Lloyd Hopkins Trilogy
Encyclopedia
The Lloyd Hopkins Trilogy is the phrase used to refer collectively to three crime fiction
novel
s written by James Ellroy
. The three novels are:
detective. Born in 1942, Hopkins hails from a Silverlake
Irish Protestant family. He is very tall and muscular, has an outstanding I.Q.
, is a sexual addict and sometimes feels entitled to break the law in order to right wrongs. Hopkins can't stand music or other loud noises, and frequently goes for days without sleep while working a hot case.
Other characters involved in the novels include:
Conversely, because of his own infringements, Hopkins can never solve his cases and have the villains punished lawfully but secretly. Completing his investigations also involves confronting and defeating Fred Gaffaney, who wants Hopkins out of the LAPD for his wayward ways. Thematically, all this means that Hopkins can never obtain professional reward or personal recognition for his accomplishments. From a narrative point of view, it means that the line between main plot and subplot is blurred.
Another aim for Hopkins in the novels is to save his marriage. Of his three daughters, he has a special relationship with Penny.
Crime fiction
Crime fiction is the literary genre that fictionalizes crimes, their detection, criminals and their motives. It is usually distinguished from mainstream fiction and other genres such as science fiction or historical fiction, but boundaries can be, and indeed are, blurred...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s written by James Ellroy
James Ellroy
Lee Earle "James" Ellroy is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a so-called "telegraphic" prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in particular for the novels The Black...
. The three novels are:
- 1984 Blood on the MoonBlood on the Moon (novel)Blood on the Moon is a crime novel by James Ellroy. It is the first installment of the Lloyd Hopkins Trilogy. It was followed by Because the Night and Suicide Hill...
- 1984 Because the NightBecause the Night (novel)Because the Night is a crime fiction novel written by James Ellroy.Released in 1984, it is the second installment of a three book trilogy often titled Lloyd Hopkins Trilogy, after its main character or "L.A Noir," after the hard-book copy that was released containing all three books in the...
- 1985 Suicide HillSuicide Hill (novel)Suicide Hill is a crime fiction novel written by James Ellroy.Released in 1985, it is the third and final installment of the Lloyd Hopkins Trilogy.-Plot summary:...
Characters
The main character in all three novels is Lloyd Hopkins, a LAPDLos Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
detective. Born in 1942, Hopkins hails from a Silverlake
Silver Lake, Los Angeles, California
Silver Lake is a hilly neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California east of Hollywood and northwest of Downtown Los Angeles. Silver Lake is inhabited by a wide variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups, but it is best known as an eclectic gathering of hipsters and the creative class.The...
Irish Protestant family. He is very tall and muscular, has an outstanding I.Q.
Intelligence quotient
An intelligence quotient, or IQ, is a score derived from one of several different standardized tests designed to assess intelligence. When modern IQ tests are constructed, the mean score within an age group is set to 100 and the standard deviation to 15...
, is a sexual addict and sometimes feels entitled to break the law in order to right wrongs. Hopkins can't stand music or other loud noises, and frequently goes for days without sleep while working a hot case.
Other characters involved in the novels include:
- Janice Marie Rice Hopkins, Lloyd's wife
- Annie, Caroline and Penny, Lloyd and Janice's three daughters
- Arthur "Dutch" Peltz, an older colleague of Lloyd's and his best friend
- LAPD Captain Fred Gaffaney, a born again Christian and an enemy of Hopkins
Themes
In Blood on the Moon and Because the Night, Lloyd Hopkins clears up murders committed by exceptionally intelligent and organised criminals. The villains in Suicide Hill are much more trivial. The novels revolve around an underlying identification between Hopkins and the murderers.Conversely, because of his own infringements, Hopkins can never solve his cases and have the villains punished lawfully but secretly. Completing his investigations also involves confronting and defeating Fred Gaffaney, who wants Hopkins out of the LAPD for his wayward ways. Thematically, all this means that Hopkins can never obtain professional reward or personal recognition for his accomplishments. From a narrative point of view, it means that the line between main plot and subplot is blurred.
Another aim for Hopkins in the novels is to save his marriage. Of his three daughters, he has a special relationship with Penny.