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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9781569474181
ISBN number: 1569474184
Label: Soho Crime
Manufacturer: Soho Crime
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 272
Printing Date: November 01, 2005
Publishing house: Soho Crime
Sale Popularity Level: 31143
Studio: Soho Crime
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“This series kickoff is an embarrassment of riches: Holmesian sleuthing, political satire, and [a] droll comic study of a prickly late bloomer.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“The sights, smells, and colors of Laos practically jump of the pages of this inspired, often wryly witty very first novel.”—Denver Post
“A wonderfully fresh and exotic mystery. . . . If Cotterill . . . had done nothing more than treat us to Siri’s views on the dramatic, even comic crises that mark periods of government upheaval, his debut mystery would still be fascinating. But the multiple cases spread out on Siri’s examining table . . . are not cozy entertainments, but substantial crimes that take us into the thick of political intrigue.”—The New York Times Book Review
“In Siri, Cotterill has created a detective as distinctive as Maigret or Poirot.”—Orlando Sentinel
“The Soho Press crime series . . . has done mystery connoisseurs everywhere a favor by adding Colin Cotterill to its publishing list. The author gives us exotic locations; a world that few of us know well; crisp, intelligent, and often-witty writing; and, most of all, a hero unlike any other.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer
Laos, 1975. The Communist Pathet Lao has taken over this former French colony. Dr. Siri Paiboun, a 72-year-old Paris-trained doctor, is appointed national coroner. Although he has no training for the job, there is no one else; the rest of the educated class has fled.
He is expected to come up with the answers the party wants. But crafty and charming Dr.Siri is immune to bureaucratic pressure. At his age, he reasons, what can they do to him? And he knows he cannot fail the dead who come into his care without risk of incurring their boundless displeasure. Eternity could be a long time to have the spirits mad at you.
For more information, visit www.colincotterill.com
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Rated by buyers 
-
What a thrill to find this charming, well structured mystery. Anyone who loves mysteries should enjoy it.
The setting is Laos, just after the fall of the constitutional monarchy in the mid-1970s. As the new communist regime takes power, they need a national coroner. A 72 year old Paris trained doctor, Siri, with years and years of jungle fighting and battlefield medicine in his background, gets the assignment. We are immediately attacted to his assistants, Nurse Dtui (fatty) and Mr. Geung. These are good people.
This very first book in the series has Siri examining the cause of death of a major comrade's wife. Did the comrade do her in? Was there another woman who was jealous? We are taken through, step by step, Columbo-style, as the crime is solved. Secondly, there are several dead Vietnamese. How did this happen? Will there be a major international incident? Again, Siri solves it all.
Finally, and this is the really fun part, Siri must find the cause of death of several soldiers in the south. It is mystifying, apparently. Here we discover that Siri, unknown to himself until that moment, is apparently the reincarnation of an ancient Hmong shaman.
It just doesn't get any better. I loved this book and plan immediately to read the entire series. And, by the way, the author has a nice website where he discusses a number of contemporary educational issues in Laos. I recommend anyone who loves books to take a look.
Rated by buyers -
"Stop turning the pages so fast." Flip. "Slow down; make it last." Flip, flip. "It's going to end too soon!" Flip, flip, flip..... "Damn!"
Why only 5 stars available? Why not 10? Or 20? I read a LOT of books. This was special. Cotterill can truly write. He can tell a story. He can create a mystery.
But his characters! His characters are indescribably marvelous. Without taking page after page to tell everything about each of them you get to know them by their conversations, mannerisms and reactions to the events around them.
The dialog flows. It's the way people actually talk to one another. It's like you're sitting there listening in.
The author doesn't have to resort to foul language and gratuitous sex to move the story along. He keeps you guessing as mystery piles on top of mystery. He doesn't insult your intelligence, because it is intelligently written.
I recommend this book to anyone who wants an enjoyable read. I have just ordered the subsequent three in the series.
Rated by buyers -
This book is throughly enjoyable. The characters are very beliveable and compelling. The novel gives one a real glimpse of what life in Laos is like now. The plot was complex but convincing and the resolution was highly satisfying.
Rated by buyers -
I was hesitant at very first to read The Coroner's Lunch as I had never really preferred procedural police mysteries. But I am so glad I did! The writing is light but the imagery is rich and dense. I was immediately and completely immersed in a world I have never been but seemed very real from the page. The humour is dry and subversive - I caught myself several times laughing out loud when I least expected it. There is a spiritual component and at very first I was skeptical of whether it would fit in with the wit and realism of the rest of the writing but the writer successfully melds both with a delicate deftness. When I finished this book I couldn't wait to read the subsequent in the series! Thankfully, there are several more.
Rated by buyers -
Colin Cotterill has created some wonderful characters which he weaves into a tale that is gripping, humorous, and culturally enlightening. I love how he uses Lao and Hmong beliefs, spririts, and traditions to add a supernatural flavor to his insight into solving cases and dealing with life as a wise, elderly coroner in Laos. These books are very easy to read in a day. I have read Cororner's Lunch and Thirty Three Teeth, both of which I read back-to-back. I am buying the rest in the series and look forward to more.
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