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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Funny and moving and, at times, scary. More of a thriller than a mystery and a somewhat disjointed one at that, but I thoroughly enjoyed it all the same.
Had to find something set in sleepy old Luang Prabhang after visiting there and here was one from a mystery series, no less. Cotterill, an English writer living in Laos has been writing this series featuring Dr. Siri Phaiboun, the only coroner in the Laos. Quite a whirlwind journey involving a missing creature, a series of deaths, re-education camps of the royal family...
Yes I bitched about the first book and then read this one shortly thereafter. But I needed another book fast and I panicked.
I think I liked this one even less than the first one - it's like the author is cramming a bunch of things in there, and it's definitely more than I care about. I did like that Dtui is called out for actually being smart and capable, yay, but....this series is probably not for me. Sorry, Dad, it's no [b:Flashman|142458|Flashman (The Flashman Papers, #1)|George MacDonald Fraser|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320656064l/142458._SY75_.jpg|1137467]
I think I liked this one even less than the first one - it's like the author is cramming a bunch of things in there, and it's definitely more than I care about. I did like that Dtui is called out for actually being smart and capable, yay, but....this series is probably not for me. Sorry, Dad, it's no [b:Flashman|142458|Flashman (The Flashman Papers, #1)|George MacDonald Fraser|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1320656064l/142458._SY75_.jpg|1137467]
This is the second in Cotterill’s series featuring Dr. Siri Paiboun. He’s a 70 something physician who has been conscripted by the new Communist government in late 1970’s Laos to be the national coroner. He doesn’t really want the job and is delightfully sarcastic about the whole thing. One nice thing about listening to the audio editions of a book with unfamiliar names of people and places is that I can just enjoy the story without having to figure out how to pronounce them. Clive Chafer is a good narrator for this series. He manages to convey the wry wit very well.
I’m getting to know and enjoy the recurring characters. There’s a bit of mysticism involved in this series and while that’s not usually something I enjoy; it works here because I like Dr. Siri so much.
There are some scenes in this one involving mistreatment of animals that are difficult to listen to so be aware.
Despite that the story was once again an interesting mystery as well as a glimpse into a culture that is very different from my own. I look forward to continuing with the series.
I’m getting to know and enjoy the recurring characters. There’s a bit of mysticism involved in this series and while that’s not usually something I enjoy; it works here because I like Dr. Siri so much.
There are some scenes in this one involving mistreatment of animals that are difficult to listen to so be aware.
Despite that the story was once again an interesting mystery as well as a glimpse into a culture that is very different from my own. I look forward to continuing with the series.
Dr. Siri Paiboun is the national coroner in Laos. He is also a shaman. He has the great Hmong shaman inhabiting his body. I love him and his nurse Dtui and all the other characters in the book! Super fu read!!!
Dr. Siri and the Weretiger
Review of the Vintage Canada paperback edition (2006) of the Soho Crime hardcover original (2005)
I was late to the party and started my reading of Colin Cotterill's quirky Laos chief coroner Dr. Siri Paiboun mysteries with the 15th and supposed (I never rule out the possibility of continuations) final book "The Delightful Life of a Suicide Pilot" (2020). Luckily, my friend Karan had several of the earliest books to lend me and I was fortunately able to start the series from the beginning.
Thirty-Three Teeth is the 2nd book of the series and is titled after the number of teeth that Dr. Siri has, a further sign of his spiritual connections and powers. Average humans have 32 teeth as you probably know.
The pattern for the series is adhered to with several cases running concurrently. There are a series of murders in the Vientiane capital which are suspected to have been caused by an escaped wild animal, Siri meets the former King of Laos when called to autopsy the corpses of some royalists who had planned an escape for the King, a mysterious haunted box stored in the government archives appears to be causing deaths and Siri has conflicts with his neighbour. Nurse Dtui takes a very dramatic investigative role and Dr. Siri brings a shaman back from the countryside to help unravel the box mystery.
Review of the Vintage Canada paperback edition (2006) of the Soho Crime hardcover original (2005)
I was late to the party and started my reading of Colin Cotterill's quirky Laos chief coroner Dr. Siri Paiboun mysteries with the 15th and supposed (I never rule out the possibility of continuations) final book "The Delightful Life of a Suicide Pilot" (2020). Luckily, my friend Karan had several of the earliest books to lend me and I was fortunately able to start the series from the beginning.
Thirty-Three Teeth is the 2nd book of the series and is titled after the number of teeth that Dr. Siri has, a further sign of his spiritual connections and powers. Average humans have 32 teeth as you probably know.
The pattern for the series is adhered to with several cases running concurrently. There are a series of murders in the Vientiane capital which are suspected to have been caused by an escaped wild animal, Siri meets the former King of Laos when called to autopsy the corpses of some royalists who had planned an escape for the King, a mysterious haunted box stored in the government archives appears to be causing deaths and Siri has conflicts with his neighbour. Nurse Dtui takes a very dramatic investigative role and Dr. Siri brings a shaman back from the countryside to help unravel the box mystery.