20) He visited more than thirty countries including France, North America, the Netherlands, Turkey, and the Soviet Union.
21) He wrote this story aboard his sailboat.
22) Simenon’s first son was born in 1939. His name was Marc.
23) He married his second wife, Denyse, in 1950.
24) They had three children: two sons and a daughter called Marie-Jo.
25) He got annoyed with her outrageous behavior and idle way of life.
26) His total literary output consisted of more than 400 books.
27) He was capable of writing up to 60–70 pages a day.
28) Among Simenon’s most popular works are The Venice Train, Dirty Snow, The Strangers in the House, The Madman of Bergerac, Maigret and the Hundred Gibbets, and many others.
29) Georges Simenon died in his sleep of natural causes on the night of 4 September, 1989.
30) I watched the Maigret series starring Rowan Atkinson. In 2022 I also watched а crime drama Maigret and the Mysterious Girl starring Gérard Depardieu.
Exercise 2
heartbroken; countless interviews; like a bolt out of the blue; to accuse him of all deadly sins; their family relationship didn’t work out; to be engaged in upbringing; to rest in peace and quiet; to observe strict silence; to scorn meanness and inhumanity; to impose one’s way of living on the whole family; to provide for the family; to look into the deepest corners of his soul; to sympathise with ordinary people; working-class people; a life partner; to get down to work; to organise his working place; to prove his worth to his mother; to escape the harsh reality of life; there is a feeling of grief and hopelessness
Exercise 3
справиться с болью потери; глубоко в душе; впадать в меланхолию; наслаждаться прохладой свежего соленого воздуха; роман развивался бурно; бросить учебу в колледже; зарабатывать на жизнь; из-за частых переездов; быть отвергнутым; разговор по душам; создавать реалистичных персонажей; делать всё по-своему; вести домашнее хозяйство; на рассвете; брачный договор; выставлять кого-либо в плохом свете; быть недоступным; похоже на правду; за закрытыми дверями; принадлежать высшему обществу; любимый ребенок; пришла беда – отворяй ворота; убитый горем от потери
Exercise 4
1 c; 2 e; 3 g; 4 a; 5 b; 6 j; 7 f; 8 d; 9 h; 10 i
DETECTIVE RIDDLE No. 4
1) Gregory couldn’t possibly be the criminal because he had no motive. Besides, Gregory had an alibi: he was around Emily all the time.
2) Alex also had an alibi. He spent an hour discussing his project with Mr. Green (from 8 a.m. till around 9 a.m.).
3) Elizabeth could be a witness to the crime. When Ms. Smith asked her to find Diana, she could have caught her red-handed. Diana could have threatened Elizabeth. This explains why she was so scared and even withdrew her candidacy from the competition, and why Diana avoided eye-contact with Elizabeth.
4) Diana was the criminal. She had no alibi but had a motive. She wanted to win the competition so badly that she was ready to do anything. It’s evident that she didn’t help Ms. Smith because Elisabeth was looking for her everywhere. Diana didn’t greet Elizabeth because she might have seen her before. Besides, Emily was her main rival because her painting was very realistic and detailed.
Wilkie Collins
Exercise 1
1) Wilkie Collins was born on January 8, 1824, in a prestigious Marylebone area of London.
2) His father’s name was William, and his mother’s name was Harriet.
3) His father was a well-known landscape artist and a member of the Royal Academy.
4) His father was uniformly kind and considerate to his children.
5) Collins’ mother came from an artistic family: her sister was a successful portrait painter. However, she was brought in genteel poverty.
6) Their home was always filled with love, care, and joy.
7) He was called William after his father and his godfather – the Scottish painter David Wilkie.
8) Collins had а younger brother, Charles. They remained close throughout their lives.
9) Because he was bullied at school. His roommate would wake him up in the middle of the night, and Collins had to tell stories to help him sleep.
10) He lived in Italy and France. As for the benefits, Collins became fluent in two foreign languages: French and Italian. Besides, this experience helped him to understand the meaning of life, to improve as a person, and to find his true vocation. In addition, he got acquainted with the culture, history, and art of different countries.
11) Initially, Collins was home-schooled. After that, he went to a private boarding school. In 1846, at his father’s insistence, he became a law student at Lincoln’s Inn. Following graduation, Collins was called to the bar though he never practiced law hereafter.
12) His debut novel was called Ioláni; Or, Tahíti as It Was. The book was first published posthumously in 1999.
13) Collins decided to put aside the novel because of his father’s death. Instead, he wrote a biography of his father.
14) Collins lived a Bohemian lifestyle, and his circle of friends included prominent figures of the day.
15) His lifelong friend was Charles Dickens. They bonded over love for theater and co-wrote several short stories and plays. Besides, both of them performed in amateur play productions. What’s more, they often traveled together.
16) Collins never married but had a relationship with two women. He was against the institution of marriage.
17) Collins had three biological children and a stepdaughter.
18) He met his first lady friend under mysterious circumstances. In one version, he saved her from a pursuer and gave her home. According to other sources, Collins probably met this woman in a small shop near his house.
19) Because Caroline lied about her age and distorted some facts of her biography.
20) Caroline married another man because Collins was against the institution of marriage.
21) Because he was deeply affected by the death of his best friend Charles Dickens and became almost blind.
22) Wilkie Collins died from a stroke in London on September 23, 1889. Every step of the way, his “muse” Caroline was by his side.
23) According to Collins’ last will, his inheritance was divided into equal parts among the two women and their children. He wanted his inheritance to go to his closest relatives rather than to fall into the wrong hands of their wives or husbands.
24) Collins’ daughter Harriet became a victim of a cheat. Her husband, Henry Bartley, a trustee of Wilkie Collins’s estate, fraudulently took possession of her money.
25) The most famous works of Collins are The Moonstone and The Woman in White.
26) I’ve read The Woman in White. It kept me intrigued from start to end. This book is a real page-turner!
27) Well, I immediately think of Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Edgar Allan Poe. A modern writer I would recommend is Donato Carrisi.
Exercise 2
a paternal grandmother; every cloud has a silver lining; contrary to the expectations; a piercing scream; to be uniformly kind and considerate to children; over time; at his father’s insistence; to enjoy the spectacular scenery; a marriage of love; to gain recognition within the literary circles; to settle in France; prominent figures of the day; no correspondence survived; social events; to lead a secluded lifestyle; to become а victim of a cheat
Exercise 3
завладеть деньгами; ближайшие родственники; присутствовать на свадебной церемонии; храбрый рыцарь; иметь терапевтический (лечебный) эффект; вспоминать самые счастливые моменты жизни; понять смысл жизни; составить завещание; частый гость; расплатиться с многочисленными долгами; преданная мать и жена; неисчерпаемый сочинитель; дама сердца; происхождение и личность; иметь свое собственное представление; избранница; быть рядом с кем-то; заблаговременно; предусмотрительный (осторожный) по природе
Exercise 4
1 j; 2 a; 3 h; 4 b; 5 c; 6 d; 7 e; 8 g; 9 i; 10 f
DETECTIVE RIDDLE No. 5
1) Mrs. Green couldn’t possibly be the burglar because at the time of the crime she was making a festive dinner. However, she could have suspected someone because her face turned all red from shame or anger.
2) Tom couldn’t possibly be the burglar because he had a broken leg.
3) Brian was the burglar. As it was mentioned, the events took place in winter. So, we have the evidence: Brian’s cheeks were red from cold. It means that he clearly lied about his exam preparation. It seemed that he had just got home.
4) Kurt couldn’t possibly be the burglar because he looked sleepy and had worked the night shift.
Mary Roberts Rinehart
Exercise 1
1) Mary Roberts Rinehart was born on August 12, 1876, near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
2) Her maiden name was Mary Ella Roberts.
3) Her father’s name was Thomas, and her mother’s name was Cornelia.
4) Rinehart family lived modestly because Mary’s father was an unsuccessful inventor and couldn’t provide a better life for his kids.
5) They moved to their own house when her younger sister was born.
6) She chose a creative path and became an author of children’s books and a columnist.
7) She graduated from the Pittsburgh Training School for Nurses.
8) Mary met her husband in college. His name was Stanley Marshall Rinehart.
9) Mary’s husband was a homeopathic doctor.
10) She wrote her first stories when she was about fifteen.
11) The couple had three sons. According to some sources, they also had a daughter, but nothing is known about her except her name.
12) After the stock market crash in 1903, Mary and Stanley lost their savings. So, she decided to support her husband and to contribute to the family budget.