Try Your Poison, Lady Trivia Quiz

Answer: The Mysterious Affair at Styles

The first published book for Agatha Christie was "The Mysterious Affair at Styles", featuring Hercule Poirot as the detective who solves the mystery. The poison in the novel was strychnine.

Strychnine is toxic and used primarily as a poison for rodents and birds. It is a popular poison for use in murder mysteries as it is colourless, odourless and can kill someone by being swallowed, inhaled or absorbed.

Answer: Sparkling Cyanide

"Sparkling Cyanide" developed from the short story "Yellow Iris". Rosemary Barton was dining with seven people when she suddenly collapsed and died. She was poisoned by cyanide and the coroner ruled that it was suicide. Rosemary's husband George does not believe it was suicide and organises a repeat dinner, the same restaurant, the same guests and an actress lookalike of Rosemary. The ruse of finding the murderer did not work, as George was killed instead.

Cyanide poisoning affects the heart, respiratory and central nervous systems. When poisoned with cyanide, cells are prevented from receiving oxygen and therefore die. Cyanide is naturally found in the pips of fruits such as apricots, apples and peaches, as well as in almonds and lima beans.

Answer: 4.50 from Paddington

"4.50 from Paddington" has the murder witnessed by Mrs McGillicuddy, a passenger on the Paddington line, of a woman on a passing train. The scene seen through the window is a man standing over a woman and strangling her. No one believed Mrs McGillicuddy except, of course, her friend Jane Marple. The usual twisted plot includes the poisoning of the cocktails and the curry by Dr Quimper to eliminate anyone that stood in his way.

Arsenic poisoning results in vomiting, pain and diarrhea, which happen when a person ingests dangerous levels of it. Arsenic is a natural semi-metallic chemical that is found all over the world in groundwater. Rat poison is the most common product that contains arsenic.

Answer: The Pale Horse

The book and the movie differ. The book relates the story through Ariadne Oliver, whereas the movie has the detective as Miss Marple. "The Pale Horse" is an inn in Much Deeping, Hampshire. The mystery relates to the murder of people on a list. The inclusion of witches and black magic is the red herring to the real reasons for the murders.

The murders were undertaken by the use of thallium. Thallium is colourless, odourless and tasteless, and very toxic. Thallium makes an excellent poison for a murder mystery.

Answer: A Pocketful of Rye

Miss Marple is the sleuth that solves the mystery of "A Pocketful of Rye". Rex Fortescue dies after drinking his morning tea, and he is discovered with a pocket full of rye. The title and the plot of the movie mirror the children's rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence".

The poison taxine was used in this novel. Taxine is obtained from the yew tree/plant. Yew trees in Celtic mythology symbolise death and resurrection, from the ability of old trees to plant branches to become new trees.

Answer: Five Little Pigs

"Five Little Pigs" was originally released as the novel "Murder in Retrospect". The summary of the book relates to a daughter who requests Poirot to re-open the case of her mother, who was executed 14 years earlier, for the murder of her father. The poison, coniine, was found in a glass of beer that he consumed.

Coniine is found in plants such as hemlock and, when taken, it affects the nerves causing paralysis and asphyxia.

Answer: Cards on the Table

"Cards on the Table" featured Mr Shaitana holding an event for eight people, who appear to be four detectives and four possible murderers. Of course, a murder occurs, with Mr Shaitana being the first victim.

The murder was perpetrated through the use of the deadly bacterial substance Bacillus anthracis, which produces anthrax.

Answer: Dumb Witness

The "Dumb Witness" was a dog, Bob, who Poirot enlists to solve the murder of Emily Arundell. The murderer makes an elaborate plan to point the blame on Emily's dog, Bob, making it seem that she fell because of the dog's ball. Injured but not dead, Emily is then poisoned by tablets laced with phosphorus.

Too much phosphorus will cause liver failure.

Answer: The Caribbean Mystery

"The Caribbean Mystery" has Miss Marple on vacation chatting to Major Geoffrey Palgrave, who states that he knows one of the other guests is a murderer. Quickly changing his story, the Major goes to bed. Unfortunately, the Major is murdered. The murder mystery goes on from there. The murderer uses belladonna, a poisonous plant to murder the Major.

Belladonna means beautiful lady and is a plant of the deadly nightshade family. Both the leaves and its berries are toxic and make a great poison for a murder mystery.

Answer: Sad Cypress

"Sad Cypress" is a story of jealousy and murder, when Elinor Carlisle is dumped by her fiance Roddy Winter for Mary Gerrard. The murder happens when Mary is found murdered by being poisoned by morphine, supposedly in the sandwiches, made by Elinor. Poirot, of course, saves the day and proves that Elinor did not do it.

Morphine is a pain medication that can be fatal when overdosed.