Saturday, March 7, 2009

Women of Mystery Quiz

by Darlene Ryan

Can you name the authors? These 16 women were chosen for no other reason than I like their books. Everyone who comments, no matter how well or how badly you do on the quiz, will have a chance to win the mystery anthology, Dangerous Women, edited by Otto Penzler. If tests give you a headache then just say "Hello" in comments. That will enter you in the draw as well. Good luck. Come back for the answers and the winner's name Sunday evening. We got out the lucky Law & Order hat and the winner is Iasa. Iasa send your snail mail address to darlene at darleneryan dot com and I'll get your book in the mail to you. Thanks everyone for trying our quiz. The answers are below.

1. Her alphabetized series is up to the letter T. Sue Grafton

2. This Edgar award-winning author wrote a series featuring journalist Molly Cates. Mary Willis Walker

3. This mother-daughter team combined their names to create their pseudonym. They are the authors of the Monkeewrench mysteries. PJ Tracy

4. This grand dame of mystery writers created Mr. Parker Pyne, detective, but is better known for her other two sleuths--one male and one female. Agatha Christie

5. Her red-headed sleuth is a former cop turned detective who also drives a cab on the side, acts a "big sister" to a drug lord's daughter and has a mobster boyfriend. Linda Barnes

6. This "diva" author, a past guest of the Deadly Daughters, named the cat in her series after her own cat, Mochie. Krista Davis

7. Her amateur sleuth, Tricia Miles, is the owner of a bookstore-Haven't Got a Clue--in the Bookstown mystery series. Under one of her two aliases she also writes the Jeff Resnick psychological suspense series. Lorna Barrett

8. This Agatha-award winner is one of the Deadly Daughters. Our own Sandra Parshall. (You all knew that, didn't you?)

9. Both her husband, Jonathan and her son, Jesse are writers. Faye Kellerman

10. When her on-going series began in 1977 her main character was an investigator for All Souls Legal Co-operative. Now the character runs her own investigative firm. Marcia Muller

11. She won the Anthony, the Edgar, the Agatha and the MacAvity awards for the first in her series about a Colleton County judge Margaret Maron

12. Her best-selling mystery series, set in Boston, features two female protagonists--one a police detective and the other a medical examiner. Tess Gerrittsen

13. This author is up to 14 in her numbered series about a Jersey bounty hunter. Janet Evanovich

14. Her sleuth's first name is Victoria but most people call her V.I. Sara Paretsky

15. This writer's characters include a witch, a pixie and a vampire whose company is called Vampiric Charms. The book titles are all parodies of Clint Eastwood movies Kim Harrison

16. She writes about the all female law firm of Rosato and Associates. Lisa Scottoline

So? How did you do?

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Knew all but 6, 7, 8 and maybe 15, maybe not, vampires not being my characters of choice. When can we find the answers to the unknowns?

McKoala said...

Too embarassing. I only know a handful of these. So...hello!

Anonymous said...

I know number 1 and number 8. I think I better hit the library this weekend.

Sofie Kelly said...

Good for you, Kathy. You too, Lori. (And hello, McKoala!) Check back here on Sunday evening for the answers.

Elizabeth Zelvin said...

I got 12--8 or 9 of whom I know personally. :)

Elizabeth Zelvin said...

I did a re-count, and I overestimated. I know four personally, have seen a couple more f2f, and feel as if I know the characters of the rest.

iasa said...

I knew more than I thought I would. I guessed at 9, 10, and 12. I have no clue about 15 and 16 but I'm intrigued by 15. I'm going to have to rent one from the library as soon as I find the answer on Sunday.

Anonymous said...

I got 13 out of 16, but one of those is a guess, as I don't follow the vampire genre. When will we know the ones we didn't get?

Kathy D.

Anonymous said...

I got all the even numbered ones for some reason. But I'm intrigued by the ones I didn't know.

Auntie Knickers said...

I knew 1,3,4,9,10,11,12,13,14 and 16. I remember the character's name in #5 (I think!) but not the author, and I'm not sure about 8. (All the Deadly Daughters are deserving of awards!)

Anonymous said...

I got nine right. I need to get back to that TBR pile! I look forward to seeing the answers tomorrow....

Anonymous said...

Got all but two in that senior moments way I've been getting things lately. This was a great quiz. Now I'm off to Amazon and track down the two I don't even vaguely remember.

Anonymous said...

I know five, #1, 4, 6, 7, & 13. That's not too good, is it? (But I have #6 & 7, already read and 2nd in series for #7 on my TBR pile.)

Norma H.

Sandra Parshall said...

I know all but #15.

Edith Maxwell said...

I got 8 of them from many years of reading only women mystery authors but also being way behind on my to-read list. Fun topic!

Edith Maxwell

Sara Berger said...

I got 6 of them. 1,4,5,9,13,14

Sandra Parshall said...

Doesn't anybody know who #8 is? I'm starting to develop a serious case of wounded pride here. :-)

Anonymous said...

I am new to this website and don't know of the contributors' books. But Sandra Parshall, not to worry. I read your website and the review of "Disturbing the Dead." It looks fascinating and I bookmarked and will get it from the NYPL as soon as it's available.

Kathy D.