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Dr. Siri Paiboun #5
Curse of the Pogo Stick
In Vientiane, a booby-trapped corpse, intended for Dr. Siri, the national coroner of Laos, has been delivered to the morgue. In his absence, only Nurse Dtui's intervention saves the lives of the morgue attendants, visiting doctors, and Madame Daeng, Dr. Siri's fiance. On his way back from a communist party meeting in the north, Dr. Siri is kidnapped by seven female Hmong villagers under the direction of the village elder so that he will-in the guise of Yeh Ming, the thousand-year-old shaman with whom he shares his body-exorcise the headman's daughter whose soul is possessed by a demon, and lift the curse of the pogo stick. Colin Cotterill is the author of The Coroner's Lunch, Thirty-Three Teeth, Disco for the Departed, and Anarchy and Old Dogs, featuring seventy-three-year-old Dr. Siri Paiboun, national coroner of Laos. He and his wife live in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he teaches at the university.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2008
118 people are currently reading
936 people want to read
About the author
Colin Cotterill
72 books1,022 followersColin Cotterill was born in London and trained as a teacher and set off on a world tour that didn't ever come to an end. He worked as a Physical Education instructor in Israel, a primary school teacher in Australia, a counselor for educationally handicapped adults in the US, and a university lecturer in Japan. But the greater part of his latter years has been spent in Southeast Asia. Colin has taught and trained teachers in Thailand and on the Burmese border. He spent several years in Laos, initially with UNESCO and wrote and produced a forty-programme language teaching series; English By Accident, for Thai national television.
Ten years ago, Colin became involved in child protection in the region and set up an NGO in Phuket which he ran for the first two years. After two more years of study in child abuse issues, and one more stint in Phuket, he moved on to ECPAT, an international organization combating child prostitution and pornography. He established their training program for caregivers.
All the while, Colin continued with his two other passions; cartooning and writing. He contributed regular columns for the Bangkok Post but had little time to write. It wasn't until his work with trafficked children that he found himself sufficiently stimulated to put together his first novel, The Night Bastard (Suk's Editions. 2000).
The reaction to that first attempt was so positive that Colin decided to take time off and write full-time. Since October 2001 he has written nine more novels. Two of these are child-protection based: Evil in the Land Without (Asia Books December 03), and Pool and Its Role in Asian Communism (Asia Books, Dec 05). These were followed by The Coroner’s Lunch (Soho Press. Dec 04), Thirty Three Teeth (Aug 05), Disco for the Departed (Aug 06), Anarchy and Old Dogs (Aug 07), and Curse of the Pogo Stick (Aug 08), The Merry Misogynist (Aug 09), Love Songs from a Shallow Grave (Aug 10) these last seven are set in Laos in the 1970’s.
On June 15, 2009 Colin Cotterill received the Crime Writers' Association Dagger in the Library award for being "the author of crime fiction whose work is currently giving the greatest enjoyment to library users".
When the Lao books gained in popularity, Cotterill set up a project to send books to Lao children and sponsor trainee teachers. The Books for Laos programme elicits support from fans of the books and is administered purely on a voluntary basis.
Since 1990, Colin has been a regular cartoonist for national publications. A Thai language translation of his cartoon scrapbook, Ethel and Joan Go to Phuket (Matichon May 04) and weekly social cartoons in the Nation newspaper, set him back onto the cartoon trail in 2004. On 4 April 2004, an illustrated bilingual column ‘cycle logical’ was launched in Matichon’s popular weekly news magazine. These have been published in book form.
Colin is married and lives in a fishing community on the Gulf of Siam with his wife, Kyoko, and ever-expanding pack of very annoying dogs.
Ten years ago, Colin became involved in child protection in the region and set up an NGO in Phuket which he ran for the first two years. After two more years of study in child abuse issues, and one more stint in Phuket, he moved on to ECPAT, an international organization combating child prostitution and pornography. He established their training program for caregivers.
All the while, Colin continued with his two other passions; cartooning and writing. He contributed regular columns for the Bangkok Post but had little time to write. It wasn't until his work with trafficked children that he found himself sufficiently stimulated to put together his first novel, The Night Bastard (Suk's Editions. 2000).
The reaction to that first attempt was so positive that Colin decided to take time off and write full-time. Since October 2001 he has written nine more novels. Two of these are child-protection based: Evil in the Land Without (Asia Books December 03), and Pool and Its Role in Asian Communism (Asia Books, Dec 05). These were followed by The Coroner’s Lunch (Soho Press. Dec 04), Thirty Three Teeth (Aug 05), Disco for the Departed (Aug 06), Anarchy and Old Dogs (Aug 07), and Curse of the Pogo Stick (Aug 08), The Merry Misogynist (Aug 09), Love Songs from a Shallow Grave (Aug 10) these last seven are set in Laos in the 1970’s.
On June 15, 2009 Colin Cotterill received the Crime Writers' Association Dagger in the Library award for being "the author of crime fiction whose work is currently giving the greatest enjoyment to library users".
When the Lao books gained in popularity, Cotterill set up a project to send books to Lao children and sponsor trainee teachers. The Books for Laos programme elicits support from fans of the books and is administered purely on a voluntary basis.
Since 1990, Colin has been a regular cartoonist for national publications. A Thai language translation of his cartoon scrapbook, Ethel and Joan Go to Phuket (Matichon May 04) and weekly social cartoons in the Nation newspaper, set him back onto the cartoon trail in 2004. On 4 April 2004, an illustrated bilingual column ‘cycle logical’ was launched in Matichon’s popular weekly news magazine. These have been published in book form.
Colin is married and lives in a fishing community on the Gulf of Siam with his wife, Kyoko, and ever-expanding pack of very annoying dogs.
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August 3, 2014
Rating: 4* of five
The Publisher Says: In Vientiane, a booby-trapped corpse, intended for Dr. Siri, the national coroner of Laos, has been delivered to the morgue. In his absence, only Nurse Dtui’s intervention saves the lives of the morgue attendants, visiting doctors, and Madame Daeng, Dr. Siri’s fiancée.
On his way back from a communist party meeting in the north, Dr. Siri is kidnapped by seven female Hmong villagers under the direction of the village elder so that he will—in the guise of Yeh Ming, the thousand-year-old shaman with whom he shares his body—exorcise the headman’s daughter whose soul is possessed by a demon, and lift the curse of the pogo stick.
My Review: Dr. Siri Paiboun is my role model for growing older. I want to be as cantankerous and unafraid as he is, and as forgiving and tolerant as he is, and marry someone I'm in love with like he does.
Who am I kidding? I'd like any of those things NOW, except the marriage thing, which no thank you, I remember that too well.
So this is the fifth book in the series, and the action takes place late in 1977 into 1978. Siri's seventy-three. The reason I'm reviewing a book so late in the series is simple: I want to tell everyone that, contrary to established custom, the series isn't sagging, and the sleuthing isn't drooping. Siri's believability is quite as firm as it was, meaning if you didn't buy in from the get-go, you won't be in now either. I love our secondary characters quite a lot, and am invested in the world of Dtui and Phosy and Geung as much as Siri and Daeng and Civilai. It's just too much fun to perch on the back of the lilac police Vespa, pull my scarf over my nose and mouth, and whip along the trafficless roads around Vientiane to chase malefactors!
Now that's one helluva mental picture, isn't it? But in this book, in this series, your fat old stiff-jointed American correspondent here can do exactly that. AND solve a crime. (Sort of, there really isn't a mystery-novel crime to solve in this book...so what, though?) I get to travel to the Hmong Otherworld! I am invited to an illegal Buddhist wedding! And through it all, my green-eyed hobbit-sized impish cicerone, Dr. Siri, sees how true and marvelous the world is, how little in it matters except being present and available and kind.
Rightness. Completing one's journey and, thereby, completing the journeys of others. I hope all of us are able to say, looking at our last dawn, that we did that very thing, at least once.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
The Publisher Says: In Vientiane, a booby-trapped corpse, intended for Dr. Siri, the national coroner of Laos, has been delivered to the morgue. In his absence, only Nurse Dtui’s intervention saves the lives of the morgue attendants, visiting doctors, and Madame Daeng, Dr. Siri’s fiancée.
On his way back from a communist party meeting in the north, Dr. Siri is kidnapped by seven female Hmong villagers under the direction of the village elder so that he will—in the guise of Yeh Ming, the thousand-year-old shaman with whom he shares his body—exorcise the headman’s daughter whose soul is possessed by a demon, and lift the curse of the pogo stick.
My Review: Dr. Siri Paiboun is my role model for growing older. I want to be as cantankerous and unafraid as he is, and as forgiving and tolerant as he is, and marry someone I'm in love with like he does.
Who am I kidding? I'd like any of those things NOW, except the marriage thing, which no thank you, I remember that too well.
So this is the fifth book in the series, and the action takes place late in 1977 into 1978. Siri's seventy-three. The reason I'm reviewing a book so late in the series is simple: I want to tell everyone that, contrary to established custom, the series isn't sagging, and the sleuthing isn't drooping. Siri's believability is quite as firm as it was, meaning if you didn't buy in from the get-go, you won't be in now either. I love our secondary characters quite a lot, and am invested in the world of Dtui and Phosy and Geung as much as Siri and Daeng and Civilai. It's just too much fun to perch on the back of the lilac police Vespa, pull my scarf over my nose and mouth, and whip along the trafficless roads around Vientiane to chase malefactors!
Now that's one helluva mental picture, isn't it? But in this book, in this series, your fat old stiff-jointed American correspondent here can do exactly that. AND solve a crime. (Sort of, there really isn't a mystery-novel crime to solve in this book...so what, though?) I get to travel to the Hmong Otherworld! I am invited to an illegal Buddhist wedding! And through it all, my green-eyed hobbit-sized impish cicerone, Dr. Siri, sees how true and marvelous the world is, how little in it matters except being present and available and kind.
Rightness. Completing one's journey and, thereby, completing the journeys of others. I hope all of us are able to say, looking at our last dawn, that we did that very thing, at least once.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
September 1, 2018
I may have to stop saying this, but Curse of the Pogo Stick is the best of the Dr. Siri books I have read so far. Thanks to Carol for reminding me that I need to put down the next book and write a review of this one.
For those, as yet not engaged in this series--- Set in the 1970s, Laotians have overthrown their monarchy and established a Communist government. Dr. Siri Paiboun is now 74 years old and he is one of the last real medical doctors within Laos. The socialist/communist government (after the Pathet Lao takeover) has not been a welcoming place for those with such skills. When the previous one passed on, they came to Siri and he had little choice. He has been in this job for the three years documented in these novels. And part of what he brings to the job is described thus: “Deceit and trickery didn’t sit well on his conscience. He had to do more than that. Earlier, while he’d sat on a boulder waiting for his supper, the sun slowly easing its way over the mountains, he’d engaged himself in a little lateral thinking like his literary hero Inspector Maigret."
In a moment of introspection, Siri admits: "“My biggest problem as a practicing cynic, however, is that I’m aligned, against my will and better judgment, to another world. I’m connected to a world of spirits and souls and gods and no matter how hard I try to disprove this world, I know it exists. I don’t know how it’s possible, but, damn it, it’s there. So I resort to the rules of the supernatural. I begin by seeing whether the incredible can be explained through their rules. And when that world tells me something is off-kilter and implausible, I know I have to think as a human. I have to use logic. My visit to the Otherworld told me I had to look for earthly solutions to this mystery."
The timing of this book is not long after the events of Anarchy and Old Dogs. This book has two story lines with Siri off in the Laotian hinterlands and his team back in Vientiane, the capital.
Cotterill notes: "In 1975, the so-called thirty-year Hmong who had sided with the Pathet Lao were somehow forgotten when the communists took control of the country. There were token positions and ranks allocated, but the majority were either sent back to grow opium, or, worse still, relocated to the plains, where they succumbed to diseases unknown in the mountains."
The interweaving of the Hmong into the plot is one of the delights of this book. The other is the increased role for Dtui and for most of the “regulars.” There are plenty of strange and/or humorous characters including Auntie Bpoo, the transvestite fortune-teller. In the resolution of all the loose threads, Siri is forced to conclude: “Now he had no choice but to formally add one more branch of sorcery to his list of irrational beliefs. Fortune-telling had become a science. Soon there’d be nothing but politics left to dismiss as bunkum."
For those, as yet not engaged in this series--- Set in the 1970s, Laotians have overthrown their monarchy and established a Communist government. Dr. Siri Paiboun is now 74 years old and he is one of the last real medical doctors within Laos. The socialist/communist government (after the Pathet Lao takeover) has not been a welcoming place for those with such skills. When the previous one passed on, they came to Siri and he had little choice. He has been in this job for the three years documented in these novels. And part of what he brings to the job is described thus: “Deceit and trickery didn’t sit well on his conscience. He had to do more than that. Earlier, while he’d sat on a boulder waiting for his supper, the sun slowly easing its way over the mountains, he’d engaged himself in a little lateral thinking like his literary hero Inspector Maigret."
In a moment of introspection, Siri admits: "“My biggest problem as a practicing cynic, however, is that I’m aligned, against my will and better judgment, to another world. I’m connected to a world of spirits and souls and gods and no matter how hard I try to disprove this world, I know it exists. I don’t know how it’s possible, but, damn it, it’s there. So I resort to the rules of the supernatural. I begin by seeing whether the incredible can be explained through their rules. And when that world tells me something is off-kilter and implausible, I know I have to think as a human. I have to use logic. My visit to the Otherworld told me I had to look for earthly solutions to this mystery."
The timing of this book is not long after the events of Anarchy and Old Dogs. This book has two story lines with Siri off in the Laotian hinterlands and his team back in Vientiane, the capital.
Cotterill notes: "In 1975, the so-called thirty-year Hmong who had sided with the Pathet Lao were somehow forgotten when the communists took control of the country. There were token positions and ranks allocated, but the majority were either sent back to grow opium, or, worse still, relocated to the plains, where they succumbed to diseases unknown in the mountains."
The interweaving of the Hmong into the plot is one of the delights of this book. The other is the increased role for Dtui and for most of the “regulars.” There are plenty of strange and/or humorous characters including Auntie Bpoo, the transvestite fortune-teller. In the resolution of all the loose threads, Siri is forced to conclude: “Now he had no choice but to formally add one more branch of sorcery to his list of irrational beliefs. Fortune-telling had become a science. Soon there’d be nothing but politics left to dismiss as bunkum."
May 2, 2012
Fifth book in the Siri adventures proves delightful. In this installment we are introduced to Hmong culture, opening with an interpretation of how the Hmong lost their history and written language. The first shaman gifts his people with the geng pipes, so they would be able to guide the dead to the Otherworld, giving them "a musical language that communicated directly from one soul to another." The piping transports us to the world of the morgue, where two auditors investigating Siri are complaining about a Hmong beggar's playing. It's a haunting transition, showing the difference between the richness of a culture, and the realities of economic oppression, and is quickly balanced with a moment of humor: "Dtui has known straightaway that the task was impossible... her boss had handwriting so horrible he could hardly read it himself. Dipping a cockroach in ink and having it scamper around the page would have left traces more legible to the average reader." It is a sublime transition typical of Cotterill's writing, the moments of beauty or humor interspersed with hard-edged reality, and it is one of the reasons I'm inordinately fond of the Dr. Siri series.
The first plot revolves around a possible attempt on Siri's life, initially foiled by Dtui. Shortly after, she and Madame Daeng lure Civilai out of retirement to join them in their investigation. Meanwhile, Siri is forced into a attending the quarterly Party Planning and Progress Conference and discovers a dead man in the audience. He causes a small scene, and as his punishment, Judge Haeng has him accompany him through the countryside in a Party demonstration. Unfortunately, Siri is kidnapped and the second mystery begins.
Narrative was more streamlined, told in more linear fashion with fewer character jumps, much to the benefit of the story. The spiritual element was integrated well, although apparently the spirits present a problem of description: "Tenses were annoyingly unhelpful when it came to the afterlife." Scenes of the countryside are described beautifully, conveying the love Siri (and the author) has for the country. The touches of humor are still present, more delightfully than ever: "It was a Lao-Mexican standoff. Haeng couldn't fire Siri and they both knew it."
I love Dr. Siri. I love learning vicariously and however fictionally about communist Laos. I find that Cotterill usually achieves a good story, and I usually enjoy his use of language. Four stars instead of five for a few reasons. One is that I had fears of Dtui and Daeng turning into Lulu and Grandma from the Stephanie Plum mysteries, a crisis narrowly averted at this time. Second, although I am no historian, I rather feel quite a lot of modernisms are creeping into the story. In one instance, Siri tells the Judge, "I was waiting for the movie version," which feels suspiciously modern for 1970s Laos. Third, the ending was a little forced, done reunion "summing up" style at a dinner house. Fourth, my proximity alarm for Western imperialism is beeping, although I'm still running diagnostics to discover the source.
Still, the story is done well enough that I feel such quibbles can be overcome. A delightful read; without doubt I'll be continuing with the series.
Favorite throw away line: "Mrs. Fah's kids were running around like headless chicks, shaking off the cobwebs they'd gathered at school."
The first plot revolves around a possible attempt on Siri's life, initially foiled by Dtui. Shortly after, she and Madame Daeng lure Civilai out of retirement to join them in their investigation. Meanwhile, Siri is forced into a attending the quarterly Party Planning and Progress Conference and discovers a dead man in the audience. He causes a small scene, and as his punishment, Judge Haeng has him accompany him through the countryside in a Party demonstration. Unfortunately, Siri is kidnapped and the second mystery begins.
Narrative was more streamlined, told in more linear fashion with fewer character jumps, much to the benefit of the story. The spiritual element was integrated well, although apparently the spirits present a problem of description: "Tenses were annoyingly unhelpful when it came to the afterlife." Scenes of the countryside are described beautifully, conveying the love Siri (and the author) has for the country. The touches of humor are still present, more delightfully than ever: "It was a Lao-Mexican standoff. Haeng couldn't fire Siri and they both knew it."
I love Dr. Siri. I love learning vicariously and however fictionally about communist Laos. I find that Cotterill usually achieves a good story, and I usually enjoy his use of language. Four stars instead of five for a few reasons. One is that I had fears of Dtui and Daeng turning into Lulu and Grandma from the Stephanie Plum mysteries, a crisis narrowly averted at this time. Second, although I am no historian, I rather feel quite a lot of modernisms are creeping into the story. In one instance, Siri tells the Judge, "I was waiting for the movie version," which feels suspiciously modern for 1970s Laos. Third, the ending was a little forced, done reunion "summing up" style at a dinner house. Fourth, my proximity alarm for Western imperialism is beeping, although I'm still running diagnostics to discover the source.
Still, the story is done well enough that I feel such quibbles can be overcome. A delightful read; without doubt I'll be continuing with the series.
Favorite throw away line: "Mrs. Fah's kids were running around like headless chicks, shaking off the cobwebs they'd gathered at school."
July 16, 2025
4 stars for book 5 in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series set in 1977 communist Laos. I have read the previous 4 books in the series and recommend that you do the same, so you can understand the relationships between the characters and how Siri became Laos' National coroner, and the only coroner in Laos.
This book has two plots: One involving Siri, who is attending a conference out of town at the insistence of his boss, Judge Haeng. Siri is abducted and Judge Haeng, fearing for his life, runs from the convoy into the jungle. Siri has been abducted because his kidnappers believe that he is a shaman, and can help them with a curse.
The second plot is a carryover from a previous book, wherein Siri and his associates at the hospital foiled a coup by Royalists. One of the plotters is still alive and intent on revenge. How these two plots are resolved makes for an entertaining read. Siri and his associates are quirky people and there is some humor throughout the book.
One quote, describing Siri's handwriting: "Dtui had known straightaway that the task was virtually impossible, given that her boss had handwriting so horrible he could hardly read it himself. Dipping a cockroach in ink and having it scamper around the page would have left traces more legible to the average reader."
I borrowed this eBook from the New York Public Library, which will grant a library card to anyone who lives in New York state. My library does not have all the books in this series, so I am happy to be able to read more of the series using NYPL. See nypl.org if you want to get a library card there.
This book has two plots: One involving Siri, who is attending a conference out of town at the insistence of his boss, Judge Haeng. Siri is abducted and Judge Haeng, fearing for his life, runs from the convoy into the jungle. Siri has been abducted because his kidnappers believe that he is a shaman, and can help them with a curse.
The second plot is a carryover from a previous book, wherein Siri and his associates at the hospital foiled a coup by Royalists. One of the plotters is still alive and intent on revenge. How these two plots are resolved makes for an entertaining read. Siri and his associates are quirky people and there is some humor throughout the book.
One quote, describing Siri's handwriting: "Dtui had known straightaway that the task was virtually impossible, given that her boss had handwriting so horrible he could hardly read it himself. Dipping a cockroach in ink and having it scamper around the page would have left traces more legible to the average reader."
I borrowed this eBook from the New York Public Library, which will grant a library card to anyone who lives in New York state. My library does not have all the books in this series, so I am happy to be able to read more of the series using NYPL. See nypl.org if you want to get a library card there.
January 18, 2022
I'm sure that starting at the beginning of the series would have given me a much clearer understanding of the characters...but hey...why should I start doing that now? It seems that politics plays a large role in the stories, but the books are NOT about politics...they're about friendship and love of the people living in a small Laotian community. Dr. Siri, the main character, has special abilities that connect him to the spirit world as well as special abilities to work the system. I found the book to be beautifully written and the cast of characters a rare treasure...and at the center of all this is a fantastic mystery, the kind that grabs the reader and makes you want to keep reading well into the night. I'm hooked as long as he continues to produce such marvelous, funny, endearing and amazing characters as those I have already met. I'll be good and start at the beginning.
April 13, 2009
Something of the flavor of McCall Smith's Mma Ramotswe stories, but with substance. Set in Laos in the 70s, his aging coroner is a reluctant detective and more reluctant host for spirits.
May 30, 2021
I don’t write reviews.
The last entry introduced a character of mystery and intrigue who, unfortunately, felt like a extremely weak rip-off of Edogawa Rampo’s Black Lizard (she’s even called The Lizard) and had no real connection to anything. She appeared again and did things for no reason. Not that explanation is always necessary - if the arc was done well, I wouldn’t have minded the weird intruder a bit.
The time spent with the Hmong wasn’t great either. (Am I in a bad mood?) There wasn’t much about the spiritual aspect of Siri’s character, nor Hmong shamanism and tradition. I think separating Siri from the rest of the characters for most of the book wasn’t a good choice.
There was not as much solid time with the other main characters either. (It could have been me. I wasn’t as focused I’d have like to have been. Maybe I blinked).
I want more of Dr. Siri and Dtui figuring things out and being snarky. The next book goes into the mind of a killer. I’m not interested at all, but I don’t want to miss out on the exploits of the main cast.
The last entry introduced a character of mystery and intrigue who, unfortunately, felt like a extremely weak rip-off of Edogawa Rampo’s Black Lizard (she’s even called The Lizard) and had no real connection to anything. She appeared again and did things for no reason. Not that explanation is always necessary - if the arc was done well, I wouldn’t have minded the weird intruder a bit.
The time spent with the Hmong wasn’t great either. (Am I in a bad mood?) There wasn’t much about the spiritual aspect of Siri’s character, nor Hmong shamanism and tradition. I think separating Siri from the rest of the characters for most of the book wasn’t a good choice.
There was not as much solid time with the other main characters either. (It could have been me. I wasn’t as focused I’d have like to have been. Maybe I blinked).
I want more of Dr. Siri and Dtui figuring things out and being snarky. The next book goes into the mind of a killer. I’m not interested at all, but I don’t want to miss out on the exploits of the main cast.
April 20, 2025
Dr. Siri gets kidnapped in this one by a jungle tribe to cure a curse on the chief's daughter. I know this sounds like the plot of a 1930s serial, and it kind of could be, but it is an intelligent tale, with some supernatural overtones of life in late 1970s Laos. We in the West know nothing about this culture, so these mysteries are a fun way to pick up a little bit of anthropology in a palatable setting.
The people take the ridiculous inefficiency of their communist overlords in stride. They were oppressed by the royalists. Now, they are oppressed by the puppets of the soviets. Same play, different actors.
Dr. Siri did not believe in ghostly possession until his own elderly body was taken over by an ancient spirit. By the same token, he did not believe an old codger like him could fall in love again until his own self was taken over by love for the captivating Madam Daeng.
We also learn a but about the Hmong people, who are really a people without a country. I have lived where there are lots of Hmong communities of refugees, but I knew very little of their history until I read this book.
The people take the ridiculous inefficiency of their communist overlords in stride. They were oppressed by the royalists. Now, they are oppressed by the puppets of the soviets. Same play, different actors.
Dr. Siri did not believe in ghostly possession until his own elderly body was taken over by an ancient spirit. By the same token, he did not believe an old codger like him could fall in love again until his own self was taken over by love for the captivating Madam Daeng.
We also learn a but about the Hmong people, who are really a people without a country. I have lived where there are lots of Hmong communities of refugees, but I knew very little of their history until I read this book.
April 12, 2020
Another one down! In this installment, Cotteril makes an homage to the Hmong people, their traditions, and their suffering. He packs two clever mysteries as well. And while he consorts with the spirits of the dead, of course, the mysteries turn out to be completely explainable rationally. In the course of events, Dr Siri akso acquires a wife and two babies... just as predicted by the fortune teller in the previuos book.
Well , quarantine, bring me more Dr. Siri...
Well , quarantine, bring me more Dr. Siri...
April 12, 2024
3.25 Stars
Seven female Hmong villagers (who are considered hostile barbarians) kidnap Dr. Siri on orders from the village elder, who hopes that Yeh Ming, the thousand-year-old shaman who shares the doctor's body, will consent to exorcise the headman's daughter. The elder fears that his daughter's soul has been possessed by a demon due to the curse of a mysterious Western artifact. Dr. Siri, at 73, seems like the unlikeliest of detectives but he is sprightly, lovable, very intelligent, and he doesn't let his age stop him from doing anything. He unexpectedly finds civility and respect in the Hmong ancient culture, which was one of my favorite parts of the book. As always, I enjoyed the good balance between comedy and seriousness.
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the alternate storyline involving Madame Daeng, Nurse Dtui, Phosy, and Civilai nearly as much, which brought my rating down from the ratings I had given the previous books.
My favorite part of the book was when
Seven female Hmong villagers (who are considered hostile barbarians) kidnap Dr. Siri on orders from the village elder, who hopes that Yeh Ming, the thousand-year-old shaman who shares the doctor's body, will consent to exorcise the headman's daughter. The elder fears that his daughter's soul has been possessed by a demon due to the curse of a mysterious Western artifact. Dr. Siri, at 73, seems like the unlikeliest of detectives but he is sprightly, lovable, very intelligent, and he doesn't let his age stop him from doing anything. He unexpectedly finds civility and respect in the Hmong ancient culture, which was one of my favorite parts of the book. As always, I enjoyed the good balance between comedy and seriousness.
Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the alternate storyline involving Madame Daeng, Nurse Dtui, Phosy, and Civilai nearly as much, which brought my rating down from the ratings I had given the previous books.
My favorite part of the book was when
July 29, 2012
The first book in this series was perfect, and each succeeding book is as well. I can't say they get better; how can perfection be improved upon? But the standard never falters or falls. Remarkable.
Laos, newly Communist, a charming 73 year okd coroner (by assignment, not training, because he was a doctor), mystery, romance, humor, wit, the supernatural . . . and in this book, a little of the plight of the Hmong, which led me to purchase a book which will help me learn a little about these much-abused people.
Laos, newly Communist, a charming 73 year okd coroner (by assignment, not training, because he was a doctor), mystery, romance, humor, wit, the supernatural . . . and in this book, a little of the plight of the Hmong, which led me to purchase a book which will help me learn a little about these much-abused people.
November 9, 2021
Another excellent edition in this clever series. I find it interesting how the author always weaves the supernatural into the story without making it the means of any of the crimes. This strikes me as a respectful and appropriate tone to set while keeping the books light and fun, but I'd be interested to know what native Lao (or in the case of this book) Hmong people think. I'm looking forward to the next book.
April 24, 2020
Schöner Krimi aus der Dr. Siri-Reihe. Liebevoll gezeichnete Charaktere und wie immer ein großer Topf voll Lokalkolorit und historischem Hintergrund. Zwischen der Mitte und dem Ende des zweiten Drittels zeigte die Geschichte leichte Längen, aber später dann auch wieder interessante Überraschungen.
April 21, 2021
3.5 ⭐️
Really enjoy this Audio series
Really enjoy this Audio series
June 2, 2009
Anybody who hasn't indulged in the Dr Siri series by Colin Cotterill could be forgiven for wondering what on earth is going on with CURSE OF THE POGO STICK. Booby-trapped corpses and reluctant coroners might be reasonably expected in crime fiction, but Hmong villagers needing exorcism by a thousand-year-old shaman who shares the aforementioned coroner's body? Understandably a "What the" moment.
Whilst the spiritual (supernatural) component of CURSE OF THE POGO STICK is considerably stronger than the earlier books, the series has been building the unlikely scenario of Dr Siri and his intrepid band of assistants - Nurse Dtui, Mr Geung and now Madame Daeng, for a number of books now. Of course, the unlikely scenario probably relates mostly to western readers, as there's something intrinsically Laotian about these books. Not only are all the characters set within an environment which is beautifully drawn, the Laotian way of life and thinking is demonstrated in a way that makes it feel very real.
Laos is almost as much a character in these books as the people mind you. Whilst CURSE OF THE POGO STICK is set partially in Vientiane, Dr Siri spends more of his time held in a village in the mountains, deep in the countryside, in threatened Hmong territory. Whilst this book does have Nurse Dtui and Madame Daeng involved in why somebody would send a booby-trapped corpse to the mortuary, a lot of time is spent with the Hmong and with Dr Siri.
Perhaps it is this aspect that could make this book less attractive to fans of the series or as an introduction point for newcomers, as there is, alongside a considerably stronger spiritual component, a hefty dose of social commentary - with the Hmong being one of the most threatened groups of people within Laotian society. Having said that, this reader has been a from the first book fan of this series, and CURSE OF THE POGO STICK appealed just as much as the other books. Whilst not normally a fan of the supernatural, with Dr Siri, I have developed a considerably higher tolerance factor. Possibly because the author delivers these components of all the books as less of the supernatural, and more a long-held cultural belief system that is fundamental to these people's lives. Social commentary, on the other hand, is one of my very favourite things, and learning some of the hazards and problems that the Hmong experience made time spent with Dr Siri both educational and entertaining.
Perhaps if you are new to this series, it may be better to start a little earlier. Get to know Dr Siri and his band of supporters from the beginning, and you will be able to follow their story as the author relaxes into what seems to this reader, at least, to be a very Laotian way of telling a story.
Previous books in the series are:
* The Coroner's Lunch
* Thirty-Three Teeth
* Disco for the Departed
* Anarchy and Old Dogs
Whilst the spiritual (supernatural) component of CURSE OF THE POGO STICK is considerably stronger than the earlier books, the series has been building the unlikely scenario of Dr Siri and his intrepid band of assistants - Nurse Dtui, Mr Geung and now Madame Daeng, for a number of books now. Of course, the unlikely scenario probably relates mostly to western readers, as there's something intrinsically Laotian about these books. Not only are all the characters set within an environment which is beautifully drawn, the Laotian way of life and thinking is demonstrated in a way that makes it feel very real.
Laos is almost as much a character in these books as the people mind you. Whilst CURSE OF THE POGO STICK is set partially in Vientiane, Dr Siri spends more of his time held in a village in the mountains, deep in the countryside, in threatened Hmong territory. Whilst this book does have Nurse Dtui and Madame Daeng involved in why somebody would send a booby-trapped corpse to the mortuary, a lot of time is spent with the Hmong and with Dr Siri.
Perhaps it is this aspect that could make this book less attractive to fans of the series or as an introduction point for newcomers, as there is, alongside a considerably stronger spiritual component, a hefty dose of social commentary - with the Hmong being one of the most threatened groups of people within Laotian society. Having said that, this reader has been a from the first book fan of this series, and CURSE OF THE POGO STICK appealed just as much as the other books. Whilst not normally a fan of the supernatural, with Dr Siri, I have developed a considerably higher tolerance factor. Possibly because the author delivers these components of all the books as less of the supernatural, and more a long-held cultural belief system that is fundamental to these people's lives. Social commentary, on the other hand, is one of my very favourite things, and learning some of the hazards and problems that the Hmong experience made time spent with Dr Siri both educational and entertaining.
Perhaps if you are new to this series, it may be better to start a little earlier. Get to know Dr Siri and his band of supporters from the beginning, and you will be able to follow their story as the author relaxes into what seems to this reader, at least, to be a very Laotian way of telling a story.
Previous books in the series are:
* The Coroner's Lunch
* Thirty-Three Teeth
* Disco for the Departed
* Anarchy and Old Dogs
May 26, 2021
Dr. Siri and the Hmong Exorcism
Review of the Knopf Canada hardcover edition (August 26, 2008) of the Soho Crime hardcover original (July 1, 2008)
Curse of the Pogo Stick is the 5th book of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series and has Lao national coroner Dr. Siri and his nemesis Judge Haeng off in Northeast Laos. Back in the capital city of Vientiane, Siri's friends and allies, fiancée Daeng, Inspector Phosy, Nurse Dtui, Attendant Deung, and old comrade Civilai are dealing with the after effects of the failed coup d'état from the previous book Anarchy and Old Dogs (2007).
Siri and Haeng are kidnapped by a tribe of Hmong who need Siri's shaman powers to exorcise an evil force in their village (the pogo stick of the title is a macguffin, and hardly features in the book). This plot line provides author Cotterill the opportunity to expand on the history of the Hmong and how their culture has been decimated in the long nationalist and political conflicts of the region. The hapless Judge Haeng provides the comic relief with his cowardly antics.
Meanwhile in Vientiane, the forces of the Lizard are attempting to assassinate Siri's friends in retribution for their coup failure. Nurse Dtui is able to defuse their various bombings and poisonings. She and the rest of the gang formulate a plan to expose the conspirators.
This series continues to delight with its overviews of Lao lifestyles and culture, the human persistence in the face of bureaucratic & totalitarian incompetence and Dr. Siri's unique investigative methods that combine spiritual perception with common sense intuition.
Review of the Knopf Canada hardcover edition (August 26, 2008) of the Soho Crime hardcover original (July 1, 2008)
Curse of the Pogo Stick is the 5th book of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series and has Lao national coroner Dr. Siri and his nemesis Judge Haeng off in Northeast Laos. Back in the capital city of Vientiane, Siri's friends and allies, fiancée Daeng, Inspector Phosy, Nurse Dtui, Attendant Deung, and old comrade Civilai are dealing with the after effects of the failed coup d'état from the previous book Anarchy and Old Dogs (2007).
Siri and Haeng are kidnapped by a tribe of Hmong who need Siri's shaman powers to exorcise an evil force in their village (the pogo stick of the title is a macguffin, and hardly features in the book). This plot line provides author Cotterill the opportunity to expand on the history of the Hmong and how their culture has been decimated in the long nationalist and political conflicts of the region. The hapless Judge Haeng provides the comic relief with his cowardly antics.
Meanwhile in Vientiane, the forces of the Lizard are attempting to assassinate Siri's friends in retribution for their coup failure. Nurse Dtui is able to defuse their various bombings and poisonings. She and the rest of the gang formulate a plan to expose the conspirators.
This series continues to delight with its overviews of Lao lifestyles and culture, the human persistence in the face of bureaucratic & totalitarian incompetence and Dr. Siri's unique investigative methods that combine spiritual perception with common sense intuition.
August 26, 2012
The Hmong, whether they chose to side with the Japanese, the French of the Americans, are people who have never been fairly treated by the ruling parties at the end of each war in which their help was sought. In Laos, the plight of the nomadic Hmong is observed at first hand by Dr Siri when he is abducted during a road trip with Judge Haeng to Luang Prabang, by Elder Long to help free his young daughter from a demon. Dr Siri, whose earthly body hosts Yeh Ming, a powerful shaman, is well known among the Hmong. The history and culture of the Hmong is covered in detail through the observations of Dr Siri.
In the meantime, over in Vientiane, Nurse Dtui discovers a booby-trapped corpse in the morgue and it's her keen observations that manage to keep a young arrogant doctor, Gaeng, the hospital director and Dtui herself from being blown up. With the help of Phosy and Civilai, they uncover a Royalists plot spearheaded by an adversary from a previous book in the series.
With comic relief provided by Judge Heang whether he's spouting bigoted political propaganda or mistakenly eating pig swill, the adventures of Dr Siri and his team continue to entertain and educate.
In the meantime, over in Vientiane, Nurse Dtui discovers a booby-trapped corpse in the morgue and it's her keen observations that manage to keep a young arrogant doctor, Gaeng, the hospital director and Dtui herself from being blown up. With the help of Phosy and Civilai, they uncover a Royalists plot spearheaded by an adversary from a previous book in the series.
With comic relief provided by Judge Heang whether he's spouting bigoted political propaganda or mistakenly eating pig swill, the adventures of Dr Siri and his team continue to entertain and educate.
June 4, 2019
I have read some good books lately and I probably enjoyed this book the most. That is saying something for this series which is unlike any other mysteries that I have read. This is the 5th book in the series. This book and the first book have been my favorites so far.
Dr Siri Paiboun is the national coroner of Laos. He was drafted into the job because he is a doctor and the previous coroner swam across the river to Thailand to get away from Laos. He is also 73 years old and was hoping for retirement.
Dr. Siri is away at a mandatory government conference when in his morgue an autopsy is about to take place. Dtui, his assistant, notices all is not all right and warns everyone she thinks the body is booby trapped with a bomb. She is right. Someone wanted to kill Dr. Siri.
On the way back to his home and the morgue, Dr. Siri is kidnapped by a group of female Hmong soldiers. What I enjoy so much about these books, is the humor and the characters. The reader gets to know and care about the characters. The books can be thought provoking in a quiet gentle way. I am looking forward to the next book.
Dr Siri Paiboun is the national coroner of Laos. He was drafted into the job because he is a doctor and the previous coroner swam across the river to Thailand to get away from Laos. He is also 73 years old and was hoping for retirement.
Dr. Siri is away at a mandatory government conference when in his morgue an autopsy is about to take place. Dtui, his assistant, notices all is not all right and warns everyone she thinks the body is booby trapped with a bomb. She is right. Someone wanted to kill Dr. Siri.
On the way back to his home and the morgue, Dr. Siri is kidnapped by a group of female Hmong soldiers. What I enjoy so much about these books, is the humor and the characters. The reader gets to know and care about the characters. The books can be thought provoking in a quiet gentle way. I am looking forward to the next book.
May 31, 2024
What a lovely series. just can't get over so glad to have these people and stories be part of my world.
“Something about the countryside released the emotions that remained bottled in the city. Perhaps he wasn’t just sad for the plight of these friends, perhaps it was a global, all-encompassing sadness that included this whole country, and the hopelessness of life, and the fact that there would never really be peace in the world because man was intrinsically stupid.”
“Something about the countryside released the emotions that remained bottled in the city. Perhaps he wasn’t just sad for the plight of these friends, perhaps it was a global, all-encompassing sadness that included this whole country, and the hopelessness of life, and the fact that there would never really be peace in the world because man was intrinsically stupid.”
October 6, 2025
While the setting of Laos is certainly different, this is really just an old fashioned Villain pulp like Fu Manchu or Dr. Death.
By the end, I was definitely rooting for the villain.
By the end, I was definitely rooting for the villain.
January 17, 2009
This is the fifth book of the Dr. Siri series. It is set in Laos in the late 1970's after the communists have taken over. Dr. Siri, now in his seventies, fought with the communists in the jungle. He is named national coroner in the new regime. His two assistants are Nurse Dtui, who would like to be a doctor and Mr. Geung, who has Down's syndrome. Although a longtime communist, Dr. Siri is not happy with the government, and does not always do as his boss wishes. He is the reincarnation of Yeh Ming, a thousand year old shaman, and senses things from the spirits. Although I don't know how realistic it is, the culture is well presented (the author has lived in Laos). The three main characters are well developed, and the books are very amusing. In this book, a booby-trapped corpse is delivered to the morgue, and Dr. Siri is kidnapped by the Hmong to exorcize a young woman in the tribe. I would suggest beginning the series with the first book, The Coroner's Lunch, which introduces you to the characters and their history.
April 28, 2011
I love this series, which starts with The Coroner's Lunch, Thirty-Three Teeth, Disco for the Departed, and then Anarchy and Old Dogs. Curse of the Pogo Stick is the fifth and I have the sixth waiting, The Merry Misogynist. The main character is Dr. Siri, a coroner in Laos in the late 1970s, who mixes science and the Buddhist religion well, and is helped along by a ghost and a little magic. He is in his 70s, has a wry sense of humor and great compassion for his country and the wonderful characters who help him, his nurse Dtui, former resistance fighter Madame Daeng, and Mr. Geung, who, despite by mentally handicapped, makes surprising contributions along the way. These do remind me of Alexander McCall Smith's lovely novels in the No. 1 Ladies's Detective Agency series in their development of very appealing characters and involvement in mysteries that are more about their culture than a simple who-done-it. The books present a complex, intelligent man who looks at life through a lens of great humor.
January 18, 2016
How does Dr. Siri end up being kidnapped by a bevy of Hmong females? It was that darn Ye Ming. See what happens when you are physical body of a 1000 year old Laotian deity...everybody thinks you are up for grabs. This was another bumpy fun right for Dr. Siri and crew as the work to solve a murder of a body that has some extra explosive parts. Also can Dr. Siri stop a demon from claiming a young, Hmong female before it is too late? What about those two babies and a marriage for Dr. Siri, is that going to come to pass? Did the cross dressing gold lame'ed madame get it wrong? A rollicking, good read. Start with the first one if this isn't a series you have read before,just for the character development.
March 23, 2016
A continuation of a fun series with great characters. Every book sees Dr Siri increasing the people who live with him. More spirits - some are more real than others. Laos and a failed Communist state is seen with compassion and humour. This time we are introduced to the Hmong, another example of a minority culture treated poorly by those interested in progress. And a couple of lose threads from the previous book are tidied up in the murder/mystery which is becoming a secondary part of each book with the culture and characters increasingly being featured.
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March 7, 2025Dr. Siri Paiboun and all his associates are like no other cast of characters I've ever experienced. This is a truly unique series and I'm so glad I found out about it although I have no idea how I stumbled onto such a treasure!
April 12, 2019
As always, I enjoyed this adventure with the geriatric communist coroner. Siri and Judge Haeng are in the north attending a compulsory conference. On their way back, they are attacked by a small group of Hmong, a minority ethnic group who originated from China. Theirs is a nomadic culture, and they have unfortunately moved into the chaotic region of Laos and Vietnam in the early 1970s. Siri was taken by them - actually not for himself but for Yeh Ming, the spirit of the 1000-year old shaman that has been inhabiting him. Yeh Ming is needed to exorcise a demon from a young woman.
While Siri is away, all of his cohorts - his fiancée, Madame Daeng; his morgue nurse, Dtui, and her policeman husband, Phosy; morgue clerk, Mr. Geung,; and his old friend, Civilai, have run into trouble with some Royalist assassins.
This is a really entertaining series and a very unique one; it explores such a different viewpoint and culture. As always, I use Google Maps and Images to enhance my reading experience. Laos is a country of incredible natural beauty.
While Siri is away, all of his cohorts - his fiancée, Madame Daeng; his morgue nurse, Dtui, and her policeman husband, Phosy; morgue clerk, Mr. Geung,; and his old friend, Civilai, have run into trouble with some Royalist assassins.
This is a really entertaining series and a very unique one; it explores such a different viewpoint and culture. As always, I use Google Maps and Images to enhance my reading experience. Laos is a country of incredible natural beauty.
March 24, 2022
Another adventure for Dr Siri and his people in Laos. Dr Siri has been sent to a communist party meeting in the north and while leaving, he is kidnapped by a small Hmong community. The community is struggling with only a few females and one older man remaining. The gentleman brought Dr Siri to rid his teen daughter of a demonic possession. As Dr Siri learns more of the plight of the Hmong, this team in Vientiane faces murder attempts from the Royalist operatives.
This is the second in a row of Dr Siri being separated from his team. While I appreciate that the side characters are getting more of their own storylines because they are fantastic, I do miss them all together. Cotterill does a great job to try and highlight the difficulties of the Hmong as a constant loser amongst the many conflicts, forever abandoned by all sides. I will continue to enjoy the series.
This is the second in a row of Dr Siri being separated from his team. While I appreciate that the side characters are getting more of their own storylines because they are fantastic, I do miss them all together. Cotterill does a great job to try and highlight the difficulties of the Hmong as a constant loser amongst the many conflicts, forever abandoned by all sides. I will continue to enjoy the series.
June 5, 2022
Each book in the series is filled with gentle humour and friendship which makes the shamanic element such an interesting counterpoint. But at the same time, Yeh Ming is one of the gang - part of Dr Siri’s character. Maybe his essence?
Another great story and the historical backdrop fills holes in my knowledge (to be honest, I had zero knowledge of Laos or its history before starting this series and should be careful to separate fact from fiction). The way the book is written makes me feel transported to a time and place I’ve never been - can’t ask for more than that.
Another great story and the historical backdrop fills holes in my knowledge (to be honest, I had zero knowledge of Laos or its history before starting this series and should be careful to separate fact from fiction). The way the book is written makes me feel transported to a time and place I’ve never been - can’t ask for more than that.
September 27, 2022
I just love this series. I love Dr. Siri. I love that toward the end of this book, Dr. Siri marries Madame Daeng. I like that despite hardship the books always manage to carve out joy and moments of pleasure. The title of the book was so interesting...one of those examples of a Western custom introduced to another culture to their detriment. I was pleased with the mystical quality of the Americans bothering Dr. Siri and his kindness in bringing them peace in the afterlife. Looking forward to the next book!
April 27, 2021
this episode of Siri Paiboun's adventures read like a who -dun -it and fantasy ( earthsea comes to mind) with ethnographic details . It seems that it is better to read all the Siri books if you want to know what is going on.
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