Average Literature Trivia: Appointment with Death | 10 Questions

Answer: Hercule Poirot

It WOULD be Poirot who overhears this comment, made by Raymond Boynton to his sister Carol! Poirot assumes at the time that the words relate to a fictional story, but begins to think differently when he later hears that their mother has been murdered.

Answer: Lennox, Raymond, Carol and Ginevra

Lennox is the eldest, and is described by Dr Gerard as being "past the stage of revolt ... sunk in apathy". Nadine is his wife, a marriage arranged by Mrs Boynton after Lennox had rebelled some years previously. Carol and Raymond are described as being similar in looks and nature. Ginevra is the only one of the four who is Mrs Boynton's natural daughter (the others are her step-children), and she is described as "escaping into a realm of fantasy".

Answer: It was not a logical reply to what Sarah had said

Poirot states that these words were not meant for Sarah King at all; rather, they were intended for someone standing behind Sarah. Poirot goes on to explain that they were intended for Lady Westholme, who had been one of the inmates at the prison at which Mrs Boynton had been a warder.

Answer: She used psychological control

Mrs Boynton was a prison warder before her marriage. Dr Gerard theorises that after her marriage, she continued in the same role in imprisoning her own children. This is purely for her own enjoyment!

Answer: She allowed her children - except Ginevra - to go off for the afternoon without her

Mrs Boynton had never allowed her children to go off without her before. No-one believed that she is doing it for any good reason, however, and this proved to be exactly so at the end of the book, when Poirot explained that she needed to be free of her family in order to be able to speak privately with Lady Westholme.

Answer: Raymond Boynton

Dr Gerard tells Poirot that Raymond and Carol are both in a state of rebellion, accompanied by a severe nervous excitement. However, he states that Raymond's case is complicated by the fact that he has fallen in love with Sarah. He then goes on to say that Lennox has passed the stage of rebellion, and is now sunk in apathy, whereas Ginevra is "escaping into a realm of fantasy".

Answer: It did not make sense to inject Mrs Boynton with digitoxin when it could be added to her medicine

Poirot finds it peculiar that the murderer went to the trouble of injecting Mrs Boynton with digitoxin when it could have simply been added to her medicine, which would have been more difficult to discover and equally effective. This helps him conclude that it was not a member of the Boynton family who killed Mrs Boynton, but someone else who did not have access to her medicine.

Answer: Ginevra Boynton

Of course, Ginevra is the only blood child of Mrs Boynton. Dr Gerard tells M Poirot and Sarah King that "In many essentials, she has the same temperament as her mother ... a great yearning for importance; they both demand that their personality shall impress!". Later, Sarah states that Mrs Boynton's personality was in darkness, whereas Ginevra's is in light, but that Ginevra reminds her of Mrs Boynton nonetheless.

Answer: Carol Boynton

Although Jefferson Cope has always been in love with Nadine Boynton, she chooses to remain with her husband Lennox after Mrs Boynton's murder. Jefferson Cope then marries Carol.

Answer: Lady Westholme

Poirot deduces that Lady Westholme, now a highly successful politician, had previously been an inmate in the prison at which Mrs Boynton had been a wardress. Just as Sarah King tells Mrs Boynton that she is "pathetic" and "ludicrous" for believing she has such wide control, when actually she can only control her family, Mrs Boynton recognises Lady Westholme.

She takes the opportunity to extend the number of people she is controlling by blackmailing Lady Westholme with this knowledge. Lady Westholme kills her to prevent this from becoming known.