Crime Novel Quiz
July 7, 2026

Page Turners: Literary Quiz 4.


Author:  John Purcell

Why do so many decent, law abiding people love to read about murder? (That's not a quiz question. It's just something that keeps me up at night.)

1. Dervla McTiernan's bestselling Cormac Reilly crime series is largely set in rainy Galway, Ireland, but Three Reasons for Revenge, her latest thriller is set somewhere different (yet equally miserable). Where is it set?

Rain

2. Treasure & Dirt is a new Australian drama series screening on ABC Television. It's based on a crime novel. Who wrote it?

Treasure and Dirt

3. Matthew Reilly launched a new crime series last year with his unputdownable thrill ride The Detective. This year The Detective returns in book two, King's Ransom (it's awesome). What's The Detective's name?

Matthew Reilly

4. Mad Mabel is a stunning novel that hasn't been out of the bestseller charts since it was released last year. Who wrote it?

Mad Mabel

5. Last count James Patterson has published over eleventy million books. He is most famous as the creator of Alex Cross and this year sees the publication of The Family Cross, the thirty-sixth novel in the series. Which was the first?

James Patterson

6. Andrew Grant wrote seven thrillers before teaming up with his brother to write The Sentinel, Better off Dead, No Plan B, The Secret, In Too Deep, Exit Strategy and the upcoming Chain Reaction. What is his brother's name? 

Thriller Writer

7. Before turning to a life of crime with the phenomenally successful The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman was the co-presenter of a television quiz show co-hosted by Alexander Armstrong. Do you know what it is called?

Co-Hosts

8. In April, crime writing legend Patricia Cornwell released her memoir. What did she call it?

A Memoir

9. Freida McFadden, author of the worldwide smash hit, The Housemaid, recently revealed that her real name is Sara Cohen. What was her day job before she became a full-time writer?

Freida McFadden

10. Agatha Christie is famous for creating Miss Marple and Hercule Poirot, while Sherlock Holmes is the brainchild of Arthur Conan Doyle. Which famous sleuth did Georges Simenon create?

Night Scene

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John Purcell

John Purcell

John Purcell is Head of Books Australia at The Nile, and also the bestselling author of The Girl on the Page and The Lessons. As ‘Natasha Walker’, he penned the phenomenally successful The Secret Lives of Emma series. His work has been published to acclaim internationally, and he has appeared on TV and radio, and in national newspapers and magazines. His new novel, The Amateur's Guide to Killing Bad Guys, will be published in 2027.

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