Crosshairs by James Patterson: 20-Question Quiz
Quiz Questions
1. (Plot) Multiple Choice: In the opening chapter, where is Adam Glossner when he is shot?
- A) Walking his dog in Central Park
- B) Standing on his third-floor balcony
- C) Reading in his home office
- D) Driving home from work
2. (Plot) Short Answer: What nickname does reporter Lois Frang coin for the serial sniper? Answer: _________________
3. (Plot) Multiple Choice: The investigation reveals that victim Thomas Bannon had a hidden criminal secret. What was it?
- A) Embezzlement
- B) Drug trafficking
- C) Downloading child pornography
- D) Armed robbery
4. (Plot) Short Answer: What piece of evidence first suggests that Rob Trilling could not have killed Thomas Bannon? Answer: _________________
5. (Plot) Multiple Choice: How do Bennett and the task force lure Darnell Nash into the open?
- A) A fake press conference
- B) A leaked memo about a corrupt cop cooperating
- C) A staged traffic stop
- D) A planted false tip to the media
6. (Plot) Short Answer: Who is ultimately revealed to be the Longshot Killer? Answer: _________________
7. (Plot) Multiple Choice: At the end of the novel, what personal news does Mary Catherine share with Michael Bennett?
- A) She has decided to become a teacher
- B) She has a positive pregnancy test
- C) She wants to move to Ireland
- D) She is writing a book about the case
8. (Plot) Short Answer: What illegal operation do Bennett and Trilling accidentally uncover in a Bronx warehouse? Answer: _________________
9. (Character Motivation) Short Answer: Why does Rob Trilling initially feel that his assignment to help Bennett is merely “babysitting”? Answer: _________________
10. (Character Motivation) Multiple Choice: Darnell Nash explains his motive for the killings. What drove him?
- A) An inheritance dispute
- B) Revenge for his combat injury
- C) A loss of purpose after the military; the killings gave him accomplishment
- D) A political protest against the NYPD
11. (Character Motivation) Short Answer: After the warehouse shootout, why does Bennett invite Trilling to a family dinner? Answer: _________________
12. (Character Motivation) Multiple Choice: Why does Wendy Robinson give a false alibi about being in a study group?
- A) To protect her abusive partner
- B) To hide her involvement in illegal bare-knuckle fights, which she uses to cope with PTSD
- C) Because she was the getaway driver in a robbery
- D) To cover up a drug addiction
13. (Character Motivation) Short Answer: What personal revenge does Trilling pursue against fugitive Lou Pershing? Answer: _________________
14. (Theme/Symbol) Multiple Choice: Bennett notes he is “not used to homicides like this” because the sniper kills from a distance. What theme does this contrast highlight?
- A) The randomness of urban violence
- B) The detachment of the killer versus the intimacy of typical murders
- C) The effectiveness of police technology
- D) The futility of investigating long-range shootings
15. (Theme/Symbol) Short Answer: Which victim’s family goes to extreme lengths, including physical intimidation, to hide the victim’s secret criminal past? Answer: _________________
16. (Theme/Symbol) Multiple Choice: What does the .308 casing planted in Trilling’s car symbolize within the story?
- A) The killer’s sloppiness
- B) The ease of framing an innocent person in a high-profile case
- C) The NYPD’s reliance on forensic evidence
- D) Trilling’s hidden guilt
17. (Theme/Symbol) Short Answer: The “Longshot Killer” nickname plays on both the sniper’s distance and the difficulty of catching him. How does Bennett’s investigation reflect that double meaning? Answer: _________________
18. (Synthesis) Short Answer: How does Trilling’s background as an Army Ranger coupled with his PTSD both help and hinder the investigation? Answer: _________________
19. (Synthesis) Short Answer: Contrast the Bennett family’s dynamic with the families of the sniper’s victims. What does the novel suggest about the personal cost of homicide cases for detectives? Answer: _________________
20. (Synthesis) Multiple Choice: At the climax, Darnell Nash’s prosthetic leg becomes a weapon that surprises Bennett. How does this detail connect to Nash’s motive?
- A) It symbolizes his rejection of medical treatment
- B) It represents his twisted reclamation of purpose through violence, forged from a wartime injury
- C) It proves he received inadequate care from the VA
- D) It shows his desire to return to military service
Answer Key
1. B – Adam Glossner is enjoying a brandy on his third-floor balcony when he is struck by a single bullet (Chapter 1).
2. The “Longshot Killer.” – Reporter Lois Frang coins the name, which is quickly adopted by the media and the NYPD (Chapter 3).
3. C – Analyst Neil Placky confirms to Bennett that Bannon was caught downloading child pornography, but the case was quietly settled (Chapter 71).
4. A credit‑card record showing Trilling stayed at a Holiday Inn in Albany during the week Bannon was shot. – Bennett finds a leave request and hotel receipt that place Trilling far from the crime scene (Chapters 83‑85).
5. B – The task force creates a fake memo about a corrupt cop who will cooperate, spreading it through analyst channels to bait the real sniper (Chapters 95‑96).
6. Darnell Nash. – A former military sniper and FBI analyst, Nash is unmasked as the Longshot Killer (Chapters 101‑102).
7. B – Mary Catherine shows Bennett a positive home pregnancy test, revealing the couple will have another child (Chapter 110).
8. A heroin‑packaging operation staffed by five trafficked women from Pakistan. – Trilling and Bennett discover the setup while searching for a suspect (Chapters 28‑30).
9. Trilling thinks the NYPD gifted him to Homicide as a low‑skills errand and dislikes the department’s indirect communication, which he contrasts with Army transparency (Chapter 9).
10. C – Nash confesses that his post‑Marine life felt empty; the killings gave him a mission and a sense of achievement (Chapter 107).
11. To show genuine gratitude after Trilling saved his life during the chaotic warehouse shootout, marking a turning point in their partnership (Chapters 29‑31).
12. B – Robinson lied to conceal that she was participating in an underground bare‑knuckle fight club as a way to manage her PTSD; she provides a gym alibi after Trilling verifies it (Chapter 49).
13. Pershing blinded his girlfriend Marisol; Trilling, haunted by domestic violence in his own childhood, is determined to capture him outside of official channels (Chapters 22, 73‑75).
14. B – Bennett’s observation underscores the killer’s emotional detachment, in contrast to the up‑close, often personal homicides he usually investigates (Chapter 4).
15. The Bannon family (Thomas Bannon’s widow Louise and her four brothers). – They physically confront the detectives to prevent them from uncovering Bannon’s child‑pornography secret (Chapters 35‑36).
16. B – The planted casing, wiped clean of prints and DNA, illustrates how easily circumstantial evidence can turn an innocent officer into a suspect, challenging the investigation’s assumptions (Chapter 89).
17. The case is a “long shot” for Bennett because he repeatedly hits dead ends—alibi fabrications, dead‑end tips, and a deliberately misdirected trail—before he uncovers the real killer, mirroring the sniper’s own distant precision.
18. Trilling’s Ranger training gives him unmatched sniper‑craft skills (identifying firing points, handling weapons) that advance the case, but his PTSD‑induced sleep disorder and tendency toward vigilante violence make him a suspect and strain his relationship with Bennett (Chapters 45, 52, 79).
19. The Bennetts’ chaotic yet loving home, including the announcement of a new baby, contrasts with the shattered, secrecy‑ridden families of the victims. The novel suggests that while detectives carry the weight of broken families, a strong support system is what keeps them whole.
20. B – Nash’s titanium prosthetic leg, which he uses as a weapon during the final fight, physically embodies his transformation from a wounded war hero into a vigilante seeking purpose through murder, tying his injury directly to his motive (Chapters 106‑107).