Black Heart of Crime Trivia Quiz

Answer: Black Cherry Blues

James Lee Burke is a well-known mystery writer living in Louisiana. He is best known for his "Dave Robicheaux" series. Robicheaux is a deputy sheriff in the New Iberia, Louisiana police department. He is a recovering alcoholic, Vietnam War veteran, and is subject to depression and nightmares. An unlikely detective, he has been a successful crime-solver through many novels. Burke won a 1990 Edgar for "Black Cherry Blues" (Best Novel of the Year), a 1998 Edgar for "Cimarron Rose", featuring Billy Bob Holland, another memorable Burke character, and a Grand Master Award in 2009.

Answer: Black Coffee

Agatha Christie (1890-1976) began writing "Black Coffee" as a play in 1929 and it was produced on stage in 1930. It was produced as a film in both 1931 and 1932. It was finally published as a novel in 1998. The novelization was done by Charles Osborne, with the approval of the Christie estate.

Answer: The Black Cat

In a remarkable 22nd appearance, Superintendent Richard Jury of Scotland Yard is assigned the case of a young woman murdered on the grounds of a pub called "The Black Cat". To complicate matters, it initially appears that the only witness is a black cat. Nevertheless, Jury is determined to bring the murderer to justice.

Martha Grimes is an American author. Specializing in detective fiction, she is best known for her novels featuring Richard Jury of Scotland Yard. With the titles of her Richard Jury novels named after pubs, Grimes has created a much loved series of books.

Answer: Patricia Cornwell

Chief Medical Examiner of Richmond, Virginia and consulting pathologist for the ATF, Dr. Kay Scarpetta makes her tenth appearance in "Black Notice". Published in 1999, this novel takes its title from an Interpol notice called a "black notice" issued to find information about an unidentified body. An unidentified body arrives in a container from Belgium with a note in French signed by the "Werewolf". The trail leads Dr. Scarpetta to France where she is hindered by old world money and power. After returning to the US, Scarpetta is immersed in local cases and nasty internal politics. However, the Werewolf comes to call on her personally and things take a frightening turn.

Patricia Cornwell (born June 9, 1956) is an American novelist. She is most famous for her works featuring medical examiner, Dr. Kay Scarpetta.

Answer: The Black Dahlia

On January 15, 1947, the body of Elizabeth Short was found in a vacant lot in Los Angeles. The body was nude, cut in half, and badly bruised and beaten. When the murder was reported in the media, many people "confessed" to the crime but none credibly. No one has ever been charged with the murder and it is one of the most well-known unsolved crimes in American history. The name "Black Dahlia", much sensationalized by the media at the time, was possibly based on her black hair and the black attire she reportedly often wore.

James Ellroy (born March 4, 1948) is an American crime fiction author. His very successful novels include "L.A. Confidential", "White Jazz", and "The Black Dahlia". Ellroy's "The Black Dahlia" tells the fictional story of two L.A. police officers who were among the first to arrive at the scene when Elizabeth Short's body was found, and their subsequent obsession with the murder case as it affects their entire lives.

Answer: The Black Echo

"The Black Echo" (1992) is the novel that introduces Detective Harry Bosch. A body is discovered in a drain pipe which turns out to be that of a man Harry had fought beside in Vietnam, so the case becomes very personal to him. As the case evolves, it becomes difficult to know who can be trusted and Harry joins forces with a female FBI agent. As things progress, Harry has to relive some of the horrors of Vietnam he had hoped to leave behind him. "The Black Echo" won the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery Novel awarded by the Mystery Writers of America.

Michael Connelly (born July 21, 1956)is an American author of detective fiction. Some of his best known works are "The Lincoln Lawyer", "Blood Work" and "The Reversal". One of his best known and beloved characters is LAPD Detective Harry Bosch.

Answer: Matt Riordan

"The Black Rose"(1987) is the second Matt Riordan novel. In it Riordan finds a link between the murder of a Vietnam buddy, the disappearance of his girlfriend, and a white supremacist group.

Frederick D. Huebner is a Seattle attorney as well as a very successful detective fiction author. It is no coincidence that the protagonist in his novels is also a Seattle attorney. Wisecracking lawyer Matt Riordan was first introduced in "The Joshua Sequence" in 1986. "The Black Rose" followed the next year and then "Judgment by Fire" in 1989, which was nominated for an Edgar.

Answer: Dan Fortune

Dan Fortune is a one-armed Polish-Lithuanian private detective in New York City (although in the last few novels he has moved to California). He is a very tough, but sensitive man who often seems to be a sociologist as well as crime solver. He is a truly unique protagonist in the detective genre, which explains his amazing longevity in print.

Michael Collins is a pseudonym of Dennis Lynds (1925-2004). Lynds has written over 80 novels and 200 short stories under various pseudonyms. His most well-known pseudonym, however, is Michael Collins. As Collins, he wrote mystery fiction, receiving an Edgar Award, as well as a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Private Eye Writers of America. His Dan Fortune novels stretched from 1967-1995 and comprised 19 books.

Answer: William Manchee

William Manchee is an attorney in Dallas, Texas. He wrote his first novel in 1995 to relieve the stress of practicing law. He has been writing ever since. He has written non-fiction as well as science fiction and mysteries. He is probably best known for his Stan Turner mystery novels.

Answer: Edinburgh

Inspector John Rebus can be found in Edinburgh. Rebus has become one of the most loved characters in European detective fiction. In the pages of Ian Rankin's work for almost 20 years, Rebus finally retired but after a few short years in retirement, was brought back. Rebus fans around the globe breathed a huge sigh of relief.