10 free Quintin Jardine Books trivia questions with answers — literature quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
Quintin Jardine's Bob Skinner series has captivated millions of readers worldwide with its gritty Edinburgh crime scenes and complex characters. You think you're a true fan? Let's see how many of these questions you can nail.
All 10 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Quintin Jardine was born in, and still supports the football club of, which Lanarkshire town?
Motherwell
Jardine began his working life as a trainee journalist on the Motherwell Times in 1964, long before his first novel appeared in 1993.
Q 02What was the title of Quintin Jardine's debut novel, published in 1993?
Skinner's Rules
Jardine only settled on writing as a career after that 1993 debut, having previously been a journalist, government press officer and media consultant.
Q 03Quintin Jardine's Bob Skinner novels are set mainly in which Scottish city?
Edinburgh
The Bob Skinner series is primarily set in Edinburgh, providing a distinct Scottish backdrop for the police investigations.
Q 04Quintin Jardine's second series hero, Oz Blackstone, is based in which city?
London
Blackstone's Pursuits opened the nine-book run in 1996; unlike the Skinner books, the series left Scotland for the capital.
Q 05Which 1996 novel introduced Oz, the hero of Quintin Jardine's second series?
Blackstone's Pursuits
Nine Oz books followed between 1996 and 2005, ending with For the Death of Me.
Q 06What was Oz Blackstone's profession when Quintin Jardine introduced him in 1996?
Private Investigator
Oz's cases later took him into the film world, and his ex-wife Primavera eventually got a five-book series of her own.
Q 07Author Quintin Jardine, born in 1945, hails from which country?
Scotland
Quintin Jardine is a Scottish author, born in Motherwell, Scotland, and many of his books are set in his home country.
Q 08Oz Blackstone's ex-wife features in her own spin-off series by Quintin Jardine. What is her first name?
Primavera
Her series began with Inhuman Remains in 2009 and ran to five books, well after Oz's own run had ended.
Q 09Before becoming a novelist, Quintin Jardine spent six years from 1980 as a press officer for which party?
The Conservatives
He later switched to the SNP over Scottish devolution and stood unsuccessfully in a 1999 East Lothian council election, before deciding that party was too left wing for him.
Q 10At the start of the series, what rank does Bob Skinner hold as head of the city's CID?
Detective Chief Superintendent
Skinner climbs steadily through the series and eventually reaches the very top of the force as chief constable.