June 6, 2005
Dr. Siri Paiboun of Laos—"reluctant national coroner, confused psychic, disheartened communist"—employs forensic skills and spiritual acumen to solve a series of bizarre killings in Cotterill's quirky, exotic and winning second novel, set in 1977. Could an old escaped bear be mauling Vientiane citizens? Or is it something more mystical—say, a weretiger? When Paiboun is summoned to the capital to identify the nationality of a pair of charred bodies, he quickly flags them as Asians killed in a helicopter crash, and his ability to connect them to the royal family annoys Communist Party leaders. As Paiboun learns of an effort to get the remaining royal family members out of town, he's arrested, accused of damaging government property. But the witness's testimony is questionable, and Paiboun, representing himself in court, escapes this scrape as handily as he's escaped others before. Paiboun's droll wit and Cotterill's engaging plot twists keep things energetic; the rather grisly murders are offset by comedy, including a scene in which a Party member attempts to impose regulations on the spirit world. The elegant, elderly Paiboun seems an unlikely vehicle to carry a series (he debuted in 2004's The Coroner's Lunch
), but he does so with charm and aplomb.
July 15, 2005
Siri Paiboun ("The Coroner's Lunch") is the only coroner in 1974 Laos. He ignores authority figures, reveres the old ways, and experiences clue-providing "spirit" visions. The puzzling cases posed by "visitors" to his morgue underscore the political and social confusion at the time. First to appear on his slab are two dead men on a smashed bicycle, then an old woman mauled by a ferocious beast, and next two corpses crisped in a helicopter crash. The list continues, and Siri shows more than ample intelligence, dry humor, and agile wit in solving the cases. Unique locales, characters, and outcomes: strongly recommended. Cotterill lives in Thailand.
Copyright 2005 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
May 1, 2005
Less than two years after the Communist rise to power in Laos, the nervous government is sending the royal family into secret exile, banning festivals where large groups might revolt, and even ordering benevolent spirits to lend their spectral hands to the cause. But rest assured that Dr. Siri Paiboun, the nation's aged chief coroner and host body for an ancient spirit, will find a way to keep life interesting. In his second outing, the impish Siri faces three mysteries. First, the government asks him to identify a pair of badly burned corpses. Soon, a fearsome creature begins slaughtering the citizens of Vientiane. And then people start inexplicably hurtling to their deaths from a ministry building. In one of many farcical twists, the nation's police officers carry empty guns. So Siri; his friend, Inspector Phosy; able nurse Dtui; and an old comrade with a high party post must use their considerable wits--and an occasional supernatural assist--to crack the cases. As they do so, readers will crack more than a few smiles.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2005, American Library Association.)