He Always Gets His Man...or Woman Quiz

Answer: John le Carre

John le Carre is the pseudonym of David John Moore Cornwell. He was born in Dorset, England in 1931. He devoted his time to writing after the success of his espionage thriller "The Spy Who Came in from the Cold." The character of George Smiley is featured in several novels, such as "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy."

Answer: Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was born in Scotland in 1859. From 1876 to 1881, he studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He eventually moved to London and set up practice as an ophthalmologist. Later he turned to writing. His first Holmes mystery, "A Study in Scarlet," was published in 1887.

Answer: Chester Himes

Born in Jefferson City, Missouri in 1909, Chester Himes' stories first appeared in "The Bronzeman" in 1931. Himes later came into contact with the poet, Langston Hughes, who introduced him to the literary and publishing world.

Answer: Tony Hillerman

Tony Hillerman wrote eighteen books in the "Navajo" series. Hillerman's appreciation of the southwestern part of the U.S. shines through his many novels and non-fiction books. He also wrote the text for several photography books.

Answer: James Patterson

James Patterson is a popular and successful author of many thriller novels, sometimes using credited co-authors. Patterson has been criticized for this practice. He not only writes for adults and young adults, but also writes stand-alone books such as "Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas" and "Miracle on the 17th Green."

Answer: Jeffery Deaver

Jeffery Deaver started out as a lawyer before turning to writing. Besides Lincoln Rhyme, Amelia Sachs and Kathryn Dance are also protagonists featured in other Deaver thrillers.

Answer: Ed McBain

Evan Hunter began using the pseudonym Ed McBain in 1956 with the publication of "The 87th Precinct" series. In 1978, writing as Ed McBain, he introduced Matthew Hope, a lawyer and private eye. The character of Hope was introduced in the novel "Goldilocks." The author held down many jobs before he turned to writing. One of these jobs, as a teacher at Bronx Vocational High School, influenced him to write the successful novel "The Blackboard Jungle."

Answer: Rex Stout

Born Rex Todhunter Stout to Quaker parents in 1886, he served in the Navy from 1906 to 1908 and for a time was a yeoman aboard President Teddy Roosevelt's yacht. He began writing novels in 1910 and became a full-time writer in 1927. The Nero Wolfe detective novels began in 1934 with the publication of the book "Fer-De-Lance."

Answer: Christopher G. Moore

Christopher Moore was teaching law at the University of British Columbia when he had an opportunity to visit Thailand for the first time. His private eye character, Vincent Colvino, first appeared in 1992 in the novel "Spirit House." The exotic setting of Bangkok and the way in which Moore makes the city come alive is integral to his novels.

Answer: James Lee Burke

James Lee Burke held a variety of jobs before becoming a writer, among them social worker and journalist. In 1990 Burke received an Edgar award for his novel "Black Cherry Blues." In 2009, Tommy Lee Jones starred as detective Robicheaux in the movie "In the Electric Mist" based on Burke's novel "In the Electric Mist with Confederate Dead."