The Cat Who Caught the Canary Trivia Quiz

Answer: Hound

Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mystery "The Hound of the Baskervilles" first appeared in serial form in 1901-1902. Set in Dartmoor, the story involved Sherlock's investigation of the death of a titled gentleman. It has been adapted many times over for film, television, the stage, radio, and even a video game.

Answer: Falcon

Dashiell Hammett introduced his hard-boiled private detective Sam Spade in "The Maltese Falcon", which was first published in serial form in 1929. The story had all the elements of a classic mystery: a skeptical detective, a femme fatale, a few henchmen, a treasure, and a decoy, set in the intriguing city of San Francisco.

Answer: Bug

Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Gold-Bug" is full of adventure, including a treasure map, skeletons, and a secret code. Robert Louis Stevenson later reported that Poe's story influenced Stevenson's book "Treasure Island". Poe was born in Baltimore and worked very hard as a writer, barely making a living.

Answer: Lambs

When "The Silence of the Lambs" was published in 1988, it made a big impact as it layered complex characters with horrible crimes, past and present. The author, Thomas Harris, has released multiple books starring his famous antagonist, Hannibal Lecter.

Answer: Jackal

"The Day of the Jackal" was published in 1971 and was written by British writer Frederick Forsyth. An attempt to assassinate the French President Charles de Gaulle jumpstarted the complex story. The jackal in this story is a code name for an important character. Forsyth was a Royal Air Force pilot and a BBC journalist before turning to writing full time.

Answer: Crocodile

"Crocodile on the Sandbank", published in 1975, was Elizabeth Peters' first book in her Amelia Peabody series. In this novel, we are introduced to Peabody, who found herself suddenly wealthy and able to travel. She became an Egyptologist, and was fearless even when faced with a mummy. Peters was the pen name of Barbara Louise Mertz, an Illinois native who wrote dozens of books to great acclaim.

Answer: Magpie

"Magpie Murders: A Novel" was a commercial and critical success when it was published in 2016. With a mystery-within-a-mystery framework, the story was captivating from the start. Author Anthony Horowitz, who was born in Middlesex, is a prolific writer whose works have appeared on television, in film, and in graphic novel form.

A magpie is a bird with black and white plumage; magpies are reportedly very intelligent birds, not easily tricked.

Answer: Nightingale

"Shroud for a Nightingale" was written by P.D. James. It's the fourth book in the Chief Superintendent Adam Dalgliesh series, this one about the mysterious deaths of two student nurses. Scotland Yard sent Dalgliesh, who worked to uncover hidden secrets before winding up in hot water himself.

Answer: Beast

"Beast in View" by Margaret Millar won an Edgar Award after it was published in 1955. The story, which was about a woman being stalked by someone who knew too much about her, built suspense artfully. Born in Ontario, Millar was married for many years to Kenneth Millar, who was better known by his pen name, Ross Macdonald.

Answer: Mockingbird

The classic American literary novel "To Kill a Mockingbird", so often taught in classrooms, is at its core structure a mystery. Major players included an upstanding lawyer, a mysterious neighbor, and an innocent man. The mockingbird, a peaceful songbird, was an important symbol of innocence in Harper Lee's novel.