80 Mystery Literature Trivia Questions with Answers
80 public questions with answers, drawn from the well. How many can you answer?
Mystery Literature trivia covers detective fiction, historical mysteries, police procedurals, private investigators, cozy crime, and long-running literary series. Questions range from Agatha Christie’s Belgian detective to modern investigators such as Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache, along with authors, pseudonyms, fictional partners, and series titles.
You may identify Still Life as the first Inspector Gamache novel, connect Ed McBain with the 87th Precinct, or name the writer behind the Cadfael, Henry Rios, Kathy Mallory, and Mary Russell series. This collection suits book clubs, library events, classroom discussions, literary game nights, and pub quizzes. It rewards both broad reading knowledge and familiarity with mystery-fiction history.
Which American author created the detective Charlie Chan?
Answer
Earl Derr Biggers
Which author wrote the 'Cadfael' series of historical mysteries?
Answer
Ellis Peters
What is the name of Agatha Christie's famous Belgian detective?
Answer
Hercule Poirot
Which author wrote the 'Henry Rios' series?
Answer
Michael Nava
Which author wrote the 'Kathy Mallory' series?
Answer
Carol O'Connell
Which author wrote the 'Mary Russell' series?
Answer
Laurie R. King
Which author wrote the 'Phryne Fisher' series?
Answer
Kerry Greenwood
Which author wrote the 'Ruth Galloway' series?
Answer
Elly Griffiths
Which author wrote the 'Slough House' series?
Answer
Mick Herron
Which author wrote the 'Flavia de Luce' series?
Answer
Alan Bradley
What is the name of the first 'Lord Peter Wimsey' novel?
Answer
Whose Body?
Which author wrote the 'Temperance Brennan' series?
Answer
Kathy Reichs
Which author wrote the 'Stephanie Plum' series?
Answer
Janet Evanovich
Which author wrote the 'Jack Reacher' series?
Answer
Lee Child
Which author wrote the 'Harry Bosch' series?
Answer
Michael Connelly
Who wrote the 'Gervase Fen' series of mystery novels?
Answer
Edmund Crispin
What is the name of the first 'Matthew Shardlake' novel?
Answer
Dissolution
Which author wrote the 'Mrs. Pollifax' series?
Answer
Dorothy Gilman
Which novel by Dashiell Hammett introduced Sam Spade?
Answer
The Maltese Falcon
Which mystery writer used the pseudonym 'Mary Westmacott'?
Answer
Agatha Christie
Which author created the detective Mike Hammer?
Answer
Mickey Spillane
What is the name of the detective in Ngaio Marsh's novels?
Answer
Roderick Alleyn
Which author created the detective Sam Spade?
Answer
Dashiell Hammett
What is the name of the detective in Rex Stout's 'Nero Wolfe' series?
Answer
Nero Wolfe
Who is the author of the 'Kinsey Millhone' alphabet series?
Answer
Sue Grafton
Which author wrote the 'Perry Mason' series?
Answer
Erle Stanley Gardner
Which author created the detective Father Brown?
Answer
G.K. Chesterton
Who wrote the first Sherlock Holmes novel, 'A Study in Scarlet'?
Answer
Arthur Conan Doyle
Which author created the detective known as the Continental Op?
Answer
Dashiell Hammett
What is the name of the first novel in the 'Spenser' series by Robert B. Parker?
Answer
The Godwulf Manuscript
Which Japanese author wrote 'The Tokyo Zodiac Murders'?
Answer
Soji Shimada
What is the pseudonym used by J.K. Rowling for the Cormoran Strike series?
Answer
Robert Galbraith
Which author wrote 'The Westing Game'?
Answer
Ellen Raskin
Which author wrote 'The Daughter of Time'?
Answer
Josephine Tey
What is the name of the detective in the 'Inspector Rebus' series?
Answer
John Rebus
Which author wrote 'The Long Goodbye'?
Answer
Raymond Chandler
Which author created the 'Kurt Wallander' series?
Answer
Henning Mankell
Which novel by Edgar Allan Poe is considered the first detective story?
Answer
The Murders in the Rue Morgue
Which author wrote 'The Thin Man'?
Answer
Dashiell Hammett
Which author wrote 'The Thursday Murder Club'?
Answer
Richard Osman
Which author created the character Harry Hole?
Answer
Jo Nesbø
Which author wrote 'Death on the Nile'?
Answer
Agatha Christie
Which author created the detective C. Auguste Dupin?
Answer
Edgar Allan Poe
Which author created the 'Judge Dee' series?
Answer
Robert van Gulik
Mystery Literature trivia — quick answers
What are good Mystery Literature trivia questions?
Good Mystery Literature trivia questions focus on detectives, authors, fictional settings, series titles, pseudonyms, historical periods, and recurring side characters. Examples include naming Hercule Poirot, identifying Still Life as Louise Penny’s first Gamache novel, linking Ed McBain to the 87th Precinct, and recognizing Ellis Peters as the author of the Cadfael books.
How hard is Mystery Literature trivia?
Mystery Literature trivia is often moderate to difficult because it covers many authors, eras, subgenres, and detective series. Famous characters such as Hercule Poirot are approachable, but questions about pseudonyms, lesser-known protagonists, historical mysteries, and series openings usually favor regular readers or dedicated literary-quiz players.
What is the first Inspector Gamache novel?
Still Life is the first novel in Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache series. Published in 2005, it introduces Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec as he investigates a murder in the small village of Three Pines. The book established the series’ blend of character study, atmosphere, and carefully developed clues.
Who created the detective Charlie Chan?
American author Earl Derr Biggers created Charlie Chan, a fictional Honolulu police detective. Biggers introduced the character in the 1925 novel The House Without a Key. Charlie Chan became one of the best-known detective figures in early twentieth-century popular fiction and later appeared in films, radio programs, and other adaptations.
Which author wrote the Cadfael mystery series?
Ellis Peters wrote the Cadfael mystery series, which follows Brother Cadfael, a Benedictine monk and herbalist in twelfth-century England. The novels combine historical detail with murder investigations at Shrewsbury Abbey. The first book, A Morbid Taste for Bones, was published in 1977.