Book Review of The Dead of Jericho

The Dead of Jericho by Colin Dexter is a crime fiction novel surrounding two cases, the case of Anne Scott and the case of Geroge Jackson. Both live on Canal Reach in a little town called Jericho. Anne Scott is a middle aged woman with a tragic past while Geroge Jackson is a man who nobody knows about. When Inspector Morse is put on the case, he knows immediately that the two cases are somewhat related, though the connection might be extremely obscure. The Richards family is suspected immediately, and as the investigation goes on, the truth only hides deeper. Anne seems to be hiding a dark past, and Geroge Jackson seems to be unknown by everyone. Is anybody lying? And are people who they say they are? What about the Murdochs? Colin Dexter tells a story filled with tragedy, misconceptions, and the mood of Oedipus.

Stories often have different meanings. Whether it is guilt or remorse or gratitude, any story can affect other works with its mood. The mood of the Greek myth Oedipus has been used often in many other works. Whether they were influenced by the myth, or was just a coincidence, that dark mood of guilt and remorse has always made stories descend to a deeper level. The famous and sad Shakespeare play Hamlet utilizes the Oedipus mood to highlight the remorse that the main character, Hamlet, feels about his past actions. The book Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence also has the Oedipus mood inside the plot. The chinese literary work Thunderstorm 雷雨 also contains the mood. All these works share the fact that the Oedipus mood hidden inside of them develops the character as well as the mood for the story itself. In the book the Dead of Jericho, the death of Anne is associated with the story of Oedipus. Since the cause of Anne’s death is unknown, Inspector Morse decides that Anne was simply like Oedipus in the story and took her own life because she was ashamed of her actions and unable to live with them anymore. They assumed that Michael Murdoch was straightaway Anne’s son when they found out he was adopted, and then went on to infer that Anne and Michael’s encounter was like the one of Oedipus and Queen Jocasta. The mood of Oedipus is used in the Dead of Jericho, though its interpretation by the police may not be fully correct. The mood of one story can be taken and transferred to the mood of another story, setting a base of which the events to develop on.

Don’t always expect the truth to lie on the surface, a white split on a large canvas of black paint. There will always be twists and turns and false leads as you look for the actual truth. You won’t always find what you want to find in a second. Sometimes, you have to look deeper. The investigation in the Dead of Jericho leads to many different possibilities for the culprit of the murders. Celia could have killed Anne out of jealousy, but Charles could have also done it because he wanted revenge for his affairs with Anne. Maybe it was even old Jackson. But how can a person be so sure of themselves without concrete evidence? The story The Dead of Jericho is a classical example of jumping to conclusions. Inspector Morse, when thinking of something, takes his time. But when an idea pops into his head that just seems to fit he loses it. He decides that it is right, and doesn’t consider much else, though more evidence could prove him to be wrong. Who killed Jackson? Many possibilities. Who drove the Rolls Royce? It was Charles, but now it isn’t. Who gave the speech? Who called for the police. All these questions require time and evidence to be answered. If you only look on the surface, your answers are sure to be wrong. It’s not always a good idea to rush and jump on the first idea that pops up. It’s like the Marshmallow Test by Walter Mischel; can you resist the urge to do what you first think is right? What if there is more than what meets the eye? The truth isn’t the elephant, big and noticeable. It is more like a tiny ant, you need to look for it before you find it.

The tragedy of women is one that affects everybody. Women have long been defined as the one to seek relationships, the one to be daring in life. And that may be true, but the results aren’t often the best. While at college, Anne chose to run off with a man she loved, John Westerby. This was only the first step. She lost her dad when he cut her off due to this decision. She got an unwanted baby, and ended up with a broken marriage. Immorally, she had sex with a married man, Charls Richards, before turning to her student, Michael Murdoch. She suspected to be pregnant before collapsing in the trench she dug for herself and begging for help from Charles. The tragedy of Anne Scott in the Dead of Jericho is a sufficient example of the role of women in society and how they interpret it. Anne Scott was a young woman with a bright future ahead of her, but she chose to go on a side path that would end up costing a lot out of her. She lost her momentum in life, as well as the possibility of becoming someone greater and doing something better. Studying modern languages at Oxford University, Anne could have simply focused on her studies, came out with a diploma, got a job and a husband, then settled down for a nice, quiet, and enjoyable life. But she chose a route that she would soon regret. The ideology of women in society has been defined over time, but the way each woman lives it out is up to how they decide to spend their time and concentration on, how they decide to carve their path. Imagine a forest in front of a baby. They are just born, with many paths ahead of them. As they grow, they will slowly cut down more and more of that forest. At forks, they will choose which way to go. When they finally reach the end, they will decide how well they enjoyed the journey. After all, the journey was the one that they made for themselves. 

The Dead of Jericho by Colin Dexter is a wonderful crime fiction novel that really explores many themes on a deeper level. The characters pose rich personalities for comparison, and the story of Oedipus that is presented adds layers. Through the Oedipus mood, readers learn how many literary texts from history can affect new ones being written in the present. The theme of truth and false leads instructs readers to look on a deeper level and not just keep their eyes on the surface. The tragedy of women portrayed by Anne Scott’s tragedy in life can tell readers (of all genders) to choose their paths wisely, avoiding detours and traps. The Dead of Jericho really explains many things deeply, including a special lesson on remorse. The book is well developed and written, a nice and enjoyable mystery text for any readers wishing to be able to enjoy a book while getting a morally boosting lesson.