1. In John Buchan's classic thriller The Thirty-Nine Steps, Richard Hannay is watched by German spies after learning about a plot to assassinate the Greek Premier. What does he disguise himself as to leave his safe home in London?

   1. A postman

   2. An old woman

   3. A milkman

   4. A German spy

2. Harrison Sherpherd works as the secretary of a famous, assassinated individual in Barbara Kingsolver's The Lacuna. Who is it?

   1. Leon Trotsky

   2. John F Kennedy

   3. John Lennon

   4. Abraham Lincoln

3. Alan Moore's graphic novel V for Vendetta follows the anarchist assassin V as he takes on the fascist ruling class in a dystopian Britain. What mask does he wear?

   1. A gas mask

   2. A Guy Fawkes mask

   3. A Zorro-style eye mask

   4. A Mickey Mouse mask

4. The Godfather by Mario Puzo follows the murderous activities of the Mafia family Corleone. What does the last name Corleone mean in Italian?

   1. Bravery

   2. Eagle-eye

   3. Lionheart

   4. Soldier

5. HhHh by Laurent Binet is a fictionalised account of the assassination of Nazi SS officer Reinhard Heydrich in 1942. Who described Heydrich as "the man with the iron heart" in real life?

   1. Adolf Hitler

   2. Winston Churchill

   3. Joseph Stalin

   4. Heinrich Himmler

6. The assassin in The Manchurian Candidate by Richard Condon is a sleeper agent. What symbol is used to activate his subconscious?

   1. A yellow casino chip

   2. The DIsney logo

   3. A Queen of Diamonds playing card

   4. A yin and yang symbol

7. The eponymous quiet American in Graham Greene's novel is working for which intelligence agency?

   1. FBI

   2. MI6

   3. MI5

   4. CIA

8. I, Claudius by Robert Graves is a fictionalised biography of the Roman Emperor Claudius. Which assassinated Roman Emperor did Claudius succeed?

   1. Caesar

   2. Octavian

   3. Nero

   4. Caligula

9. Which of the brothers in The Brothers Karamazov suffers character assassination when he is found guilty for a crime he did not commit?

   1. Pavel

   2. Dmitri

   3. Ivan

   4. Alexei

10. How many people did James Bond have to assassinate to earn his 00 status – his licence to kill – in Ian Fleming's novels?

    1. One

    2. Two

    3. Three

    4. Four

Solutions

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

Scores

1. 0 and above.

   Are you dead? Better try again.

2. 6 and above.

   Like Caesar's time as Emperor, this is not bad but not great either. Have another go!

3. 10 and above.

   Well, you sure know a lot about assassinations. It's a bit suspicious, actually... Et tu, Brute?