Thrillers Trivia

1. James Wormold is a spy who is introduced to us in 1958 in the novel "Our Man in Havana". Which Nobel nominated author was responsible for this story?

From Quiz Smoke Screens

Answer: Graham Greene

James Wormold makes his living by selling vacuum cleaners in Havana, Cuba but struggles to earn enough to maintain his daughter's extravagant lifestyle. To make extra cash, he agrees to work as a spy for the British government. The issue he has with this is that he is not very good at it, and when he cannot generate the information that he needs, he starts to make it up. This works well until the false information he's providing, starts to come true. This is black comedy and you cannot help but laugh when the British Secret Service start to analyse drawings of a supposed Communist base hidden in the mountains, which are nothing more than sketches of vacuum cleaner parts. This question was written under the cover of darkness by Phoenix Rising agent pollucci19.

From Quiz Literally Thrilling

Answer: Jeffery Deaver

Jeffery Deaver hails from Glen Ellyn, Illinois. He has written over thirty successful novels to date. The Lincoln Rhyme series are probably the most popular. "The Bone Collector" was turned into a 1999 blockbuster movie starring Denzel Washington as Rhyme.

From Quiz Smoke Screens

Answer: The Little Drummer Girl

Charlie is an English actress recruited by Mossad to entrap a Palestinian terrorist. Unfortunately, she becomes emotionally involved with the people she is spying on, and her focus becomes blurred. She ends up having a breakdown. The book was made into a movie in 1984 in which le Carré himself had a part, playing Commander David Cornwell. "The Honourable Schoolboy", and "Smiley's People" were part of the Karla Trilogy. "Single and Single" is a thriller about a Customs officer on the trail of a swindler. This question was sneaked in by Phoenix Rising member VegemiteKid.

From Quiz Literally Thrilling

Answer: Boris Starling

Boris Starling worked as a reporter for the British newspapers "The Sunday Telegraph" and "The Sun". "Messiah", his first offering, was televised by the BBC and starred Ken Stott. "Storm" tells the story of a cross channel ferry disaster, and "Vodka", probably Starling's most ambitious novel, is about a society on the brink of chaos and anarchy.

From Quiz Smoke Screens

Answer: Agent 21

After Zak Darke's parents are killed in a mass murder, he is recruited by the government and becomes "Agent 21". He is sent undercover to complete missions and these missions often involve infiltrating terrorist camps. "Agent 21" belongs to a series of spy novels aimed at young adults. The author, Chris Ryan, is a former Special Air Service sergeant. This question was written under the covers by Phoenix Rising team member purelyqing.

From Quiz Literally Thrilling

Answer: Robert Crais

Robert Crais began his career as a TV screenwriter - his credits include "Miami Vice" and "L.A. Law". "The Monkey's Raincoat" finds Cole and Pike in search of a missing husband and son amidst a backdrop of colorful gangland characters.

From Quiz Literally Thrilling

Answer: A Time to Kill

Initially rejected by a host of publishers, "A Time to Kill" became a bestseller only after the publication of three other Grisham works. It is loosely based on a true case of a Mississippi rape victim, with the author dwelling on the girl's father and the 'what if' aspects of the case.

From Quiz Smoke Screens

Answer: Richard Hannay

Appearing as a major character in five novels during Buchan's lifetime, Hannay becomes so decorated that he is eventually referred to as Major-General Sir Richard Hannay, KCB, OBE, DSO, Legion of Honour. Born in Scotland, he becomes fluent in German, thanks to his father's business associates, before moving to South Africa where he becomes an engineer, makes a fortune in copper, serves in the Imperial Light Horse and becomes involved in both the Matabele and Boer wars. Hannay arrives in England in 1914, just before the breakout of World War I and stumbles onto a German plot to steal British war secrets. The latter forms part of the plot to "The Thirty Nine Steps" (1915). This question was methodically paced out by Phoenix Rising team member pollucci19.

From Quiz Literally Thrilling

Answer: Sweden

Swedish born Henning Mankell is married to the daughter of the noted director Ingmar Bergman. Mankell first exposed his slightly slobbish hero Kurt Wallander in the 1997 bestseller "Faceless Killers". More recently, "The Troubled Man" became the 11th appearance of the lugubrious detective.

From Quiz Literally Thrilling

Answer: Bad Blood

John Sandford is the pseudonym of the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. "Bad Blood", set in rural Minnesota, finds Virgil Flowers investigating the hanging of a murder suspect in a prison cell. That discovery leads to the uncovering of a multigeneration, multifamily conspiracy of shocking proportions.

From Quiz Smoke Screens

Answer: Casino Royale

"Casino Royale" was only a short novel but it was enough to spark reader's imaginations. Bond is sent to bankrupt SMERSH's paymaster, Le Chiffre, via a high stakes baccarat game and, along the way, we learn of his penchant for fast cars, smoking and alcohol and, that he can fall in love. We also discover that "something cold and ruthless" lurked beneath those rugged good looks, a fact that is generally overlooked in the films. The words in this question were expertly shuffled by Phoenix Rising team member pollucci19.

From Quiz Licensed to Thrill

Answer: John Rebus

John Rebus was introduced to us as a detective sergeant in 1987, but he was a detective inspector upon his retirement in 2007's "Exit Music". Rebus was a gruff, whisky-loving loner who seemed to enjoy the company of books and music more than people. His retirement was not the end to the series; Ian Rankin brought him back in 2012's "Standing in Another Man's Grave". "Knots and Crosses", which Rankin wrote as a student at the University of Edinburgh, followed the investigation into several abductions and murders in the city that affect Rebus personally as his daughter is kidnapped.

From Quiz Literally Thrilling

Answer: Military Police Major

The fictional Reacher, as he likes to introduce himself, is a former United States Army Military Police Major. Saying little, he moves from state to state with a malignant stoicism, displaying coolness under pressure and the uncanny knack of finding trouble. Reacher is a fighter of immense skill and feels little pleasure and even less remorse in killing the enemy to ensure his own personal brand of justice has been served. "The Affair", the 16th Reacher story, is a prequel to "Killing Floor", the first book published in the series.

From Quiz Literally Thrilling

Answer: John Burdett

John Patrick Burdett is an English born former lawyer who lived in Hong Kong for a number of years. His series of crime novels about detective Sonchai Jitpleecheep are set in and around the Thai capital. They include "Bangkok 8", "Bangkok Tattoo" and "Bangkok Haunts". These works are usually set amidst the highly charged atmosphere of Thailand's notorious sex industry.

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Last Updated Feb 15 2025 5:51 AM

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