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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
What a delightful, engrossing, illuminating read. Dr. Siri, the Laotian coroner who is also carrying the spirit of a long-dead shaman, is my new favorite detective. The mystery is only part of the charm of this book. Dr. Siri is sui generis and so read I think I just passed him on a rare visit to Phnom Penh. Put this on your list!
What makes improbable characters, disenchanted shamans, Communist government bureaucracy, multiple mysteries, mystic revelations, and a reluctant septuagenarian coroner, all come together, as if it were the most natural thing in the world? Colin Cotterill.
Absolutely my favorite mystery series.
Absolutely my favorite mystery series.
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Love this series. Love this man. Love everything about this.
Can't talk about the ending because I am a little mad about it. But this is really helping me get into a completely unique culture and I am fascinated.
I feel like it seems authentic and I hope it is. But I am happy to be pointed in the direction of a more authentic narrative for more depth.
Can't talk about the ending because I am a little mad about it. But this is really helping me get into a completely unique culture and I am fascinated.
I feel like it seems authentic and I hope it is. But I am happy to be pointed in the direction of a more authentic narrative for more depth.
A lot more spirituality and magic in this one than I was expecting, but still a fun time.
I really don't enjoy Magical Realism in fiction, and don't believe in ghosts, spirits, or any other juju in real life. Because of this, I fought like hell against enjoying the 1st book in the series, "The Coroner's Lunch". But once I willed myself into a suspension of disbelief, I was able to enjoy this book.
The combined foreignness of life in a deeply impoverished and Kafkaesque communist society with the exoticism of the Laotian setting makes the series fascinating, even if the trade-off is accepting the existence of puppet spirits, enchanted amulets, and betel-chewing ghosts.
The combined foreignness of life in a deeply impoverished and Kafkaesque communist society with the exoticism of the Laotian setting makes the series fascinating, even if the trade-off is accepting the existence of puppet spirits, enchanted amulets, and betel-chewing ghosts.
I'm generally not a fan of magical realism/dream sequences in writing, but it works well in the context of the delightful Dr. Siri.
Enjoyed this as much as the first book. I thought I had figured out the solution to the mystery, but at the end I was off. I really liked the supernatural aspect of the mystery - it wasn't too 'ghost/zombie' to turn me off, but it was different enough to make me take it seriously in a spiritual context.
‘I’m a coroner, not a corpse.’
This is the second novel of the series featuring Dr Siri Paiboun, the septuagenarian national coroner of Laos. In this engaging mystery, Dr Siri has a number of puzzles to solve with the assistance of his unlikely team of colleagues and friends. Oh, and some help from the spirit world as well.
The communist regime of Laos brings its own flavour to proceedings. From the ingenuity of making casts of teeth marks when plaster is not available and the identification of government workers through the existence of ‘triplicate syndrome’, this story engages and amuses.
Dr Siri is called upon to travel to Luang Prabang on a national security matter so top secret that the Judge who has despatched him is unable to tell him anything about it. His motivations for accepting the task are not quite consistent with the Judge’s renowned maxim:
‘That’s the spirit, Siri. It’s moments like these that make the socialist system so great. When the [b:call to arms|772890|Call to Arms (The Corps #2)|W.E.B. Griffin|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178222760s/772890.jpg|758942] comes the committed cadre even on his honeymoon would gladly climb off his young wife at the crucial moment sooner than let down the party.’
‘If that were so, Siri thought to himself, it might explain the frustrated look he’d often seen on the faces of so many Party members.’
Great fun.
This is the second novel of the series featuring Dr Siri Paiboun, the septuagenarian national coroner of Laos. In this engaging mystery, Dr Siri has a number of puzzles to solve with the assistance of his unlikely team of colleagues and friends. Oh, and some help from the spirit world as well.
The communist regime of Laos brings its own flavour to proceedings. From the ingenuity of making casts of teeth marks when plaster is not available and the identification of government workers through the existence of ‘triplicate syndrome’, this story engages and amuses.
Dr Siri is called upon to travel to Luang Prabang on a national security matter so top secret that the Judge who has despatched him is unable to tell him anything about it. His motivations for accepting the task are not quite consistent with the Judge’s renowned maxim:
‘That’s the spirit, Siri. It’s moments like these that make the socialist system so great. When the [b:call to arms|772890|Call to Arms (The Corps #2)|W.E.B. Griffin|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178222760s/772890.jpg|758942] comes the committed cadre even on his honeymoon would gladly climb off his young wife at the crucial moment sooner than let down the party.’
‘If that were so, Siri thought to himself, it might explain the frustrated look he’d often seen on the faces of so many Party members.’
Great fun.
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced