Clued in on Christie Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Mysterious Affair at Styles

"The Mysterious Affair at Styles" was Agatha Christie's first published novel. It was published in the US in 1920 and in the UK in 1921. In the novel, Hercule Poirot is introduced as a Belgian seeking refuge in the UK after the Great War (as World War I was known before World Was II). Arthur Hastings, who later works with Poirot on numerous cases, also makes his debut in this novel.

The plot centers on the death of Emily Inglethorp and Poirot's attempts to catch the killer.

Answer: Hallowe'en Party

As indicated by the title, the novel begins at a Halloween party. Ariadne Oliver is present at the gathering and hears a young girl announce that she had witnessed a murder but didn't realise what it was at the time. A short while later, the girl is found dead, drowned in the apple bobbing tub. This prompts Ariadne to call Hercule Poirot for help.

Answer: Endless Night

"Endless Night" takes its title from William Blake's poem "Auguries of Innocence". The narrator Michael tells of how he met and married his wife and her eventual death. As with "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd", the twist in the tale here is that the narrator is also the murderer.

The central plot has a strong similarity with another Christie novel - "Death on the Nile". In both, a pair of lovers plot to have an heiress fall in love with the man, then kill her in order to inherit her wealth.

Answer: Cards on the Table

A mysterious man called Mr. Shaitana organizes a bizarre dinner party. He invites the four detectives and also calls four people who have been suspected, but never convicted, of having committed a murder. Things taken an even stranger turn when Mr. Shaitana is found murdered in the middle of the party.

Answer: Library

"The Body in the Library" features Christie's other famous sleuth, Miss Jane Marple. The novel opens with a maid awaking Mrs. Bantry to inform her that a body has been found in the library. The body turns out to be that of a young woman whose identity is not immediately known. Mrs. Bantry reaches out to her friend and amateur sleuth, Miss Marple, for help.

Answer: Orient Express

"Murder on the Orient Express" featured Hercule Poirot. The novel was inspired partly by Christie's own journey on this train to an archaelogical site with the central plot element taken from the real life incident of Charles Lindbergh's son's kidnapping and eventual murder. The novel was critically acclaimed at the time of release and is memorable due to the unique solution.

Answer: Cat Among the Pigeons

"Cat Among the Pigeons" is set in an English girl's prep school called Meadowbank. The new gym teacher is found dead one day and the new gardener reveals himself to be part of the British Intelligence service. Soon a Middle Eastern princess studying at the school is kidnapped and things seem to be getting out of hand.

The novel features Hercule Poirot who makes a late entry but ultimately solves the mystery.

Answer: Kill

"Murder is Easy" or "Easy to Kill" does not feature any of the regular Christie sleuths in a major role, except for a brief appearance by Superintendent Battle at the end. Luke Fitzwilliam has just returned from overseas and is on a train going to London.

He ends up talking to a co-passenger, Lavinia Pinkerton, who states that she is going to Scotland Yard with her suspicions about a serial killer in her village. She even tells him who she guesses the next victim will be. When Luke reads of her death in a newspaper the next day and sometime later also hears of the death of the person she had indicated would be the next victim, he decides it's time he visited the village himself and got to the bottom of this.

Answer: Sparkling Cyanide

While "Yellow Iris" featured Hercule Poirot, "Sparkling Cyanide" had another of Christie's recurring characters - Colonel Race. The novel was also published under the title "Remembered Death". Rosemary Barton died at a dinner with the verdict being death by suicide. Six months later her husband gets anonymous notes indicating the death was not a suicide.

When he tries to investigate and re-create the dinner party, he ends up dead.

Answer: The Clocks

The novel begins with a typist arriving for her appointment to find a man stabbed to death, surrounded by six clocks. While the clocks give the novel its title, they are later found to be red herrings. Poirot is challenged to solve this case without visiting the scene of the crime or interviewing any of the people involved, either as witnesses or suspects.

He is solely to depend on "his little grey cells" while a police investigation is underway simultaneously.