British Detectives and their Creators Quiz

Answer: Ian Rankin

John Rebus is an Edinburgh detective, who was born in the Fife town of Cardenden, the same former mining community where author Ian Rankin was born. Rebus made his first appearance in the 1987 novel "Knots and Crosses", whilst his twentieth appearance came in the 2015 book "Even Dogs in the Wild". He has a habit of bending the rules to solve crimes, much to the chagrin of his superiors.

Answer: Colin Dexter

Inspector Morse (he tended not to use his first name) was based in the university city of Oxford. Colin Dexter penned 13 novels featuring Morse, the first being "Last Bus to Woodstock" in 1975. A television series, simply entitled "Inspector Morse", debuted on British TV in 1987, with John Thaw in the title role.

Answer: Dorothy L. Sayers

Lord Peter Wimsey was the son of the Duke of Denver, and made his fictional debut in the 1923 novel "Whose Body?". Sayers, from Essex, wrote 11 novels featuring Wimsey, the final one being 1937's "Busman's Honeymoon".

Answer: Val McDermid

Carol Jordan, normally teaming up with criminal profiler Tony Hill, first appeared in the 1995 novel "The Mermaids Singing". Most of her cases take place in the fictional city of Bradfield, most likely based on Bradford in Yorkshire. Val McDermid comes from Kirkcaldy, Fife, and has written many novels outside the Jordan/Hill series, some of which have been set in or near her home town.

Answer: Ruth Rendell

Sussex-based Inspector Wexford made his debut in the 1964 novel "From Doon with Death", and his 24th and last appearance in the 2013 book "No Man's Nightingale". His creator, Ruth Rendell, who died in 2015, was a member of the House of Lords, having been created a life peer in 1996 with the title Baroness Rendell of Babergh.

Answer: G. K. Chesterton

Father Brown was a Roman Catholic priest, and part-time amateur detective, who first appeared in print in the 1910 short story "The Blue Cross". Chesterton was a prolific writer who wrote numerous novels, short stories, essays and poems.

Answer: P. D. James

London-based Dalgliesh first appeared in the 1962 book "Cover Her Face". Between then, and his 2008 swan-song in "The Private Patient", he rose up the ranks from Detective Chief Inspector to Commander. P. D. James, who died in 2014, sat in the House of Lords after being created a life peer in 1991, under the title of Baroness James of Holland Park.

Answer: Quintin Jardine

Bob Skinner is an Edinburgh detective who lives in Gullane, East Lothian. He first appears in the 1993 novel "Skinner's Rules", and over the years ascends to the post of Chief Constable. Jardine himself lives in Gullane, although he originally came from Lanarkshire. As well as the Bob Skinner novels, he has also written a series featuring a Spanish-based detective, Oz Blackstone.

Answer: R. D. Wingfield

William "Jack" Frost is based in the fictional town of Denton, and made his debut in the 1984 book "Frost at Christmas". He appeared in six books by Wingfield before that author died in 2007. The character was revived in 2011 by James Garbutt. David Jason starred as Frost in a TV adaptation.

Answer: Stephen Booth

Ben Cooper, usually accompanied by Diane Fry, is based in the English midlands county of Derbyshire. He first appeared in the 2000 novel "Black Dog". Stephen Booth was originally from Lancashire before moving to Nottingham. He has been releasing a new Cooper novel each year, 2016 seeing the sixteenth in the series, "Secrets of Death".