Mrs. McGinty's Dead Trivia Quiz

Answer: Cockiness

James Bentley is a nervous, cringing, and secretive fellow who mutters to himself and tells unconvincing lies under duress. He had lost his job, and was being hounded by Mrs. McGinty for back rent. The jury had no difficulty believing that he had murdered her for the cache of money- thirty pounds- that she had hidden under a floorboard.

Although Spence had collected the evidence which built the case against Bentley, he found that Bentley completely lacked the cockiness and self-assurance that had been characteristic of other murderers he had encountered in his long career. Upon meeting Bentley, Poirot agreed with this assessment; Bentley had a hopeless and defeatist attitude, and would never have fancied himself capable of pulling off a murder and getting away with it.

Indeed, Poirot often became so frustrated with Bentley's apathy that he was sorely tempted to abandon the case.

Answer: The rudeness of Mrs. Summerhayes.

Poirot greatly likes Mrs. Summerhayes, who is a charming and kind person. She is, however, an abominable cook and housekeeper, even by standards far less fastidious than Poirot's. During the course of his stay, Poirot is forced to eat food that is either burnt, undercooked, or watery, and manages to dodge eating moldy raspberries, fish from a distended tin, and beans upon which the lady of the house had bled after cutting her finger.

The doors and windows are always open to provide convenient access to the dogs and cats; consequently there are constant draughts.

The Summerhayes are also incapable of putting anything back where it belongs, and Poirot finds the constant clutter and chaos- not to mention the dust, the worn and ragged carpets, and the decrepit and uncomfortable furniture- totally insupportable.

As if these weren't enough, the dogs and cats shed hair everywhere, the cats are constantly being sick in and around the house, and the hens occasionally escape from their pen. Poirot's sufferings in these accomodations are a frequent source of comic relief in this book.

Answer: Eva Kane

Eva Kane had been the nursery governess in the household of Alfred Craig, a town clerk. Craig was unhappily married to an overbearing and hypochondriacal wife, and had begun an affair with the young governess. Suspicions were aroused when Kane's wife went on a rest-cure and never returned; her dismembered body was eventually found buried in the cellar of the Craig home, and an autposy revealed that she had been poisoned. Craig was executed for the crime, and Eva narrowly avoided being charged as an accessory. Pregnant with Craig's child, she eventually went to live with relatives in America (this story is clearly modelled on the real-life case of Dr. Crippen and Ethel le Neve)

It is discovered that Eva had changed her name to Evelyn Hope, a name which she also gave to her child. Although the child was presumed to have been a girl, it was actually a boy (Evelyn being a masculine as well as a feminine name). This second Evelyn Hope changed his name to Robin and was adopted, after his mother's death, by the wealthy and domineering Mrs. Upward. He had told Mrs. Upward a touching, but false story about his mother having been a ballerina who had died of tuberculosis. Mrs. Upward had very rigid and fanatical views about heredity, and would never have adopted Robin had she known who his actual parents were.

Answer: A bottle of ink

Mrs. McGinty was an uneducated, barely literate woman who rarely wrote letters. Yet she had purchased a bottle of ink, presumably because she wanted to write to someone. After discovering the article about the "tragic women", Poirot interviews Pamela Horsefall of the Sunday Companion, and discovers that Mrs. McGinty had written to her, explaining that she had seen a photograph like one of those in the article, and inquiring if the paper would like to purchase the photograph. Miss Horsefall had declined to do so. Mrs. McGinty, who had a habit of snooping around the houses she cleaned, had seen the photograph of Eva Kane at Laburnums (the residence of the Upwards).

After reading the article, she concluded that the proud Mrs. Upward was the woman in the photograph.

She had mentioned her suspicions to Robin Upward, hoping for a "nice little present" for being discreet about what she presumed was his mother's true identity (she did not know that Robin had been adopted by Mrs. Upward). Afraid that his adoptive mother would discover the truth, he decided to silence Mrs. McGinty.

Answer: Maude Williams

Maude Williams is an attractive young woman with peroxided blonde hair. She had worked with Bentley at the office of Breather and Scuttle before he was discharged, and found his shy, polite manner attractive. Poirot marvels that even such an unprepossessing character as Bentley should be attractive to someone, and discerns that Maude, despite her outward appearance, is really a maternal type at heart.

He secures a position for her as a domestic at the Wetherby's home after their German maid abruptly leaves, so that she can assist in the investigation. Bentley, to Poirot's considerable consternation, barely remembers Maude, and is most unappreciative of her efforts on his behalf.

He decides that she isn't the sort of girl that his mother would approve of (the gauche, awkward Deirdre Henderson is more his type).

Answer: He is short and portly

Mrs. Oliver's fictional detective is a thin, gangly Finn who doesn't associate much with women and is a strict vegetarian. He carries around a grater for shredding turnips and carrots. Robin finds all of these attributes maddeningly undramatic, and has turned Hjerson into a Norwegian who is fighting with the Norwegian resistance, and is romantically involved with a girl named Ingrid. Mrs. Oliver is afraid her readers, who have grown used to Hjerson's idiosyncrasies, will not accept these changes to the character.

It is well known that Christie was, by this time, getting fed up with her own fictional detective- the over-fastidious Poirot- and had begun to wish that she had never created such a character. The character of Ariadne Oliver was somewhat of an alter-ego for herself, and Mrs. Oliver's comic outburst of exasperation in this novel was undoubtedly a thinly disguised expression of Christie's own feelings: "How do I know why I ever thought of the revolting man? I must have been mad! Why a Finn when I know nothing about Finland? Why a vegetarian? Why all of the idiotic mannerisms he's got? These things just happen. You try something- and people seem to like it- and then you go on- and before you know where you are, you've got someone like that maddening Sven Hjerson tied to you for life. And people even write and say how fond you must be of him. Fond of him? If I met that bony gangling vegetable eating Finn in real life I'd do a better murder than any I've ever invented."

Answer: Madre

Madre means "mother" in Italian (and Spanish). When Poirot begins to suspect the true nature of Robin's relationship to Mrs. Upward, he realizes the significance of his constantly referring to her by this theatrical title, instead of simply calling her "mother".

Answer: A sugar cutter

The sugar cutter is a heavy adze-shaped object with a sharp cutting edge; it is made of brass, is ornamented with red and blue stones and has a finial at the top shaped like a small bird. Poirot discovers it atop a cluttered bookcase at the Summerhayes' guest house, but finds that it originally belonged to the Wetherbys. Maureen Summerhayes had purchased it at a Bring-and-Buy, along with a copper teapot, because she liked the bird on the top.

Answer: Maureen Summerhayes

Maureen Summerhayes was herself adopted and is, apparently, aware that Robin is adopted as well. Under the influence of rather too much gin, she begins to wax melancholy about the fact that her parents had given her up. Her statement to Robin is so carefully placed that most readers don't realize its significance.

Although most of the Upwards' acquaintances are aware that Robin is adopted, it is never discussed precisely because most people assume that everyone knows. Poirot later refers to this as a "secret de Polichinelle"- "...a secret that everyone can know. For this reason the people who don't know it never hear about it- for if everyone thinks you know a thing, nobody tells you."

Answer: That the killer was not a woman.

Poirot was not fooled by the false clues of the perfume and lipstick; had the killer been a woman, she could easily have wiped her lipstick from the cup, and her scent would not have remained in the hallway after she had left. Eve Carpenter, Deirdre Henderson, and Shelagh Rendell had each received a call from Laburnums asking that they join Mrs. Upward for tea, since she was alone at the house (Robin was at the theatre and the maid had the night off). However, none of the calls had actually come from Mrs. Upward. Only Deirdre Henderson had actually come; she found the house dark and received no answer when she called Mrs. Upward, so she left.

Mrs. Upward had indicated that she recognized the photograph of Lily Gamboll, but this was a diversionary tactic: the photograph that she had actually recognized was that of Eva Kane. Robin had shown her this photograph when he had told her the false story about his mother having been a ballerina who died of tuberculosis. Knowing that she was probably going to disinherit him, he strangled her with her own scarf before leaving with Mrs. Oliver for the theatre.

Answer: Because the photo had not been in the drawer earlier.

Poirot observes Maureen Summerhayes frantically looking through a drawer for a document and emptying the contents of the drawer onto the floor. When she finds what she is looking for, she walks away leaving the pile of debris on the floor. This proves too much for Poirot, who carefully replaces the contents of the drawer. On another occasion, Maureen searches the drawer again in the same chaotic manner and once again leaves a mess on the floor. Once again Poirot sets about carefully replacing the drawer's contents and comes across the photo, which had not been there on the previous occasion. Poirot realizes that it had been planted there by Robin Upward, who had been staying at the guest house after Mrs. Upward's death.

Answer: Maude Williams

The shop girl Edna had seen a blonde woman at Laburnums on the night Mrs. Upward was murdered; the obvious suspect was Eve Carpenter, who was a blonde and who had received a call inviting her to Laburnums on that evening. However, Poirot discovered that it was Maude Williams who had come to the house.

It develops that Maude was one of the two Craig children who were orphaned after the murder of their mother and the execution of their father. Maude revealed to Poirot her hatred of Eva Kane, and her conviction that it was she who had actually poisoned Mrs. Craig.

She believed that her father was only an accessory after the fact (an opinion shared by Superintendant Spence). Upon reaching adulthood, Maude had hired detectives to track Eva Kane, and learned that she had died in Australia. Later, however, she had met Robin (under the name of Evelyn Hope) and came to believe that Robin's mother was actually Eva Kane.

She had arrived at Laburnums that night to confront Mrs. Upward, and had brought along a pistol, but found Mrs. Upward strangled. Thinking that she had not been observed entering the house, she left quietly.

She told Poirot that, after discovering the body, she realized that she could not have brought herself to kill anyone.

Answer: Doctor Rendell

An investigator posing as an electrician learns that Doctor Rendell had been near the scene of the train incident at the time it happened. Poirot noted, during his visit to the Rendells, that Mrs. Rendell seemed unduly frightened and that Doctor Rendell seemed to suspect that Poirot's investigation of the McGinty case was merely a front.

It is discovered that Rendell's first wife had died under mysterious circumstances after she and her husband each took out insurance policies naming the other as beneficiary. Poirot was later approached by Mrs. Rendell, who was upset by anonymous letters accusing her husband of murdering his first wife. Both Spence and Poirot suspect that Rendell was, indeed, guilty and had tried to silence Poirot out of fear that he might be investigating his wife's death. Spence determined to keep an eye on Rendell, and to let him know that he was under observation, in case he tried to repeat his earlier crime.

Answer: Deirdre Henderson

Bentley had earlier mentioned that he found Deirdre "rather good-looking" (an opinion which, apparently, no one else shares). Poirot believes that Deirdre, who is currently living in misery with her domineering, hypochondriacal mother and unpleasant, resentful stepfather, would be a good match for Bentley (whose mother had been, apparently, not unlike Mrs. Wetherby).

He is aware that Maude Williams is also interested in Bentley, but feels that she is too outgoing and full of life; she would merely drive him further into his shell. Poirot and Spence will later encounter each other in "Hallowe'en Party", during which they reminisce about the McGinty case.

It is revealed during their conversation that Bentley and Deirdre actually did marry and are, presumably, happy together.

Answer: Murder Most Foul

"Murder Most Foul" was one of two films featuring Margaret Rutherford as Miss Marple which were adaptions of novels featuring Poirot (the other was "Murder at the Gallop", made in 1963, which was adapted from "After the Funeral", a.k.a. "Funerals are Fatal")). To begin with, Christie had not been happy with the casting of Rutherford as Miss Marple (she felt that Rutherford was not at all like the frail but shrewd spinster she had in mind); still less did she approve of replacing Poirot with Miss Marple - their style of detection was completely different. In "Murder Most Foul", Miss Marple is on the jury which is trying the McGinty case, and she is the only juror who does not believe that the defendant is guilty as charged. To solve the case, she poses as an actress and joins a theatrical troupe (the film's title is taken from "Hamlet": "Murder most foul, as in the best it is"). The film also features Ron Moody as the leader of the theatrical troupe, and a young Francesca Annis.

Neither of the two Poirot adaptions starring Margaret Rutherford enjoyed the success of the first Marple film- "'Murder', She Said" (an adaption of "The 4:50 From Paddington"; a.k.a. "What Mrs. McGillicuddy Saw!"). Christie, who had been appalled by both films, admitted in an interview that "...I get an unregenerate pleasure in contemplating their not being a success." She was still more appalled by a later film- "Murder Ahoy"- which was not based on any of her novels, and featured Miss Marple in an entirely original murder mystery on board an ocean liner. Of this film, she was quoted as saying "It did very badly, I'm delighted to say."