Kentucky Muse Presents Mystery Mania

Many mystery buffs grew up reading the adventures of Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, and other teen sleuths. What was Nancy’s first case?

Here’s the plot summary: A large and very valuable Indian diamond is stolen. The suspects include three Hindu jugglers, for whom the diamond has religious significance, a young housemaid and ex-thief, and the owner herself. The book was written in 1868. What’s the book, and who’s the author?

This detective keeps a photograph of the beautiful Irene Adler, one of the few people ever to outwit him. Who is the detective?

Who is the author of the classic mysteries featuring Father Brown as the detective-hero?

What instrument did Sherlock Holmes play, and who is generally assumed to be his archenemy?

Miss Marple, Agatha Christie’s snooping amateur detective, has been played by a number of actresses, including Margaret Rutherford in the 1960s. One of Rutherford’s co-stars was also her husband. What character did he play?

Miss Marple is one of the detectives regularly featured on the PBS Masterpiece Mystery! series. Name the actress who currently plays the role.

Miss Marple is not the only detective regularly featured on Masterpiece Mystery! Let’s recall some of the other famous mystery writers/detective heroes who have been featured in that series. Which of the following pairs has not been featured on Masterpiece Mystery?

If you’re a Mystery! fan, you know Helen Mirren as DCI Jane Tennison in the Prime Suspect series. She’s won three Emmys as outstanding actress in this role. But did you know she was also nominated for an Oscar in another filmed mystery? Name the movie and the director.

Which of the following writers would not be accurately described as a master of the American hardboiled mystery?

Which of the following actors has never played Philip Marlowe, the detective in Raymond Chandler’s novels, in the movies?

Who is the “thin man” referred to in Dashiell Hammett’s novel The Thin Man?

Speaking of movies ... What detective did Denzel Washington portray in the 1995 film Devil in a Blue Dress?

Now name the writer of the mystery series on which Devil in a Blue Dress is based.

One author of more than 30 mystery novels has developed lead characters whose careers have been as varied as gem importer, glass blower, diplomat, architect, film director, television meteorologist, chef, and painter. However, they have all been united by their connection to one sport. Name the sport.

Now name the author referred to in question 15.

The feature film Heavenly Creatures is based on an actual crime committed by a popular mystery writer during the 1950s while she was in her teens. Who is she?

Name the crime for which Juliet Hulme was convicted.

The acclaimed recent feature film Children of Men is based on a book by which mystery writer?

This prolific writer is a fan favorite for her romantic novels set in the past and present. Under a pseudonym, she writes a mystery series set in the future. Who is she, and what is her pen name?

What city provides the last name of the police detective in a mystery series, and which two words appear in all of the book titles?

The novels in one detective series feature as book titles the names of British pubs. Name the author and the detective.

This is a two-part question: The police detectives and private investigators who populate mysteries all seem to have distinguishing characteristics. This particular detective is fat, unpolished, old-school, and politically incorrect. He is paired with his polar opposite. Name the detective and his creator.

Who is that fat, uncouth detective’s partner?

Police detectives and private investigators are often associated with particular places, and the setting plays a major role in the mystery. What detective would you find going to work each morning in Ystad, Sweden, and who is his creator?

This Navajo Tribal Police detective is studying to become a traditional healer. Who is he?

Here’s another two-part question: The Tin Roof Blowdown deals with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Even if you haven’t heard of the book, you can probably guess who wrote it. Take a stab at it from these choices:

What is the name of the detective in The Tin Roof Blowdown?

Strong female characters are now solving the mysteries once considered a man’s province. Which of the following women detectives works primarily in southern Arizona?

Questions 30-37 involve female characters who solve crimes but are not police detectives or private investigators. While some of these series might be considered “cozies”—mysteries with less graphically described violence and bloodshed—there’s nothing timid about these resourceful amateur sleuths. Connect the characters to their professions:

Melanie Travis