Hecuba

Euripides wrote Hecuba around 425 B.C., his first anti-war drama, which depicts the plight of Hecuba, the queen of Troy, after the city was destroyed and she was taken captive. While she is a prisoner of Agamemnon, encamped on the shores of Thrace, she has to endure the sacrifice of her daughter, Polyxena, on the tomb of Achilles as his just reward for his death at the hands of Paris. That very same day, the corpse of her son Polydorus washes ashore and is brought to Hecuba. Bereft of two children in one day, Hecuba seeks vengeance on Polymestor, king of Thrace, who murdered Polydorus. Before Troy fell, king Priam had sent Polydorus to Trace with a large cache of gold in order for him to be kept safe by Polymestor. However, as soon as Troy fell, Polymestor murdered Polydorus and stole the gold.

Hecuba entreats Agamemnon to avenge her son’s death but he refuses since there is a treaty between him and Polymestor. Hecuba then devises a plot, using the large contingent of Trojan maidens being held captive, so that Agamemnon doesn’t have to break his treaty. Hecuba calls Polymestor to bring his two children and meet with her. While in her tent, the Trojan maidens kill the two children and poke out Polymestor’s eyes. Polymestor begs Agamemnon to avenge him, but he refuses. Polymestor then curses Agamemnon, Cassandra and Hecuba. He relays a prophesy by Dionysus that Hecuba will commit suicide by jumping into the sea and Agamemnon, along with Cassandra, will be murdered by his own wife, Clytemnestra when he returns home. Agamemnon scoffs and has Polynestor banished to a deserted island.

Euripides portrays the horrible aftermath of war and all of the political and personal intrigue that follows. Violence begets more violence and those who live by violence die violent deaths. This echoes Jesus’ warning, “All who draw the sword will die by the sword.” (Matthew 26:52).

Closers

The Closers is Michael Connelly’s eleventh Harry Bosch novel. This is the fourth Harry Bosch novel I have read and I would place it a close second to his first novel, The Black Echo. Detective Harry Bosch of the Los Angeles Police Department retired from the Homicide department three years earlier only to be called out of retirement by his old partner to join the Open/Unsolved Unit investigating unsolved murders from the past thirty or so years in Los Angeles.

On his first day back on the job he and his partner are given a seventeen-year-old murder of a high school girl with mixed blood. New DNA evidence found on the murder weapon links the gun that killed the girl to a small-time criminal. Harry soon discovers that the case had been mishandled, evidence and records lost, and a looming suspicion that the case was shelved for internal political reasons.

Connelly does an excellent job in making every page feel real, each nuance ringing true and life-like. I especially appreciated the insights into the procedures and methods of solving such an old murder case. In a murder case, time is your greatest enemy. The longer the crime goes unsolved, the more likely the murder will never be caught. The near impossibility of solving the case adds enough suspense while the process Harry has to go through to investigate the case opens a window on police procedures that are fascinating and enlightening. Following one of the best detectives through this process is an exercise in logic and deduction as well as inspiration and creativity. I also appreciated Harry’s philosophy of police work: “Get off your butt and knock on doors.”

Connelly also gives more insight into Bosch’s psyche and motivations. He also illuminates the psychological drives of the other characters as well. This is another well-written novel that not only entertains but also instructs.

Othello

William Shakespeare’s tragedy Othello, first performed around 1604, illustrates the destructive power of jealousy. Othello, a Moorish general living in Venice, marries Desdemona, the beautiful daughter of a Venetian Senator amidst much controversy over her love for Othello. Othello and Desdemona prove that their love is genuine and they begin a happy life together.

Iago, Othello’s ensign, hates the Moor and designs a cruel plan to destroy him and his happiness. Iago begins by raising doubts in Othello’s mind about Desdemona’s faithfulness. Iago manipulates Cassio, Othello’s lieutenant, making it appear that he is having an affair with Desdemona. Iago arranges to have a conversation with Cassio while Othello is eavesdropping, eliciting from him the details of the affair Cassio is having with Biancha. However, the conversation is skewed so that Othello thinks Cassio is boasting of having an affair with Desdemona.

As Othello’s jealousy reaches its peak, Iago has his wife, Emilia, Desdemona’s maid, steal the handkerchief Othello gave Desdemona. Iago plants the “evidence” on Cassio and Othello is fully convinced when it is found on him.

That night Iago arranges to have Cassio murdered by Rodrigo, a former lover of Desdemona and Othello conspires to murder Desdemona for her infidelity. Unfortunately, Rodrigo only wounds Cassio and is killed in return. Othello, however, succeeds in suffocating Desdemona, only to be discovered by Emilia. When Cassio is brought before Othello and Emilia, the truth about Iago’s plot comes out. Iago, in a rage, kills his wife, Emilia, and flees. Othello realizing he has been deceived into murdering his wife, wails with regret, and commits suicide before he can be arrested.

Shakespeare vividly portrays the evil of the green monster, jealousy. Jealousy is a deadly disease that will destroy you and all that you love. The Bible frequently warns against jealousy because of its destructive power and its ability to twist and mangle the soul.

A Darkness More Than Night

Detective Harry Bosch is a key witness in a murder trial seeking to convict a movie producer for the strangulation death of a young actress. While he is testifying he is also being investigated for a gruesome murder of a man who had been arrested by Bosch several years earlier for murdering a prostitute but was released. Bosch becomes the main suspect as the FBI suspects he has crossed the line and has become an avenging angel.

Harry enlists the help of a retired FBI profiler, Terry McCaleb, who actually was helping the Sheriff’s department with the stalled investigation. While McCaleb was the one who initially identified Bosch as the most likely suspect, he is kicked off the case and then persuaded by Bosch to help him find the real killer before the news breaks and destroys his credibility in the murder trial for which he is the key witness. Pressed for time, McCaleb looks at the evidence from a new perspective and begins to track down the real killer.

I won’t reveal any more because it will ruin the suspense of the story. What I found interesting about this story was watching McCaleb, as a topnotch profiler, tease valuable information out of seemingly useless clues. It was also interesting to see that McCaleb’s initial conclusions were wrong, showing that psychological profiling is not an exact science.

Much of the evidence in the case revolves around the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, a 15th century Dutch painter known for his dark portrayals of judgment and damnation. McCabe makes the link to Detective Harry Bosch, whose first name is actually Hieronymus as well, because the crime scene was set up to resemble Bosch’s paintings. Connelly gives us some good art history and appreciation as McCabe investigates the connection between the paintings and the murder.

Michael Connelly is a good writer and knows how to keep the pace moving, revealing important clues at just the right time while adding enough twists to keep you guessing. The heroes are also very human, well rounded and believable. Harry Bosch has enough dark tendencies to keep his halo from glowing too brightly. Connelly clearly shows the demands of police work and how they can destroy relationships, especially marriages. When an officer becomes consumed by his work, those closest to him, especially his family, suffer.

It is easy to see how police and those who deal in the dark underside of society can become jaded, disillusioned and bitter. It is not easy living half of your life in the “darkness” of the streets of our cities and the criminal justice system, so we shouldn’t take what our public defenders do for granted. Nor should we vilify then or put them on pedestals since they are regular human beings like us thrust into extraordinary circumstances that most of us would not put up with.



This is the seventh novel in the Harry Bosch series which includes the following books(“x” indicates those I have read so far):
The Black Echo (1992) (x)
The Black Ice (1993)
The Concrete Blonde (1994)
The Last Coyote (1995)
Trunk Music (1997)
Angels Flight (1999)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001) (x)
City Of Bones (2002)
Lost Light (2003)
The Narrows (2004)
The Closers (2005)
Echo Park (2006)
The Overlook (2007)

Electra

Euripides’ version of the Electra story differs from Sophocles’ in both setting and focus. The story tells the revenge Electra and her brother Orestes take on their mother and step-father for murdering their father, Agamemnon. Clytemnestra, and her lover Aegisthus, murdered Agamemnon on his return from the Trojan war, and then plotted to kill both Electra and Orestes. The head servant hid Orestes and took him to safety where he lived as an exile. Clytemnestra pleaded with Aegisthus not to kill Electra, so he forced her to marry an old peasant so that any children she might bear would be poor and of ignoble birth, making it unlikely that they would threaten his usurped throne.

Orestes now returns in disguise to avenge his father’s death. He reveals himself to his sister, Electra, and they plot to kill Aegisthus and their mother. Orestes hacks down Aegisthus with a meat cleaver while he is offering a sacrifice to the nymphs. He hides the body in Electra’s house and they wait for their mother to complete their task. Clytemnestra comes and tries to justify her murder of Agamemnon by claiming it was revenge for his offering their daughter as a sacrifice before leaving for Troy, as well as for bringing back Cassandra as a concubine from Troy. The dialogue between Electra and her mother highlights the differences in their values; Electra values justice while Clytemnestra values expediency.

Electra then invites her mother into the house and is slaughtered by Orestes who is waiting for her. She cries out for mercy and tries to play on Orestes’ instincts for loving his mother, but he refuses to listen to her desperate cries for mercy. Orestes and Electra emerge from the house, covered in blood and gore, shocked at the horror of their deed.

Electra must atone for her deed by marrying Orestes’ companion and Orestes must go to Athens to stand trial, most likely to be acquitted. Euripides clearly sees the two as innocent for seeking vengeance but still realizes the horror of killing one’s mother. The end of the play is a graphic description of how revenge wreaks havoc on those who pursue it. While contemplating revenge, Electra and Orestes are convinced of the justice of their actions, but after the deed is done, they are forever changed by the horror of their actions. You cannot get revenge without affecting the core of your being.

One quote from the play that I found profound was the line Electra speaks to Aegisthus, condemning him for marrying her mother: “Who so fixes his gaze on wealth or noble birth and weds a wicked woman, is a fool; better is a humble partner in his home, if she be virtuous than a proud one.” Great advice.

Black Echo

The Black Echo is Michael Connelly’s first detective novel and it won the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery Novel awarded by the Mystery Writers of America. Connelly is a good writer with an easy style and he paces the plot very well, adding new twists throughout so that the reading is kept guessing all the way to the end. Connelly has done extensive research on police procedures and culture and the novel rings true on every page. If you enjoy mysteries and detective novels, this is a good choice.

The main character is Harry Bosch, a homicide detective in Los Angeles, known for his lone-ranger style and already demoted after being investigated by internal affairs for shooting to death a high profile serial murderer. Harry investigates a dead Vietnam vet who appears to have overdosed and died in a pipe by Mulholland Dam. There are a few things that don’t fit and Harry begins investigating when he identifies the dead man as someone he knew back in Vietnam. The story takes off when it becomes clear that the dead man was involved in a high profile bank robbery that has never been solved.

One of the interesting aspects of the story revolves around Harry’s role as a tunnel rat during the war in Vietnam. Since the dead man was also a tunnel rat in Harry’s unit, there is a lot of discussion of what these men did during the war. This is one aspect of the Vietnam war that I haven’t heard much about and I found it interesting. Connelly makes you feel like you are there in the tunnels, feeling the fear and anticipation that Harry felt while reconnoitering enemy tunnels while the enemy was inside waiting for him.


This is the first novel in the Harry Bosch series which includes the following books:
The Black Echo (1992)
The Black Ice (1993)
The Concrete Blonde (1994)
The Last Coyote (1995)
Trunk Music (1997)
Angels Flight (1999)
A Darkness More Than Night (2001)
City Of Bones (2002)
Lost Light (2003)
The Narrows (2004)
The Closers (2005)
Echo Park (2006)
The Overlook (2007)