Theme

Bird of Prey is a character-driven mystery.

The Athenian decadrachm is a valuable ancient coin with an owl relief (a bird of prey) on one face. Five of these coins are unearthed by archeologists and they are given to Simon Drake to certify their authenticity. But before Drake can even look at them, the decadrachms disappear. Who could have taken them? In the confusion that follows, the authorities draw-up a shortlist of suspects and begin an investigation. When an odd rumor places the coins in Drake’s possession, several other people want the coins for themselves. But the supply is limited and the demand is high. To obtain the coins, some interested parties offer Drake money. Others apply their particular skills and crudeness soon gives way to vulgarity, abduction and murder. As the tale unfolds, the innocent masquerade as bait and the hunters become the hunted.

When the mystery of the lost decadrachms is resolved, it becomes apparent that many scenes serve a different purpose. The written examination scene with which the book commences, the meeting on the Acropolis, the Riddles of Argolis, the tennis match, the wedding scene and others have little to do with the lost decadrachms. A man narrates the events but they are mostly about a woman we get to know intimately, the second ‘bird of prey’ of the title.

Ultimately however most of the events of the story, and our response to them, are caused by loss.

LOSS Loss is no longer having something, or having less of something, we had before. Loss also means sadness, loneliness and emptiness as these are the emotions that an important loss brings. As far back as Heraclitus and Plato, we have been told that “everything changes and nothing remains still”. Loss is one of the certainties of life and one we know we have to face. Still, when it comes, we find it the most tragic of life’s occurrences. Loss forms the infrastructure of Bird of Prey in three ways. (a) The main plot and its cause are a direct result of loss; more specifically, the loss of the decadrachms is caused by a loss of motherhood. (b) The novel portrays various forms of loss. Both Simon and Ami lose their integrity when the latter cheats in an examination, the Parthenon in its turbulent history has lost its identity, Jed and Kate have lost their country. (c) Fear of loss (working through the first person of the narrative) is used to thrill the reader. For example, most people fear the loss of their integrity, their freedom and their lives and it is these loses the protagonists of Bird of Prey have to face. The basic function of most professions is to deal with a particular loss. Why do we have doctors, repair people, or historians? Isn’t the primary function of religion to relieve us of the loss of our loved ones and the anxiousness of our own loss of life? In Bird of Prey it is ironic that Dr Wroth who has lost her maternal abilities is an Archaeologist, a professional who finds lost things.

NAMES How first and family names correspond to the nature of the main characters in Bird Of Prey: Simon = name borne by St Peter but also by Simon Magus who attempted to buy the apostle’s spiritual powers Drake = dragon (old English), name borne by Sir Francis Drake, navigator and admiral (considered a hero in England) but also slave trader, plunderer (considered a pirate in Spain) Ami = female Japanese given name = love and beauty (Japanese) Sato = Japanese surname = assistance (Japanese), street/stray dogs (Puerto Rican slang) Leandra = Leander = lion man (Greek) Wroth = angry, bad-tempered, fierce (old English) Alfred = wise counsel (old English) Winn = friend (old English) Ed = rich (old English) Crane = skinny, long-legged (old English) Ken = handsome (Gaelic) Kate = diminutive of Katherine, pure (Greek) Vanessa = genus of butterfly Jed = Jedidiah = beloved or friend of the Lord (Hebrew) Anthony = male name from the Etruscan language of unknown origin Tsigas = tsigos = zinc, mock silver Johann = Germanized form of John = God is merciful (Hebrew) Burr = prickly seed husk (botany), rough edge (engineering) Ourania = heavenly (Greek), one of the nine muses Asteriadou = stars (Greek) Sebastian = venerable (Greek) Stern = austere, stern (English) Alexis = defend, help (Greek) Susan = Suzana = Zsa Zsa = pure, lily (Hebrew) Korbl = German name = raven (Latin) i.e. bad omen, eat greedily Cam = crooked, cross eyed (Old English)