery Rhymes

Answer: Rogers

'And Then There Were None' was based on the nursery rhyme 'Ten Little Indians' (The original title of the novel was 'Ten Little Niggers'; considering the offensive nature of the title, it was later renamed as 'Ten Little Indians'). In the novel ten people are trapped on an island and they are killed one by one, as outlined in the rhyme. According to the rhyme 'Seven little nigger boys chopping up sticks; One chopped himself in halves and then there were six'. In the novel, the servant Rogers gets up in the morning to chop wood and is killed by the murderer with a blow on his head with an axe.

From Quiz Agatha Christie's Plot Devices

Answer: the conspiring murderers pretend to hate each other

In "Death on the Nile", the conspiring parties stage an extensive cat-and-mouse game in order to ultimately obtain rock-steady alibis. In "The Mysterious Affair at Styles", the conspiring cousins pretend to hate each other; one even keeps accusing the other of the murder. In "Endless Night", the two conspirators similarly feign dislike to hide the fact that they are lovers.

From Quiz The Christie Murder Atlas

Answer: Appointment With Death

On his first night in Jerusalem, the words "You see, don't you, that she's got to be killed?" drift through Hercule Poirot's open window and later seem to have been an omen of events which culminate at Petra in "Appointment With Death" (1938). Nasty old Mrs. Boynton, who kept her family trapped in her web like a bloated, sadistic spider, was really a piece of work, wasn't she?

From Quiz Whatdunit?

Answer: Joyce Reynolds (Hallowe'en Party)

This is an easy one, the only trick is to remember if it was Joyce or her brother who was drowned in the bobbing-for-apples tub. Ipy, in "Death Comes as the End" was drowned in an irrigation ditch, Lucky Dyson was drowned in a creek and Leopold Reynolds (Joyce's brother) was drowned in a stream.

From Quiz A Christie for Christmas

Answer: Hercule Poirot's Christmas

"Hercule Poirot's Christmas" was first released in December 1938. In stark contrast to the usual Christmas motif of "peace on earth and goodwill towards men", this story is one of the goriest she wrote, involving the brutal murder of a cruel and malicious old man, who was found lying in a huge pool of blood with his throat cut. "Hercule Poirot's Christmas" was also published under the alternative titles of "Murder for Christmas" and "A Holiday for Murder".

From Quiz That Was Incredibly Stupid

Answer: Madame Blanche

Madame Blanche is the new French teacher at the Meadowbank School in "Cat Among the Pigeons". A series of mysterious murders begin with the shooting of Miss Springer, the games mistress, at what was once a very prestigious school for girls. Madame Blanche, however, knows who killed Miss Springer; instead of mentioning this info to the police and Poirot, she decides to blackmail the killer. This leads, naturally, to her own murder. Madame Blanche is not alone in blackmailers who would be killed by the murderer.

From Quiz Death By Coriander

Answer: Three Act Tragedy

When the elderly, respectable and well-liked clergyman dies suddenly at Sir Charles' glittering party, his death is initially attributed to natural causes. However, when another drinks party, which includes some of the same guests as the first, also ends in tragedy when Dr. Strange dies, the first death starts to look more sinister. The coroner gives his opinion that Strange was poisoned with nicotine and it is determined that Reverend Babbington died in the same fashion. It is up to Poirot to unravel these seemingly motiveless and unrelated crimes and bring the murderer to justice before anyone else is killed.

From Quiz Murder by Numbers: Agatha Christie Novels 2

Answer: Professor Luxmore

Mr Shaitana believes that Major Despard deliberately shoots and kills Professor Luxmore because of a guilty passion for the Professor's wife. Major Despard is actually the only innocent one of the four apparent murderers; he tries to shoot Luxmore to stop him from staggering into a river, but Mrs Luxmore catches hold of his arm and so Despard's shot ends up being fatal. Major Despard later appears in the novel 'The Pale Horse' married to Rhoda Dawes who we also meet in 'Cards on the Table'.

From Quiz Agatha Christie by the Numbers

Answer: Josephine

Josephine killed her grandfather because he wouldn't pay for her ballet lessons.

From Quiz Literary Allusions in Christie Books

Answer: Iago

Poirot's last case is also his greatest challenge as he and Hastings take up the hunt for a murderer with extraordinary powers of persuasion.

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Last Updated Nov 16 2024 5:50 AM

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