Hallowe'en Party (1969) Trivia Quiz

Answer: Ariadne Oliver

Ariadne Oliver appeared in two short stories and seven novels, six of which are with Hercule Poirot. She is well-known for her love of apples, a characteristic she shares with her creator, Agatha Christie. An article in the "John Bull Magazine" (11 August 1956) quotes Agatha Christie as saying "I never take my stories from real life, but the character of Ariadne Oliver does have a strong dash of myself".

After a child is found murdered by being drowned in a bucket of apples at a Hallowe'en party, Ariadne becomes repulsed by apples and switches to dates.

Answer: Hercule Poirot

Hercule Poirot stated, "The victim is always important. The victim, you see, is so often the cause of the crime". Because of this, Poirot was very focused on learning what whatever he could about the character of the murder victim, Joyce Reynolds.

Answer: Rowena Drake

Mrs Drake is described as a tall handsome woman with golden hair, lightly tinged with grey, and brilliant blue eyes. Her house was "a most admirably kept house". On first impression, Poirot thought she was very likely annoyed that a murder should have occurred in her house and that she felt it implied she was an inadequate hostess.

Answer: Joyce Reynolds

Ariadne Oliver described Joyce to Hercule Poirot as a girl who is not very nice, "the sort of girl who shows off and boasts", adding that "it sounds unkind what I'm saying". Poirot replied that it is not unkind to say what the victim was like: "It is very, very necessary.

The personality of the victim is the cause of many a murder". As Poirot investigated, he discovered the general consensus is that Joyce was an attention-seeking liar.

Answer: Bert Spence

Superintendent Bert Spence, previously head of the Kilchester Police, has retired to the village of Woodleigh Common to live with his widowed sister, Elspeth. He told Poirot that he has only lived there for a year but his sister had lived there for two or three years and suggested they should enlist Elspeth's aid because "there's not much about people she doesn't know".

Superintendent Spence also appeared in "Mrs McGinty's Dead" and "Elephants can Remember".

Answer: Leopold Reynolds

Leopold was described as nearly 11 years old, solid, "pudgy-faced" and very clever.

Mrs Goodbody advises Poirot to "beware of Leopold. He plays tricks on people, you know, and eavesdrops. Finds out all their secrets. Where he gets all his pocket money from, I'd like to know. It isn't from his mother or his father. They can't afford to give him much. He's got lots of money always. Keeps it in a drawer under his socks. He buys things. Quite a lot of expensive gadgets. Where does he get the money from? That's what I'd like to know. Finds people's secrets out, I'd say, and makes them pay him for holding his tongue."

Leopold's greed is his undoing as it leads to his murder. Someone drowned him in the brook.

Answer: Mrs Goodbody

Mrs Goodbody helped out at the Hallowe'en party by posing as a witch. She was a natural for the role, "having the necessary hooked nose and chin which almost met". She also assisted Poirot by providing him with valuable information about some of the people involved in the party, including the two murder victims.

She accurately predicted that the body of the au pair, Olga Seminoff, would be found in a well.

Answer: Olga Seminoff

Mrs. Llewellyn-Smythe made a codicil to her will leaving everything to her au pair. Everyone assumed that the au pair ran away after the codicil was declared to be a forgery but Poirot deduced that Olga had been murdered and her body was recovered from a local well.

Answer: Miranda Butler

Poirot surmised that it was Miranda who actually witnessed the murder that Joyce claimed to have seen. Knowing Miranda is in danger, he arranges with Ariadne Oliver to take Miranda and her mother, Judith, to London. He manages to save Miranda from being murdered but it is a close call.

Answer: Michael Garfield

Michael Garfield is described as a "very beautiful young man" who is obsessed with creating beautiful gardens. In her will, Mrs Llewellyn-Smythe bequeathed to Michael the garden and a bungalow to live in.