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Dr. Siri Paiboun #1
The Coroner's Lunch
Laos, 1976: Dr. Siri Paiboun, a 72-year-old medical doctor, has been unwillingly appointed the national coroner of newly-socialist Laos. Though his lab is underfunded, his boss is incompetent, and his support staff is quirky to say the least, Siri’s sense of humor gets him through his often frustrating days.
When the body of the wife of a prominent politician comes through his morgue, Siri has reason to suspect the woman has been murdered. To get to the truth, Siri and his team face government secrets, spying neighbors, victim hauntings, Hmong shamans, botched romances, and other deadly dangers. Somehow, Siri must figure out a way to balance the will of the party and the will of the dead.
When the body of the wife of a prominent politician comes through his morgue, Siri has reason to suspect the woman has been murdered. To get to the truth, Siri and his team face government secrets, spying neighbors, victim hauntings, Hmong shamans, botched romances, and other deadly dangers. Somehow, Siri must figure out a way to balance the will of the party and the will of the dead.
257 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
635 people are currently reading
12481 people want to read
About the author
Colin Cotterill
73 books1,021 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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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,124 reviews
May 3, 2025
It's a new genre--the magical mystery (and if you finished the sentence with "tour," stop reading and click here: go listen to the Beatles).
Dr. Siri, a member of the Communist Party for forty-seven years, has been made the first coroner in the new republic. We meet him sharing a case with a judge who has a talent for inappropriate mottos and is not "even bright enough for sarcasm." Dr. Siri, being twenty-two years past his normal lifespan, has reached a certain passivity in life that is about to be woken up by ghosts. The occult element is introduced well, first discovered in a history of vivid dreams, then appearing in that hazy time in between sleep and awakening, so neither Dr. Siri nor the reader are entirely certain what is real and what is imagined. However, the ghosts are leaving him with insight into their death, too coincidental to be entirely imagined. In a flashback we learn that Comrade Kham is the senior party member who told Siri of his new and reluctantly accepted position serving the Party, and the stage is set for danger when Kham's wife becomes his next coroner's case. Troubles only increase when he is brought a second body of a Vietnamese man who appears to have been tortured and drowned.
Dr. Siri is one of the more interesting narrators I've met in a long while. The author nicely captures the voice of a weary elderly person, but placing him in Communist Laos in the 1970s is sheer narrative genius. By following Siri through his duties, we're given insight into a society and time period most readers know little about. His irreverent thoughts about his political party, while full of affection for his people, is part of what makes reading so enjoyable. "If the truth were to be told, he was a heathen of a communist." We are never specifically told he is disaffected, but the wry tone makes it clear: "It was the authorities' gift to the people. They didn't want a single man, woman, or child to miss out on the heart-swelling pride that comes from resurfacing a road or dredging a stream."
The surrounding characters are entertaining as well, and while they could be a little more developed, they are fleshed out enough to be more than mere props. Dtui, the comic-reading nurse, and Geung, the assistant with Down's syndrome, are his morgue assistants, and prove to be invaluable allies as he attempts to solves the various cases. Their interactions bring enjoyable touches of humanity to Siri, as do his brainstorming sessions with the eccentric Comrade Civilai.
Overall, the style reminds me of The Number One Ladies Detective Agency Volume 6, without rose-colored glasses. There's acknowledgement of the brutality of revolution and of corruption within the system, but it's dealt with in a forthright manner and only enhances the mystery. In fact, one of the joys of the book is how Siri manipulates the system, demonstrates compassion and fixes a number of injustices. The writing is atmospheric without drowning in description, and has something of poetry about it. If you are a fan of the character-driven mystery, I enthusiastically recommend this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next installments in the series, and even re-reading this one.
Best character summation ever:
"There was nothing fake or added about him. He was all himself."
Most apt description of memory failure:
"He put his hand on his forehead and scoured the French department of his memory for a word. He knew it was in there. He'd put it in almost fifty years before and hadn't had cause to remove it. But for the life of him he couldn't find it."
Four and a half elderly stars.
Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...
Re-read May 2025. This holds up so well, this slice of life from 1970s Laos to now. I think I would have to bump it up. My only hesitation, which is born out of a knowledge gap, is if it is culturally accurate.
Dr. Siri, a member of the Communist Party for forty-seven years, has been made the first coroner in the new republic. We meet him sharing a case with a judge who has a talent for inappropriate mottos and is not "even bright enough for sarcasm." Dr. Siri, being twenty-two years past his normal lifespan, has reached a certain passivity in life that is about to be woken up by ghosts. The occult element is introduced well, first discovered in a history of vivid dreams, then appearing in that hazy time in between sleep and awakening, so neither Dr. Siri nor the reader are entirely certain what is real and what is imagined. However, the ghosts are leaving him with insight into their death, too coincidental to be entirely imagined. In a flashback we learn that Comrade Kham is the senior party member who told Siri of his new and reluctantly accepted position serving the Party, and the stage is set for danger when Kham's wife becomes his next coroner's case. Troubles only increase when he is brought a second body of a Vietnamese man who appears to have been tortured and drowned.
Dr. Siri is one of the more interesting narrators I've met in a long while. The author nicely captures the voice of a weary elderly person, but placing him in Communist Laos in the 1970s is sheer narrative genius. By following Siri through his duties, we're given insight into a society and time period most readers know little about. His irreverent thoughts about his political party, while full of affection for his people, is part of what makes reading so enjoyable. "If the truth were to be told, he was a heathen of a communist." We are never specifically told he is disaffected, but the wry tone makes it clear: "It was the authorities' gift to the people. They didn't want a single man, woman, or child to miss out on the heart-swelling pride that comes from resurfacing a road or dredging a stream."
The surrounding characters are entertaining as well, and while they could be a little more developed, they are fleshed out enough to be more than mere props. Dtui, the comic-reading nurse, and Geung, the assistant with Down's syndrome, are his morgue assistants, and prove to be invaluable allies as he attempts to solves the various cases. Their interactions bring enjoyable touches of humanity to Siri, as do his brainstorming sessions with the eccentric Comrade Civilai.
Overall, the style reminds me of The Number One Ladies Detective Agency Volume 6, without rose-colored glasses. There's acknowledgement of the brutality of revolution and of corruption within the system, but it's dealt with in a forthright manner and only enhances the mystery. In fact, one of the joys of the book is how Siri manipulates the system, demonstrates compassion and fixes a number of injustices. The writing is atmospheric without drowning in description, and has something of poetry about it. If you are a fan of the character-driven mystery, I enthusiastically recommend this book. I'm looking forward to reading the next installments in the series, and even re-reading this one.
Best character summation ever:
"There was nothing fake or added about him. He was all himself."
Most apt description of memory failure:
"He put his hand on his forehead and scoured the French department of his memory for a word. He knew it was in there. He'd put it in almost fifty years before and hadn't had cause to remove it. But for the life of him he couldn't find it."
Four and a half elderly stars.
Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/0...
Re-read May 2025. This holds up so well, this slice of life from 1970s Laos to now. I think I would have to bump it up. My only hesitation, which is born out of a knowledge gap, is if it is culturally accurate.
April 5, 2020
A combination of thriller, ghost novel and satire in an exotic setting, dominated by an authoritarian government.
Dr Siri is a cynical guy, always balancing close to saying something that could let him disappear forever if the wrong person would hear it. But, due to the bad education in the dictatorship, he is forced to play the coroner against his will.
I like thrillers with fresh, unused ideas that arrange new settings and unusual ideas and the pinch of metaphysical content makes it perfect. There is so much subtext, innuendos, and hidden depts, especially with a focus on the region, that friends of East Asia may find it even more entertaining.
A wiki walk can be as refreshing to the mind as a walk through nature in this completely overrated real life outside books:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_C...
Dr Siri is a cynical guy, always balancing close to saying something that could let him disappear forever if the wrong person would hear it. But, due to the bad education in the dictatorship, he is forced to play the coroner against his will.
I like thrillers with fresh, unused ideas that arrange new settings and unusual ideas and the pinch of metaphysical content makes it perfect. There is so much subtext, innuendos, and hidden depts, especially with a focus on the region, that friends of East Asia may find it even more entertaining.
A wiki walk can be as refreshing to the mind as a walk through nature in this completely overrated real life outside books:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_C...
January 12, 2019
A gem of a book, with an exotic setting too! Set in 1976 Laos after the communist takeover, it follows unlikely state coroner Dr Siri Paiboun, a 72 year old doctor that got the job by default, whether he wanted it or not. Siri and his lab techs have everything under control, until the arrival of a politicians dead wife and another body of a man who popped out of a lake. So starts the spiral where things get out of control. Siri has his work cut out, not by the bodies that slowly give up their secrets, but by the powers that be that don't want those secrets to get out. So Siri, with the help of his friends, put's his detective cap on and goes to sieve out the baddies.
This is a wonderful book, filled with quirky characters. Colin Cotterill tells a believable, yet witty tale that had me chuckling along in many places. It shows that no matter how oppressive the regime, or any situation may be, there is always hope. Recommended.
This is a wonderful book, filled with quirky characters. Colin Cotterill tells a believable, yet witty tale that had me chuckling along in many places. It shows that no matter how oppressive the regime, or any situation may be, there is always hope. Recommended.
March 21, 2016
4 stars
This was a very entertaining and refreshingly different read! Set in the communist country of Laos during the 1970's, The Coroner's Lunch is a mystery/crime novel with a bit of the supernatural and a nice dose of humor thrown into the mix. I absolutely loved Dr. Siri Paiboun, a bit of an atypical sort of hero, but a very charming and convincing one despite his background and his seventy-two years. Siri is not in the least a detective, but instead has his training in medicine. With retirement on his mind, he suddenly finds himself thrown into the role of the nation's coroner. After just a few short and rather uneventful months on the job, Siri and his cohorts, morgue assistants nurse Dtui and Mr. Geung, are all at once in the middle of some high profile murder cases with the party officials keeping a close eye on their progress.
Now, you might say supernatural is not for you. It's not necessarily my usual cup of tea either, but it worked for me here. Some regional superstition makes the story more interesting from a cultural perspective. Siri himself has the gift, or perhaps he would say the curse, of an occasional posthumous visit by some of his former "customers".
The characters in this book were a huge pull for me. Dr. Siri Paiboun is very well-drawn. We learn so much about his past, his beliefs, his kindness and his sense of humanity, and his wit. "Despite having joined the Communist Party for entirely inappropriate reasons, Siri had been a paid-up member for forty-seven years. If the truth were to be told, he was a heathen of a communist. He'd come to believe two conflicting ideas with equal conviction: that communism was the only way man could be truly content; and that man, given his selfish ways, could never practice communism with any success."
I enjoyed Siri's interactions with his assistants Nurse Dtui and Mr. Geung and we get to know these two like a couple of familiar friends as well. There were also a handful of other characters that Siri can depend on and a few that were either fairly incompetent or clearly corrupt. The author expertly reflects the political climate of the time through some of these extras. The plot moves along at a good pace and I admit I thought I had at least one mystery solved only to find I was evidently quite mistaken. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy a mystery in a more exotic setting with a fascinating historical background. It is not overly graphic, if you tend to shy away from that sort of a crime novel, but it may not be completely "cozy" either. Overall, a really fun read and I intend to delve into the next in this series.
This was a very entertaining and refreshingly different read! Set in the communist country of Laos during the 1970's, The Coroner's Lunch is a mystery/crime novel with a bit of the supernatural and a nice dose of humor thrown into the mix. I absolutely loved Dr. Siri Paiboun, a bit of an atypical sort of hero, but a very charming and convincing one despite his background and his seventy-two years. Siri is not in the least a detective, but instead has his training in medicine. With retirement on his mind, he suddenly finds himself thrown into the role of the nation's coroner. After just a few short and rather uneventful months on the job, Siri and his cohorts, morgue assistants nurse Dtui and Mr. Geung, are all at once in the middle of some high profile murder cases with the party officials keeping a close eye on their progress.
Now, you might say supernatural is not for you. It's not necessarily my usual cup of tea either, but it worked for me here. Some regional superstition makes the story more interesting from a cultural perspective. Siri himself has the gift, or perhaps he would say the curse, of an occasional posthumous visit by some of his former "customers".
The characters in this book were a huge pull for me. Dr. Siri Paiboun is very well-drawn. We learn so much about his past, his beliefs, his kindness and his sense of humanity, and his wit. "Despite having joined the Communist Party for entirely inappropriate reasons, Siri had been a paid-up member for forty-seven years. If the truth were to be told, he was a heathen of a communist. He'd come to believe two conflicting ideas with equal conviction: that communism was the only way man could be truly content; and that man, given his selfish ways, could never practice communism with any success."
I enjoyed Siri's interactions with his assistants Nurse Dtui and Mr. Geung and we get to know these two like a couple of familiar friends as well. There were also a handful of other characters that Siri can depend on and a few that were either fairly incompetent or clearly corrupt. The author expertly reflects the political climate of the time through some of these extras. The plot moves along at a good pace and I admit I thought I had at least one mystery solved only to find I was evidently quite mistaken. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy a mystery in a more exotic setting with a fascinating historical background. It is not overly graphic, if you tend to shy away from that sort of a crime novel, but it may not be completely "cozy" either. Overall, a really fun read and I intend to delve into the next in this series.
January 30, 2018
I can’t remember how I stumbled across this book. Was it an Amazon daily deal? A Prime book of the month? Whatever, it has languished on my kindle for months if not years. Somehow my husband read it before I did and was heavy on the praise (and the laughter). I can see why. This book is strong on dry wit and sarcasm. It takes place in 1978 Laos. Dr. Siri is a 72 year old coroner not exactly in love with the communist regime. I found myself consistently chuckling at the good doctor’s takes on life under the regime.
I highly recommend this book to anyone in need of some light hearted humor.
April 28, 2019
I had been looking for this book for a while. I had an all too brief holiday in Laos a couple of years ago & would go back in a heartbeat. & while a lot of tourists are disappointed in Vientiane, I wasn't. I liked the France meets Asia charm.
The beginning of this book was really good, packed full of characters, wit & charm. The politics of Laos & how the septuagenarian Dr Siri Paiboun became the Laotian coroner was hilarious.
The trouble is, it became too packed full of characters, & I had a lot of trouble keeping them all straight. It also sagged badly in the middle & ended up having to push myself to finish. & a fair bit of the old woo-woo. I'm not fond of magic realism & this seems a cheat's way to solve a mystery.
I'm not sure if I will continue with this series, but I may try Cotterill's Jimm Jurree series, as my library system stocks quite a few of these titles.
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
The beginning of this book was really good, packed full of characters, wit & charm. The politics of Laos & how the septuagenarian Dr Siri Paiboun became the Laotian coroner was hilarious.
The trouble is, it became too packed full of characters, & I had a lot of trouble keeping them all straight. It also sagged badly in the middle & ended up having to push myself to finish. & a fair bit of the old woo-woo. I'm not fond of magic realism & this seems a cheat's way to solve a mystery.
I'm not sure if I will continue with this series, but I may try Cotterill's Jimm Jurree series, as my library system stocks quite a few of these titles.
https://wordpress.com/view/carolshess...
December 17, 2017
I love the German title for this novel, Den motvillige kommunisten (Dr. Siri Paiboun, #1) It must mean something like 'the willfull communists' (or purposeful communists?)- which is satirical in itself. !!! Oops, I've had it wrong. See Tania's comments below. !!!
THE BLURB
Laos, 1978: Dr. Siri Paiboun, a 72-year-old medical doctor, has been unwillingly appointed the national coroner of newly-socialist Laos. Though his lab is underfunded, his boss is incompetent, and his support staff is quirky to say the least, Siri’s sense of humor gets him through his often frustrating days.
When the body of the wife of a prominent politician comes through his morgue, Siri has reason to suspect the woman has been murdered. To get to the truth, Siri and his team face government secrets, spying neighbors, victim hauntings, Hmong shamans, botched romances, and other deadly dangers. Somehow, Siri must figure out a way to balance the will of the party and the will of the dead.
I did not know what to expect, but got a wonderful surprise. This is CSI, Lagos style, with perky, quirky characters, a murder mystery plot and a 72-year-old coroner in the lead. It was so different and really refreshing to spend time in the company of this bunch of neo-communists in an exotic surrounding. It's almost a fun read. There's some serious, highly interesting cultural events, and then there are the lighter moments that had me smiling at Comrades for the first time :-)) It's a funny thing to say, but I really expected one of those dark, depressing, upsetting reads. This is so different. The wit was just fantastic.
This is another story that needed to be read. It has been so long on my TBR list, or should I say Mount TBR. It feels wonderful to close this year nearer to the summit. I love this author's writing style. Will read him again.
THE BLURB
Laos, 1978: Dr. Siri Paiboun, a 72-year-old medical doctor, has been unwillingly appointed the national coroner of newly-socialist Laos. Though his lab is underfunded, his boss is incompetent, and his support staff is quirky to say the least, Siri’s sense of humor gets him through his often frustrating days.
When the body of the wife of a prominent politician comes through his morgue, Siri has reason to suspect the woman has been murdered. To get to the truth, Siri and his team face government secrets, spying neighbors, victim hauntings, Hmong shamans, botched romances, and other deadly dangers. Somehow, Siri must figure out a way to balance the will of the party and the will of the dead.
I did not know what to expect, but got a wonderful surprise. This is CSI, Lagos style, with perky, quirky characters, a murder mystery plot and a 72-year-old coroner in the lead. It was so different and really refreshing to spend time in the company of this bunch of neo-communists in an exotic surrounding. It's almost a fun read. There's some serious, highly interesting cultural events, and then there are the lighter moments that had me smiling at Comrades for the first time :-)) It's a funny thing to say, but I really expected one of those dark, depressing, upsetting reads. This is so different. The wit was just fantastic.
This is another story that needed to be read. It has been so long on my TBR list, or should I say Mount TBR. It feels wonderful to close this year nearer to the summit. I love this author's writing style. Will read him again.
January 26, 2016
I likely would never have found The Coroner's Lunch if it hadn't been a group read for The World's Literature book group here on Goodreads, and it would have been my loss. If, like me, you like mysteries but weary of the formulaic cynical police investigator or PI, the standard 6 - 8-character cozy village and requisite 2 red herrings and misdirection, this first Dr. Siri novel from Colin Cotterill is a must-read. Dr. Siri is a wonderful, believable character. Laos is a character in its own right, as is the particular world of the mid-70s when this story takes place. Politics, marriage, getting along with difficult colleagues, having to a job without equipment or resources, picking smart battles: all of these topics are universal, notwithstanding differing cultural backgrounds. I had no difficulty accepting the impact of the spirit world on the story or Dr. Siri's thinking because it mad sense for a character in a Buddhist-influenced culture, and the spiritual wasn't a cop-out for hiding key facts from the reader. Bonus: I learned enough about Laos to make me want to pursue more books set there, and I'm definitely proceeding to #2 in the Dr. Siri series.
February 21, 2025
“The Coroner’s Lunch” was published in 2004 and is a highly special find for me. It is not only because author Colin Cotterill gives us the unique setting of Laos and an elderly sleuth. It is not even merely because, rather than tacking a location onto a mystery; he does justice to a recent historic snapshot of this lifetime. Immersing worldwide readers into the milieu of a poorly-known communist culture and enabling us to relate to them, is an impressive educational feat.
A mystery is plotted intricately, with tricky threads and unpredictable action. If anyone’s interest needed coaxing with all of this rich content; a sideline whereby Dr. Siri Paiboun might be the reincarnation of a recognized mystical figure, assuredly draws me in. However, I am most enthusiastic about a personal connection, that started when I was about six years-old.
It is common for Manitoba to welcome refugees. A boy from Laos started grade 2 with me and I somehow befriended his older Sister. I remember my class teaching him English and only knew that they had escaped a war; or an undesirable post-war environment. I am overdue to learn about Laos and a political shift that sent two of my first friends to my country. Can you imagine my wonderment, at discovering a mystery series covering this particular place and history? I feel like I honour these friends of my past, for knowing a bit about their origins. I didn’t dream I would encounter a personal connection like this!
I want people who champion non-fiction to know: I always find fictional stories an excellent way to glean real concepts. It is my personal delight to acquaint Laos of the early 1980s, through the vehicle of following a fantastic metaphysical mystery series. I appreciate Colin’s construction of a uniquely-enlightening series!
A mystery is plotted intricately, with tricky threads and unpredictable action. If anyone’s interest needed coaxing with all of this rich content; a sideline whereby Dr. Siri Paiboun might be the reincarnation of a recognized mystical figure, assuredly draws me in. However, I am most enthusiastic about a personal connection, that started when I was about six years-old.
It is common for Manitoba to welcome refugees. A boy from Laos started grade 2 with me and I somehow befriended his older Sister. I remember my class teaching him English and only knew that they had escaped a war; or an undesirable post-war environment. I am overdue to learn about Laos and a political shift that sent two of my first friends to my country. Can you imagine my wonderment, at discovering a mystery series covering this particular place and history? I feel like I honour these friends of my past, for knowing a bit about their origins. I didn’t dream I would encounter a personal connection like this!
I want people who champion non-fiction to know: I always find fictional stories an excellent way to glean real concepts. It is my personal delight to acquaint Laos of the early 1980s, through the vehicle of following a fantastic metaphysical mystery series. I appreciate Colin’s construction of a uniquely-enlightening series!
May 24, 2011
I loved this one so much I immediately requested the next one in the series from my library, even though I've already got a large stack of books to read. The characters are well-developed and intriguing; especially the doctor and his unusual staff. I really enjoyed the supernatural element, too. Gosh, I seemed tongue-tied; unable to find the right words to describe this unique book. It was humorous without being silly, and uplifting without being preachy. A small page-turner; easily read in a day.
April 8, 2013
This review can now be seen on Shelf Indulgence!
August 28, 2015
I read this book in 4 days. It was an easy read and a solid 4 stars. Dr. Siri Paiboun is a doctor who has been appointed the chief (and only) coroner of Laos. He is 72 and had planned to retire, but was not given a choice. He has 2 assistants, 1 of whom has Down's Syndrome. He has almost no equipment--an ancient microscope, a few books and no way to test for poison. Despite all these handicaps, he manages to solve several murders and make some nasty enemies at the same time. He has to deal with Laotian communist politics and corruption while finding ingenious ways to solve his cases.
May 13, 2018
Now here I was, ladies and gents, just snuggling down with a perfect cosy mystery, The Coroner's Lunch, and thinking there would be a few twists and turns, a little mayhem, and voila -- comfort delivered. But before I reached page 10, I was laughing out loud in sheer delicious enjoyment, and I knew that although I had come to the right place for a cosy feeling, I was going to get far more than I bargained for. In a good way.
Dr. Siri Paiboun is a brilliant anti-revolutionary revolutionary-cum-coroner who learned his physician's trade in Paris and his autopsy skills from a DIY textbook. (Having been given no other option in communist Laos, Dr. Siri is not without innate resourcefulness.) He is a dreamer, both literally and figuratively: he dreams of peace and equanimity as he struggles within the corruption rampant in his country; at night, he is visited by the spirits of the dead who help him solve mysteries, and re-balance his life.
He is sweet and sentimental -- if slightly misanthropic. (Yes, the contradictions do not escape me.) He is irreverent and a-social, and yet kind, funny, and warm. He sounds like a real human being, hmm?? Go figure! In this context, there is special enjoyment of all the characters: there is actual character growth and development, so often ignored in cosy mysteries where all the characters remain flat, stagnant. Each of Cotteril's recurring characters is endowed with spirit, humour and development.
As I relished Dr. Siri's witticisms and his cynical bent, (he being one of the founding fathers of cynicism, apparently) I wondered out loud ... Dr. Siri, where have you been all my life?
What a delightful read! I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
Dr. Siri Paiboun is a brilliant anti-revolutionary revolutionary-cum-coroner who learned his physician's trade in Paris and his autopsy skills from a DIY textbook. (Having been given no other option in communist Laos, Dr. Siri is not without innate resourcefulness.) He is a dreamer, both literally and figuratively: he dreams of peace and equanimity as he struggles within the corruption rampant in his country; at night, he is visited by the spirits of the dead who help him solve mysteries, and re-balance his life.
He is sweet and sentimental -- if slightly misanthropic. (Yes, the contradictions do not escape me.) He is irreverent and a-social, and yet kind, funny, and warm. He sounds like a real human being, hmm?? Go figure! In this context, there is special enjoyment of all the characters: there is actual character growth and development, so often ignored in cosy mysteries where all the characters remain flat, stagnant. Each of Cotteril's recurring characters is endowed with spirit, humour and development.
As I relished Dr. Siri's witticisms and his cynical bent, (he being one of the founding fathers of cynicism, apparently) I wondered out loud ... Dr. Siri, where have you been all my life?
What a delightful read! I'm looking forward to the rest of the series.
May 24, 2020
3.5 stars
I liked it especially because it was different. The dead, often murdered, appear to a 72 year old doctor/pathologist in Laos and help him to solve crimes. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
I liked it especially because it was different. The dead, often murdered, appear to a 72 year old doctor/pathologist in Laos and help him to solve crimes. I'm looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
September 12, 2018
When America took up the war in Vietnam that the French started, the war spread into neighboring countries such as Laos, causing war there, too. As this cozy takes place shortly after that horrible devastation, I read this ‘fun’ novel feeling discombobulated.
If readers can suspend memories of the raw war footage of the things that occurred in Laos and Vietnam in the 1960’s and 1970’s, as well as of the horrible ongoing poverty, and the selling of young country girls into sexual slavery for food, and the cruelty of the authoritarian dictatorship, this is a very entertaining and engrossing mystery cozy. There are a few stomach-turning descriptions of corpses, but they are not lingered over and described any more than necessary.
The main character is an elderly 72-year-old physician, who never trained as a medical examiner but he is forcibly recruited into that job by the newly victorious Communist government. It is 1976. Dr. Siri is educated, a quick learner and a widower, his wife having died in mysterious circumstances. Expecting to retire, instead he is running a morgue with cozy-quirky lovable assistants, with an inexperienced and incompetent boss, and a partially corrupt military and police power structure surrounding all daily life with spies, strict rules of conformity and restrictions. A paranormal talent is thrown into the plot, too. Dr. Siri can see and talk to spirits of the recently undead. It is handled very plausibly.
Under the hands of many authors this novel would be a bleak, dark noir, but instead the police-state enforced conformity, official corruption and poverty are treated only as simple unpleasantries. In the book, political terror and the police can be got around with humor and style, and the tone is of a fun cozy, with Laotian-styling. If you can swallow the huge shift in perception, it's a very good read, with lovable characters, bravery under action, bad guys being defeated and multiple mysteries being solved. A romance is begun by the end, as Dr. Siri, in surviving death threats after getting too close to solving several, unconnected murders, decides he is up to the challenge of asking for a date. His date is very unconventional as well, but it caused me to be queasy, not just discombobulated. Yes, it bothered me
This is an odd story because it has cute family-oriented elements - disorienting because of its setting. It is clear in the book that Communism is causing shortages of medical supplies and of educational opportunities, as well as of individual freedoms. Old buildings built by foreigners are not being repaired as they wear out. The plot is written with wonderfully sunny cozy elements in the middle of the terrors of Laos in the 1970’s. It had me reading with my mouth open in disbelief. I've had some experience with childhood poverty in a bad neighborhood, and frankly, the humorous cozy landscape of this mystery novel seems like utter nonsense to me. Did Laotians actually escape any suffering from PTSD or from feeling any lingering emotional pain after the wrenching agony of physical disabilities caused by mines, bombs and bullets, and after their farms were burned and villages were destroyed? It is possible, I suppose, to maintain a middle-class moral compass and a hopeful determination to succeed, as well as maintaining a darkly cynical humor and peaceful family life, but it seems to me genuine contentment happens only in situations where you see the light at the end of the tunnel, and over time, with access to a few comforts like a working infrastructure.
The author lived and is still living in this area of the world, so I guess he'd know a lot more than me about Loation life. It's just that this 'cozy' representation of simple, happy, resilient, and making-do characters who have won a war a few months ago at great cost to life, limbs wealth and safety, only to emerge into a corrupt dictatorship in charge, which is determined to steal the few resources left and which is stamping out violently any sign of personal disatisfaction from anyone rash enough to appear unhappy with the new regime as well as all political life, is beyond my ability to believe. I have never seen this kind of destructive social disruption become immediate happiness the next day. That doesn't mean the author did not experience it while living in Laos. However, I think the Laotions are unusually resilient in this book.
As for myself, I've got a poisoned attitude by reading news stories like this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/...
I know, as a comparison, England had some dreadful war history too, but generally a cozy set in present-day England seems more believable than a cozy setting in Laos. England still had infrastructure, educational opportunities and minimal government social engineering (in comparison to Communism) and health services available on a widespread basis, generally. Anesthetics and pain killers. Just saying. I'm stating the obvious, somewhat for ironical reasons. Third World countries can be happy without First World infrastructure benefits, I believe. But adding in political oppression and elite resource stealing without any sharing of the benefits and no legal protections - am I being ignorant here? I'd be happy to be set right. As far as I know, all dictatorships demand conformity or else they quickly arrest, imprison, and kill.
What's needed to enjoy this novel, gentle reader, is a complete suspension of reality, and an ability to think of Laos as being no different than say, our American 1950's television setting of the family-oriented small southern TV town of Mayberry, only with a heightened familiarity with death and corrupt political leaders. (The Laotian version of our cozy TV characters is the local man with deputies who will shoot you for being odd, or because he was bribed to kill you. And all of your neighbors shrug it off with very little angst while cooking dinner - if they have any food to cook.)
Why the three stars? Because it is well-written and nicely complex, exactly what you want from a cozy mystery. It is not my kind of witty plot, or satirical in the least, except in names, but it is slyly humorous with people you will recognize from your Western World cozy neighborhood. It fulfills genre requirements on every level. If you are young and have no idea of history or are insensitive or unaware to the societal costs and effects of war and martial law and the victimization of folks military regimes consider defective humans, or simply want a nice mystery, it's a perfectly good cozy. My discomfort and tilting sense of unreality is due entirely to the backstory I myself bring to the story. I don't want to recommend this light, gentle book about the twitting of powerful martinets who can put you into torture camps or disappear you as a beach read. But the Laotians in this cozy somehow manage to keep chins up and smiles on, because of the lovely day with a hello for the neighbors (all of them spies). Not exactly.
I felt a peculiar unreal sideways disorientation throughout my reading (listening, actually) of ‘The Coroner’s Lunch’, but in thinking about it, I guess it's possible ordinary Laotians might live quiet tranquil lives with ordinary joys in 1976 right after a war which destroyed everything. Maybe street Laotians do feel no fears or depression, despite the constant dangers of arrest and torture and imprisonment without representation under their police-state government. Maybe unlike 20th-century Russians, Laotians are not grim under the daily struggle looking for the four necessities to being alive - water, food, shelter and clothing. The author Colin Cotterill makes a specific point at the end of the book about life being better if faced with determination and a stiff upper lip, more or less, making lemonade of lemons, etc. - not in those words, but basically that's the point.
Cozy readers will probably think Laos is nice upon finishing this book. Maybe.
If readers can suspend memories of the raw war footage of the things that occurred in Laos and Vietnam in the 1960’s and 1970’s, as well as of the horrible ongoing poverty, and the selling of young country girls into sexual slavery for food, and the cruelty of the authoritarian dictatorship, this is a very entertaining and engrossing mystery cozy. There are a few stomach-turning descriptions of corpses, but they are not lingered over and described any more than necessary.
The main character is an elderly 72-year-old physician, who never trained as a medical examiner but he is forcibly recruited into that job by the newly victorious Communist government. It is 1976. Dr. Siri is educated, a quick learner and a widower, his wife having died in mysterious circumstances. Expecting to retire, instead he is running a morgue with cozy-quirky lovable assistants, with an inexperienced and incompetent boss, and a partially corrupt military and police power structure surrounding all daily life with spies, strict rules of conformity and restrictions. A paranormal talent is thrown into the plot, too. Dr. Siri can see and talk to spirits of the recently undead. It is handled very plausibly.
Under the hands of many authors this novel would be a bleak, dark noir, but instead the police-state enforced conformity, official corruption and poverty are treated only as simple unpleasantries. In the book, political terror and the police can be got around with humor and style, and the tone is of a fun cozy, with Laotian-styling. If you can swallow the huge shift in perception, it's a very good read, with lovable characters, bravery under action, bad guys being defeated and multiple mysteries being solved. A romance is begun by the end, as Dr. Siri, in surviving death threats after getting too close to solving several, unconnected murders, decides he is up to the challenge of asking for a date. His date is very unconventional as well, but it caused me to be queasy, not just discombobulated. Yes, it bothered me
This is an odd story because it has cute family-oriented elements - disorienting because of its setting. It is clear in the book that Communism is causing shortages of medical supplies and of educational opportunities, as well as of individual freedoms. Old buildings built by foreigners are not being repaired as they wear out. The plot is written with wonderfully sunny cozy elements in the middle of the terrors of Laos in the 1970’s. It had me reading with my mouth open in disbelief. I've had some experience with childhood poverty in a bad neighborhood, and frankly, the humorous cozy landscape of this mystery novel seems like utter nonsense to me. Did Laotians actually escape any suffering from PTSD or from feeling any lingering emotional pain after the wrenching agony of physical disabilities caused by mines, bombs and bullets, and after their farms were burned and villages were destroyed? It is possible, I suppose, to maintain a middle-class moral compass and a hopeful determination to succeed, as well as maintaining a darkly cynical humor and peaceful family life, but it seems to me genuine contentment happens only in situations where you see the light at the end of the tunnel, and over time, with access to a few comforts like a working infrastructure.
The author lived and is still living in this area of the world, so I guess he'd know a lot more than me about Loation life. It's just that this 'cozy' representation of simple, happy, resilient, and making-do characters who have won a war a few months ago at great cost to life, limbs wealth and safety, only to emerge into a corrupt dictatorship in charge, which is determined to steal the few resources left and which is stamping out violently any sign of personal disatisfaction from anyone rash enough to appear unhappy with the new regime as well as all political life, is beyond my ability to believe. I have never seen this kind of destructive social disruption become immediate happiness the next day. That doesn't mean the author did not experience it while living in Laos. However, I think the Laotions are unusually resilient in this book.
As for myself, I've got a poisoned attitude by reading news stories like this: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/...
I know, as a comparison, England had some dreadful war history too, but generally a cozy set in present-day England seems more believable than a cozy setting in Laos. England still had infrastructure, educational opportunities and minimal government social engineering (in comparison to Communism) and health services available on a widespread basis, generally. Anesthetics and pain killers. Just saying. I'm stating the obvious, somewhat for ironical reasons. Third World countries can be happy without First World infrastructure benefits, I believe. But adding in political oppression and elite resource stealing without any sharing of the benefits and no legal protections - am I being ignorant here? I'd be happy to be set right. As far as I know, all dictatorships demand conformity or else they quickly arrest, imprison, and kill.
What's needed to enjoy this novel, gentle reader, is a complete suspension of reality, and an ability to think of Laos as being no different than say, our American 1950's television setting of the family-oriented small southern TV town of Mayberry, only with a heightened familiarity with death and corrupt political leaders. (The Laotian version of our cozy TV characters is the local man with deputies who will shoot you for being odd, or because he was bribed to kill you. And all of your neighbors shrug it off with very little angst while cooking dinner - if they have any food to cook.)
Why the three stars? Because it is well-written and nicely complex, exactly what you want from a cozy mystery. It is not my kind of witty plot, or satirical in the least, except in names, but it is slyly humorous with people you will recognize from your Western World cozy neighborhood. It fulfills genre requirements on every level. If you are young and have no idea of history or are insensitive or unaware to the societal costs and effects of war and martial law and the victimization of folks military regimes consider defective humans, or simply want a nice mystery, it's a perfectly good cozy. My discomfort and tilting sense of unreality is due entirely to the backstory I myself bring to the story. I don't want to recommend this light, gentle book about the twitting of powerful martinets who can put you into torture camps or disappear you as a beach read. But the Laotians in this cozy somehow manage to keep chins up and smiles on, because of the lovely day with a hello for the neighbors (all of them spies). Not exactly.
I felt a peculiar unreal sideways disorientation throughout my reading (listening, actually) of ‘The Coroner’s Lunch’, but in thinking about it, I guess it's possible ordinary Laotians might live quiet tranquil lives with ordinary joys in 1976 right after a war which destroyed everything. Maybe street Laotians do feel no fears or depression, despite the constant dangers of arrest and torture and imprisonment without representation under their police-state government. Maybe unlike 20th-century Russians, Laotians are not grim under the daily struggle looking for the four necessities to being alive - water, food, shelter and clothing. The author Colin Cotterill makes a specific point at the end of the book about life being better if faced with determination and a stiff upper lip, more or less, making lemonade of lemons, etc. - not in those words, but basically that's the point.
Cozy readers will probably think Laos is nice upon finishing this book. Maybe.
April 24, 2012
This novel is set in Laos in 1976, shortly after the communist group Pathet Lao took political power, abolished the monarchy and established the Lao People's Democratic Republic. The narrative centres on Dr Siri Paiboun, who joined the communists because of his love for a woman rather than because of political conviction, worked with the group during its long insurgency and, at the age of 72 and longing for a quite retirement, is given the job of being Laos’ chief - and only - coroner. Through his work in this role, Dr Siri investigates deaths which aren’t what they seem to be and comes to understand his own disturbing “gift”: Dr Siri sees the spirits of the dead.
In Dr Siri Paiboun, Cotterill has created a memorable character. He is described as one of the “founding fathers of cynicism” and that cynicism, a self-deprecating sense of humour and a lively appreciation of the ridiculous bring much humour to the narrative. The supporting characters are also well-drawn and the setting is both exotic and interesting. Indeed, it would be almost worth reading the novel just for the information Cotterill imparts about the political and social situation in Laos in the mid-1970s. This is done with a very light touch; there is nothing awkward about the way in which the narrative is located in its place and time.
The plot is interesting enough without being compelling, although it’s fair to say that the plot is not the real reason to read the book. The supernatural element – that is, Dr Siri’s ability to see the spirits of the dead – is quite well done. I was not entirely persuaded by it, but given that it has its roots in Lao folk religion it’s not an unreasonable device for Cotterill to use. This was a 3-1/2 star read, rounded up to 4 stars because of my love for the person who gave me the book.
I own an edition of the novel which was published and printed in the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic.* It was given to me about three years ago, a gift from a dear colleague and friend who bought it in Laos, while she was there on holidays. While my friend and I shared a love of crime fiction and often gave or lent each other books, I didn’t get around to reading the novel immediately. Almost a year ago my friend died very suddenly. Since then I’ve seen her gift on my bookshelf and haven’t been able to pick it up for fear that reading it would make me miss her too much. Well, it has made me miss her, but I’m so glad that I have this book, a physical memento of our friendship and our shared love of crime fiction. Vale, Agnes!
*The industry in Laos could do with some quality control. My copy of the book is missing three pages. I initially thought that either I had missed something or that there was a continuity error in the writing. It took me a few minutes to realise that the book went from page 142 to page 145. My ability to understand the plot did not seem to be adversely affected by the missing pages.
March 31, 2019
Dr Siri the national (and only) coroner of Laos has puzzles to unravel. One by one important and not so important people are being killed. Luckily he is helped by an unusual collection of good people.
The Glorious Revolution...
When he had arrived in Vientiane for the first time with the victorious Pathet Lao on November 23, 1975, he hadn’t expected, at seventy-two, to be learning a new career.
The promotion...
We’ve decided to make you the Republic’s chief police coroner.” He looked into Siri’s green eyes for a hint of pride, but saw only bewilderment. He might as well have told him he was to be the Republic’s new balloon bender or uni-cyclist.
“I’ve never done an autopsy in my life.”
“Ah. It’s all the same. Putting them together: taking them apart.”
“It certainly is not.”
Politics and puppets...
“Then there’s the ongoing puppet scandal.”
“Tell me.”
“The Party ordered the puppets at Xiang Thong temple in Luang Prabang to stop using royal language, and said they had to start calling each other ‘comrade’.”
“Quite right, too. We have to show those puppets who’s pulling the strings.” Civilai hit him with a lettuce leaf. “What happened?”
“Puppets refused.”
“Subversive bastards.”
“The local party members locked them up in their box, and they aren’t allowed out till they succumb.”
“That’ll teach ‘em.”
A mysterious death...
He’d read about forensic scientists around the world who reveled in mysteries such as these. He wasn’t yet one of them.
Make an appointment...?
His wasn’t an appointment culture: you’d turn up; you’d see if the person was there; you’d sit and wait for an hour if he was, go home if he wasn’t.
A murder mystery, a spiritual seance, people coping with their new communist leaders, what could be worse? And yet there are many happy, sweet moments of love and true friendship.
Enjoy!
The Glorious Revolution...
When he had arrived in Vientiane for the first time with the victorious Pathet Lao on November 23, 1975, he hadn’t expected, at seventy-two, to be learning a new career.
The promotion...
We’ve decided to make you the Republic’s chief police coroner.” He looked into Siri’s green eyes for a hint of pride, but saw only bewilderment. He might as well have told him he was to be the Republic’s new balloon bender or uni-cyclist.
“I’ve never done an autopsy in my life.”
“Ah. It’s all the same. Putting them together: taking them apart.”
“It certainly is not.”
Politics and puppets...
“Then there’s the ongoing puppet scandal.”
“Tell me.”
“The Party ordered the puppets at Xiang Thong temple in Luang Prabang to stop using royal language, and said they had to start calling each other ‘comrade’.”
“Quite right, too. We have to show those puppets who’s pulling the strings.” Civilai hit him with a lettuce leaf. “What happened?”
“Puppets refused.”
“Subversive bastards.”
“The local party members locked them up in their box, and they aren’t allowed out till they succumb.”
“That’ll teach ‘em.”
A mysterious death...
He’d read about forensic scientists around the world who reveled in mysteries such as these. He wasn’t yet one of them.
Make an appointment...?
His wasn’t an appointment culture: you’d turn up; you’d see if the person was there; you’d sit and wait for an hour if he was, go home if he wasn’t.
A murder mystery, a spiritual seance, people coping with their new communist leaders, what could be worse? And yet there are many happy, sweet moments of love and true friendship.
Enjoy!
November 29, 2021
This book was recommended by two readers with excellent taste, and I'm glad that I picked this one up. The Coroner's Lunch has so many things going for it. First, there's the setting. Laos is such a vibrant backdrop for this story that it's not really in the background - it feels like another character. And speaking of characters, Dr. Siri is an engaging blend of sarcastic wit and compassionate tenderness. I loved both of his assistants and found the mystery intriguing. I also liked Siri's open-mindedness when he encountered beliefs and practices outside his pervue. By acknowledging that the human body will always possess elements of mystery, he gained insight and wisdom. Looking forward to reading more in this series.
September 24, 2016
Imagine for a moment that while you were in Paris studying medicine, you fell in love with another student and got married. Imagine that, as a condition of marrying this beautiful woman, you agreed to go back to French Indochina and join the revolutionary forces. Imagine, further, that you are now in your seventies, the revolution has been recently won and you are told that you will now take the role of the chief (and only) coroner in all of Laos. That is precisely the circumstances in which we find Dr. Siri Paiboun. With most, if not all, the educated Laotians having left the country after the triumph of the Pathet Lao, Dr. Siri is told to conduct his office with the support of only a secretary (Dtui) and a man with Down’s Syndrome (Geung).
The first few months are merely a frustration as Siri tries to learn to be a coroner (having never had to do a post-mortem on any body) and coping with the politically correct requirements of the Pathet Lao. Then the roof falls in with a string of mysterious and likely pre-meditated deaths that put him at risk. Out of this heighted alert, Siri discovers that he likes forensic medicine and the detective work that goes with it. We are off on a delightful adventure that blends many aspects of local culture with a wry sense of humor about the variety of human relationships. We meet many interesting characters including: a “wet behind the ears” judge; a “chicken counter” of the regime; and, Siri’s “big brother,” Civilai whose sarcastic humor is a welcome addition.
One of the threads that Cotteril so artfully weaves concerns mysticism. This is foreshadowed early in the book by the vivid dreams Siri has that involve him with some of the dead people that he has been examining. It reaches its zenith when he must travel into the forests of the Hmong. Many authors would use the spirits of a local people as a device for moving the plot, but Cotteril shows both respect and a skill at conveying the Hmong’s beliefs that had me craving more information about this persecuted people.
This is an excellent start to a series that I find is well underway. Thanks Carol for pointing me in this direction. It is very exciting to discover a fine detective series that comes with both humor and a deep respect for other cultures.
The first few months are merely a frustration as Siri tries to learn to be a coroner (having never had to do a post-mortem on any body) and coping with the politically correct requirements of the Pathet Lao. Then the roof falls in with a string of mysterious and likely pre-meditated deaths that put him at risk. Out of this heighted alert, Siri discovers that he likes forensic medicine and the detective work that goes with it. We are off on a delightful adventure that blends many aspects of local culture with a wry sense of humor about the variety of human relationships. We meet many interesting characters including: a “wet behind the ears” judge; a “chicken counter” of the regime; and, Siri’s “big brother,” Civilai whose sarcastic humor is a welcome addition.
One of the threads that Cotteril so artfully weaves concerns mysticism. This is foreshadowed early in the book by the vivid dreams Siri has that involve him with some of the dead people that he has been examining. It reaches its zenith when he must travel into the forests of the Hmong. Many authors would use the spirits of a local people as a device for moving the plot, but Cotteril shows both respect and a skill at conveying the Hmong’s beliefs that had me craving more information about this persecuted people.
This is an excellent start to a series that I find is well underway. Thanks Carol for pointing me in this direction. It is very exciting to discover a fine detective series that comes with both humor and a deep respect for other cultures.
February 10, 2017
I loved the unique setting and characters of this book (it's set in 1976 in Laos and the protagonist is a 72-year-old state coroner), but the mystery was kind of all over the place and ultimately, didn't convince me.
(I listened to this on audiobook.)
(I listened to this on audiobook.)
December 3, 2015
This book was mentioned in passing on Episode 037 of the Reading Envy podcast, and it peaked my curiosity. Later on, I ended discussing it on Reading Envy Podcast Episode 042. I love when books trickle down.
Dr. Siri is 72 years old, but as a person under a new Communist regime who still has skills to offer, the government is not going to let him become a person of leisure. After a career as a surgeon, he is tasked with being the official state coroner, and has to teach himself with outdated texts. His supplies and research options are also quite limited.
Then bodies start appearing out of nowhere and Dr. Siri also becomes a bit of an investigator.
I enjoyed the very specific placeness of this book and will probably read another (I've heard the audio is very good but I read the print.) I think the facts of the regime change and the mixing cultures (Laotian, Vietnamese, Hmong, etc.), along with the conflict between religion and political doctrine - makes for an extra set of challenges for the characters to navigate as they try to solve the murders. I also like that Dr. Siri is not immune to love, although he is still grieving the death of his wife.
Dr. Siri is 72 years old, but as a person under a new Communist regime who still has skills to offer, the government is not going to let him become a person of leisure. After a career as a surgeon, he is tasked with being the official state coroner, and has to teach himself with outdated texts. His supplies and research options are also quite limited.
Then bodies start appearing out of nowhere and Dr. Siri also becomes a bit of an investigator.
I enjoyed the very specific placeness of this book and will probably read another (I've heard the audio is very good but I read the print.) I think the facts of the regime change and the mixing cultures (Laotian, Vietnamese, Hmong, etc.), along with the conflict between religion and political doctrine - makes for an extra set of challenges for the characters to navigate as they try to solve the murders. I also like that Dr. Siri is not immune to love, although he is still grieving the death of his wife.
February 22, 2011
Laos 1976. Dr. Siri Panboun, seventy-two years old and itching to retire, was essentially coerced into the appointment of national coroner after the Communist takeover. Prior to this, he knew nothing about autopsies. Siri was a general physician earning respect and warmth from his patients. He had never worked on cold, dead bodies. His predecessor had fled across the river to Thailand, leaving a gap in the state-controlled medical examiners office. Most of the professional classes have hightailed it out, leaving the poverty stricken to submit to the new Party line. Yet, with nothing but the inherited motley staff and his curiosity, Siri has become adept at his job.
Then the body count starts to rise in this typically uneventful morgue. A Party leader's wife (herself an appointee of high position), some Vietnamese soldiers that were tortured--and it doesn't stop there. While a cover-up is surely transpiring, Siri and his staff work diligently to get to the bottom of things. In a wry, comic manner, Siri sleuths with sly, Columbo-ish flair. There's a wrinkle to Siri's style, though, as he receives regular visits from the dead. A meeting in the Khamuan province piques the spiritual element and explains the coroner's visitations, but it never takes away from the political intrigue or social commentary, so exotically understated.
Cotterrill has created inventive and palpable characters that navigate through a ham-handed regime, but the author does it with a droll finesse. His satirical observations are underscored by the crimes at hand, but the reader doesn't feel laden with exposition. I received a capital education as a by-product of a crisp, well-paced mystery. There's a jaunty, harrowing cliffhanger following the resolution of this case, baiting me toward the next book. I'll bite.
Then the body count starts to rise in this typically uneventful morgue. A Party leader's wife (herself an appointee of high position), some Vietnamese soldiers that were tortured--and it doesn't stop there. While a cover-up is surely transpiring, Siri and his staff work diligently to get to the bottom of things. In a wry, comic manner, Siri sleuths with sly, Columbo-ish flair. There's a wrinkle to Siri's style, though, as he receives regular visits from the dead. A meeting in the Khamuan province piques the spiritual element and explains the coroner's visitations, but it never takes away from the political intrigue or social commentary, so exotically understated.
Cotterrill has created inventive and palpable characters that navigate through a ham-handed regime, but the author does it with a droll finesse. His satirical observations are underscored by the crimes at hand, but the reader doesn't feel laden with exposition. I received a capital education as a by-product of a crisp, well-paced mystery. There's a jaunty, harrowing cliffhanger following the resolution of this case, baiting me toward the next book. I'll bite.
July 16, 2021
I loved this wonderful mystery and interesting characters! So 4.5 stars for enjoyment. Unique in its setting- 1970's communist Laos and a delightful wry & cynical 72 y/o protagonist who has unsettling dreams that become instrumental in his quest for answers when he becomes enmeshed in political intrigue.
Dr. Siri Paiboun was ready for retirement when the regime taps this physician as the country's coroner for which he has no background. So it's on the job training while leaning on his nurse and a morgue assistant with Down's Syndrome to help him. After a relatively non-stressful introduction into the job except for a harassing judge, he is pulled into becoming an investigator when a number of cases come into his morgue that don't add up quite right. Not everyone appreciates his investigation and he is not sure who to trust completely. There are quite a few wonderfully drawn characters in the mix. To top it off, the "ghosts" of some of the dead come to Siri in his dreams with oblique messages.
His connections with the spirits becomes even more pronounced when he is sent to look into a couple of mysterious deaths of government workers while on a project near a Hmong community. The culture and traditions of the Hmong people are explored a little during this episode.
All in all, a great read for my time waiting in the airports and flying. This series is now high on my radar
Dr. Siri Paiboun was ready for retirement when the regime taps this physician as the country's coroner for which he has no background. So it's on the job training while leaning on his nurse and a morgue assistant with Down's Syndrome to help him. After a relatively non-stressful introduction into the job except for a harassing judge, he is pulled into becoming an investigator when a number of cases come into his morgue that don't add up quite right. Not everyone appreciates his investigation and he is not sure who to trust completely. There are quite a few wonderfully drawn characters in the mix. To top it off, the "ghosts" of some of the dead come to Siri in his dreams with oblique messages.
His connections with the spirits becomes even more pronounced when he is sent to look into a couple of mysterious deaths of government workers while on a project near a Hmong community. The culture and traditions of the Hmong people are explored a little during this episode.
All in all, a great read for my time waiting in the airports and flying. This series is now high on my radar
April 22, 2017
I really enjoyed this book, which surprised me. I picked it up without really knowing what to expect, and when I read the first few pages I thought, No--this is not going to be my sort of thing, since "my sort of thing" tends to be prewar "cosies." Fortunately, I was wrong.
I grew up in sixties America, and the map of Viet Nam and environs was part of our lives--on television news twice a day, on the walls of friends' houses who had men in the service, at school. I can still draw the basic contours of those countries from memory if I don't think about it too hard. So when I read "Laos, 1975" and the first few pages, I was expecting some dreadful war chronicle. Oops, dear, thinks I, we got the wrong book this time!
But a sleepless night demands a book, so I soldiered on (sorry, bad pun). And after we got past the "hook" it turned into a cracking good read. The door is rather left hanging open for another in the series, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Life continues, and the moment you get one situation resolved, another crops up...unless it decides to intrude before you're finished! (No, I don't often post synopses as part of my reviews, for the simple reason that there's one under the title up there at the start of this page. Scroll up and read it, I won't improve on it, I'm sure.)
The author may be London-born, but he avoids the more obvious pitfalls of the "look at this primitive culture, it's so interesting" type. Nor is his description superficial; you feel part of the landscape in reading this book.
I've never recommended visiting an author's website in a review, but when searching for some more info about him, I found it and enjoyed the visit.
I look forward to reading more of Cotterill's books, if I can find them.
I grew up in sixties America, and the map of Viet Nam and environs was part of our lives--on television news twice a day, on the walls of friends' houses who had men in the service, at school. I can still draw the basic contours of those countries from memory if I don't think about it too hard. So when I read "Laos, 1975" and the first few pages, I was expecting some dreadful war chronicle. Oops, dear, thinks I, we got the wrong book this time!
But a sleepless night demands a book, so I soldiered on (sorry, bad pun). And after we got past the "hook" it turned into a cracking good read. The door is rather left hanging open for another in the series, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Life continues, and the moment you get one situation resolved, another crops up...unless it decides to intrude before you're finished! (No, I don't often post synopses as part of my reviews, for the simple reason that there's one under the title up there at the start of this page. Scroll up and read it, I won't improve on it, I'm sure.)
The author may be London-born, but he avoids the more obvious pitfalls of the "look at this primitive culture, it's so interesting" type. Nor is his description superficial; you feel part of the landscape in reading this book.
I've never recommended visiting an author's website in a review, but when searching for some more info about him, I found it and enjoyed the visit.
I look forward to reading more of Cotterill's books, if I can find them.
March 12, 2010
First Sentence: Tran, Tran, and Hok broke through the heavy end-of-west-season clouds.
It is 1976 and one year after the Communist takeover of Laos. Dr. Siri Paiboun is 72-years old, a widower and ready to retire. Instead, he is appointed state coroner; in fact, he’s the only coroner in Laos and has three cases to deal with; the death of an important official’s wife, the discovery of bodies that could lead to an international incident between Laos and Vietnam, and uncovering the reason why the commanders of an Army base, located in northern Laos, keep dying.
How have I missed Cotterill until now? Let me start with history. I am of the Vietnam era; I had friends who fought, and died, there. Once the war was over, I had very little interest in that area of the world.
Now I find it fascinating to see how Communism controlled every aspect of individual’s lives. What I particularly like is that Cotterill doesn’t present it in a heavy-handed manner, but through the character’s perspective of that being the way life is. In some ways, I find that more effective.
The characters are wonderful. Dr. Siri, who performs his first autopsy with the help of a very old French book, his assistants, Dtui who reads Thai fan magazines, and Geung who has mild Down’s Syndrome, plus his friends are all delightfully portrayed with affection and, often, humor. But it is Siri who takes the lead and is our connection to the metaphysical world.
With his white hair, uncontrolled eyebrows and shocking green eyes, Siri stands out on his own, but he can also see the dead and communicate with spirits. Rather than making the book unbelievable, it adds dimension and an element of suspense to the story in a way that is hard to quantify.
There is a wonderful sense of place to the story, but different from the usual. It is very much tied in with the way people live, rather than descriptions of the location in which the story is set.
I am so pleased to have found this author and have already ordered the rest of this series.
THE CORONER’S LUNCH (Lic. Inv-Dr. Siri Paiboun-Laos-Cont/1976) – VG+
Cotterill, Colin – 1st in series
Soho Crime, ©2004, US Paperback – ISBN: 1569474184
It is 1976 and one year after the Communist takeover of Laos. Dr. Siri Paiboun is 72-years old, a widower and ready to retire. Instead, he is appointed state coroner; in fact, he’s the only coroner in Laos and has three cases to deal with; the death of an important official’s wife, the discovery of bodies that could lead to an international incident between Laos and Vietnam, and uncovering the reason why the commanders of an Army base, located in northern Laos, keep dying.
How have I missed Cotterill until now? Let me start with history. I am of the Vietnam era; I had friends who fought, and died, there. Once the war was over, I had very little interest in that area of the world.
Now I find it fascinating to see how Communism controlled every aspect of individual’s lives. What I particularly like is that Cotterill doesn’t present it in a heavy-handed manner, but through the character’s perspective of that being the way life is. In some ways, I find that more effective.
The characters are wonderful. Dr. Siri, who performs his first autopsy with the help of a very old French book, his assistants, Dtui who reads Thai fan magazines, and Geung who has mild Down’s Syndrome, plus his friends are all delightfully portrayed with affection and, often, humor. But it is Siri who takes the lead and is our connection to the metaphysical world.
With his white hair, uncontrolled eyebrows and shocking green eyes, Siri stands out on his own, but he can also see the dead and communicate with spirits. Rather than making the book unbelievable, it adds dimension and an element of suspense to the story in a way that is hard to quantify.
There is a wonderful sense of place to the story, but different from the usual. It is very much tied in with the way people live, rather than descriptions of the location in which the story is set.
I am so pleased to have found this author and have already ordered the rest of this series.
THE CORONER’S LUNCH (Lic. Inv-Dr. Siri Paiboun-Laos-Cont/1976) – VG+
Cotterill, Colin – 1st in series
Soho Crime, ©2004, US Paperback – ISBN: 1569474184
July 9, 2019
I'll be honest with you. I started reading this book and felt like it wasn't my kind of book AT ALL. I put it down and read a different book. Then, I picked The Coroner's Lunch back up ... and became completely enchanted!
I absolutely love the main cast of characters. I love the dry humor. As I read I was reminded of the Botswanan series of books by Alexander McCall Smith, but I liked the first novel in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series much better. I really enjoyed insights into all of the aspects of this mysterious country and its societies, and all the many disparate threads are bought together in a masterful way at the end. On to the next book!
I absolutely love the main cast of characters. I love the dry humor. As I read I was reminded of the Botswanan series of books by Alexander McCall Smith, but I liked the first novel in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series much better. I really enjoyed insights into all of the aspects of this mysterious country and its societies, and all the many disparate threads are bought together in a masterful way at the end. On to the next book!
November 22, 2014
Great kickoff to the world of elderly coroner Siri Paiboun working within the contraints of communist Laos. Such a lovable old cuss and so crafty in manipulating the forces of the regime to achieve his own solutions for justice. The portrayal of personalities and daily life is more important than the drama behind his cases.
February 9, 2022
The characters here were so incredibly believable. This book was so different from the other mystery books I have read before. From the first page of the book the drama begins. The mystery is presented of three men who are dropped from a helicopter into a lake with weights attached to their legs. Vietnam and Laos become involved with the investigation of the murders and we meet Dr. Suri, a 72-year-old medical examiner who is ready for retirement but can't resist another murder investigation. In addition, a prominent wife of a leader dies at a banquet. Her husband is very anxious to take the body away from Dr. Suri. Dr. Suri, with his investigative skills doesn't take the word of those above him for what has caused these deaths. He communications with his "customers". The story takes on a paranormal flavor as these people first come to him in dreams, and later visits in his waking life. Overall, the result is a crazy, absorbing, magical, sometimes gory, but always entertaining, ride though a fascinating land with a cast of unforgettable characters.
June 24, 2018
Well, this was an absolute breath of fresh air. Fascinating setting and era, terrific non-stereotypical characters (including the wonderful Siri), an intriguing mystery and some lovely gentle humour. The audiobook was superbly narrated by Gareth Armstrong.
Books like this are one reason why I love reading challenges - if I hadn't been looking for a book set in Laos, I doubt I would ever come across this book, but I am so glad I did and look forward to continuing the series.
Books like this are one reason why I love reading challenges - if I hadn't been looking for a book set in Laos, I doubt I would ever come across this book, but I am so glad I did and look forward to continuing the series.
November 13, 2016
Probably the most original mystery novel I've ever read, it blends detective work with some mysticism and a dash of humor. Dr. Siri is a refreshing investigative character, a unique introduction to this genre. I'd like to thank whoever suggested this book to me but can't remember who it was, so if you read this comment and I'll update my review.
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