Which of the following statements about the authors of the novels "Missile Gap", "Bird Box" and "The City and the City" are correct? 1. The author of the novel "Missile Gap" is Charles Stross. 2. The author of the novel "Bird Box" is Victor LaValle. 3. The author of the novel "The City and the City" is China Miéville.

Introduction / Context:
This question focuses on authorship of modern speculative and horror fiction. It lists three statements about who wrote the novels "Missile Gap", "Bird Box" and "The City and the City" and asks which statements are correct. Such questions test careful reading and precise factual knowledge of book and author pairings.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• Statement 1 links "Missile Gap" with Charles Stross.
• Statement 2 links "Bird Box" with Victor LaValle.
• Statement 3 links "The City and the City" with China Miéville.
• You must determine which statements match reality.

Concept / Approach:
The correct authors are:

• "Missile Gap" is a novella by Charles Stross.
• "Bird Box" is a horror novel by Josh Malerman.
• "The City and the City" is a novel by China Miéville.

After recalling or verifying these authors, you can evaluate each statement one by one and decide which combinations are correct.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Evaluate statement 1. "Missile Gap" is indeed written by Charles Stross, so statement 1 is true. Step 2: Evaluate statement 2. "Bird Box" is written by Josh Malerman, not Victor LaValle, so statement 2 is false. Step 3: Evaluate statement 3. "The City and the City" is a well known novel by China Miéville, so statement 3 is true. Step 4: Summarise the truth values: statement 1 is true, statement 2 is false, statement 3 is true. Step 5: Check the answer choices to find which option includes statements 1 and 3, but not 2. Step 6: Option c states "1 and 3 only", which matches the analysis, so option c is the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can cross check with reliable sources: listings of Charles Stross's works include "Missile Gap", Josh Malerman is always named as the author of "Bird Box", and China Miéville is consistently credited for "The City and the City". Consulting these independent references helps ensure that your memory is correct for exam questions.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option a ("1 and 2 only") incorrectly treats statement 2 as true. Option b ("2 and 3 only") excludes statement 1 and also wrongly includes statement 2. Option d ("1, 2 and 3") assumes all three statements are correct, which is not the case. Option e ("1 only") ignores the fact that statement 3 is also correct. Therefore, only "1 and 3 only" fits the correct pattern of truth values.

Common Pitfalls:
A frequent mistake is to be unfamiliar with newer speculative fiction authors like Josh Malerman and to guess that a recognised horror or dark fiction author such as Victor LaValle wrote "Bird Box". Another pitfall is to rush through the question and not carefully evaluate each statement separately. For such multi statement questions, always treat each numbered statement as a separate true or false claim before looking at the combinations in the options.

Final Answer:
Statements 1 and 3 are correct, while statement 2 is incorrect.