1. Which novel opens with the line: "Amergo Bonasera sat in New York Criminal Court No 3 and waited for justice; vengeance on the men who had so cruelly hurt his daughter, who had tried to dishonour her"

   1. American Pastoral by Philip Roth

   2. The Godfather by Mario Puzo

   3. Gangster by Lorenzo Carcaterra

   4. The Firm by John Grisham

2. Subtitled the The Malefactors' Bloody Register, which book of crimes and misdemeanours was among the top three most likely to be found in 18th and 19th century households?

   1. The Newgate Calendar

   2. Moll Flanders

   3. The Ballad of Reading Gaol

   4. The Executioner’s Handbook

3. What is the name of the Bill Sikes’s dog in Oliver Twist?

   1. Bruce

   2. Dodger

   3. Bull's-eye

   4. Gobstopper

4. Killing Them Softly, the recent mob film starring Brad Pitt, is based on which George V Higgins novel?

   1. Cogan’s Trade

   2. The Friends of Eddie Coyle

   3. The Rat on Fire

   4. Outlaws

5. In Billy Bathgate by EL Doctorow, where is Billy sent to keep an eye on Drew?

   1. Lake Tahoe

   2. Palm Springs

   3. Saranac Lake

   4. Saratoga Springs

6. In Graham Greene’s Brighton Rock, who is Pinkie’s second in command?

   1. Rose

   2. Cubitt

   3. Dallow

   4. Spicer

7. In the graphic novel A History of Violence by John Wagner and Vince Locke, what is Tom missing?

   1. His mother

   2. A finger

   3. A thousand dollars

   4. His voice

8. Bonnie Parker wrote The Story of Bonnie and Clyde and gave it to her mother before her death. Which infamous outlaw does she refer to in the poem’s first line?

   1. Dick Turpin

   2. John Dillinger

   3. Jesse James

   4. Ned Kelly

9. What is the name of the gangster at the heart of Javier Cercas's Outlaws?

   1. El Matador

   2. El Zarco

   3. El Pistola

   4. El Zapato

10. In Peter Carey’s Booker prize-winning True History of the Kelly Gang, for what crime is Ned Kelly arrested and sentenced to three years in prison?

    1. Receiving a stolen horse

    2. A bar fight with a policeman

    3. Trading with counterfeit money

    4. Smuggling whisky

Solutions

1:B, 2:A, 3:C, 4:A, 5:D, 6:C, 7:B, 8:C, 9:B, 10:A

Scores

1. 0 and above.

   Oh dear. I'd keep on the right side of the law from now on ...

2. 1 and above.

   Oh dear. I'd keep on the right side of the law from now on ...

3. 2 and above.

   Oh dear. I'd keep on the right side of the law from now on ...

4. 3 and above.

   Oh dear. I'd keep on the right side of the law from now on ...

5. 4 and above.

   Reasonable, but you're not quite ready for the inner-circle ...

6. 5 and above.

   Reasonable, but you're not quite ready for the inner-circle ...

7. 6 and above.

   Reasonable, but you're not quite ready for the inner-circle ...

8. 7 and above.

   Blimey! Wouldn't want to meet you down a dark alley.

9. 8 and above.

   Blimey! Wouldn't want to meet you down a dark alley.

10. 9 and above.

    Blimey! Wouldn't want to meet you down a dark alley.

11. 10 and above.

    Blimey! Wouldn't want to meet you down a dark alley.