Murder They Wrote Trivia Quiz

Answer: Arthur Conan Doyle

Arthur Conan Doyle, 1859-1930, created Sherlock Holmes, the deerstalker-wearing, pipe-smoking sleuth we all so easily picture. So well known did Holmes become, that the word 'Sherlock' is now applied, often facetiously, to any investigator. In one case, Holmes and his deadly enemy, Professor Moriarty, fell to their deaths off a waterfall.

The fans were outraged and Conan Doyle had to bring him back to life for further adventures. Holmes first appeared in print in 1887 and featured in four novels, 56 short stories and numerous movies.

Answer: Ed McBain

Ed McBain, 1926-2005, was a native New Yorker and also wrote under the name Evan Hunter, which he used in real life. He created the detective squad in the fictional 87th Precinct of Isola. His detailed descriptions of how detectives operated was a revelation, and paved the way for a similar approach on television, most notably with 'Hill Street Blues' (1981-1987).

The 87th precinct series ran to more than 50 books between 1956 and 2005. McBain also created another character, Matthew Hope, a Florida-based lawyer, who appeared in 13 books between 1978 and 1998. McBain won numerous awards, including the 'Lifetime Achievement Award' from the Mystery Writers of America and the CWA's (Crime Writers' Association) 'Diamond Dagger Award'.

Answer: Benjamin Black

Benjamin Black was the pen name of the Irish author John Banville (born 1945). Writing as Banville, 'The Sea' won the Booker Prize for Fiction in 2005. As Black, he created the pathologist Quirk, who operated in 1950s Dublin. The other three authors mentioned are also Irish winners of the Booker Prize.

Answer: Jonathan Latimer

Chicago native Jonathan Latimer (1906-1983) created William Crane in a series of five 1930s novels that effectively parodied what others were writing. Latimer also wrote big screen and TV movie screenplays.

Answer: Ruth Rendell

Born in 1930, Ruth Rendell created Inspector Wexford in 1964; he subsequently featured in a very successful British television series. He first appeared on the small screen in 1987, played by George Baker. Unlike other British fictional cops, Wexford had a satisfying family life.

Answer: Dashiell Hammett

Dashiell Hamnett showed that crime fiction could have as much merit as any other genre. Hamnett's best-loved character was Sam Spade, a man who really did not have a specific taste in women - he loved them all - and who was not afraid of taking shortcuts to achieve a result. For all his fame, Spade only appeared in one novel (and several short stories). That novel was, of course, 'The Maltese Falcon'. Who can forget Humphrey Bogart in the title role of the 1941 movie? Chandler was one of those influenced by Hammett. Apologies for the bad pun at the end of the question.

Answer: Walter Mosley

Walter Mosley, born in 1952, created the character Easy Rawlins, who appeared in 11 books between 1991 and 2007. In 1992, Bill Clinton declared Mosley was one of his favourite authors. In 1995 Denzel Washington starred as Easy Rawlins in 'Devil in a Blue Dress.'

Answer: Andrea Camilleri

Andrea Camilleri was born in 1925 and in 1994 created Detective Inspector Salvo Montalbano. Camilleri was a respected author but little known outside Italy before Montalbano. The character tackles many topical issues in Sicilian society. As the British newspaper 'The Guardian' noted: "...Montalbano mysteries shift effortlessly from the comic to the grotesque."

Answer: Patricia Highsmith

Patricia Highsmith 1921-1995 wrote about Tom Ripley in five books and some critics have described him as "chilly, scheming and repellent". Alfred Hitchcock filmed Highsmith's (non-Ripley) novel 'Strangers On A Train' (1951). Ripley appeared on screen in 1999 in 'The Talented Mr Ripley', which starred Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law. One reviewer in the 'Boston Globe' wrote of Highsmith: "Making no concessions to market forces-perhaps, like other highly individualist, idiosyncratic writers, she found herself unable to do so-she pursued a career unparalleled among contemporaries, baffling readers and critics, many of whom finally threw up their hands."

Answer: Mickey Spillane

Mickey Spillane was born in Brooklyn in 1918 and died in South Carolina in 2006. It's reckoned that his books sold in excess of 200 million worldwide [source www.thrillingdetective.com/trivia/spillane.html]. His best-known creation, Mike Hammer, first appeared in 'I, The Jury' in 1947 and this was followed by 12 more books over the next 50 years. 'I, The Jury' got the movie treatment twice, in 1953 and 1982.