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A review by popcorndiva
The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill
4.0
4 Stars
I have been waiting to read this book for over a year. I added it to my TBR list for a reading challenge in 2018, but I never got around to it. So, expectations were building for quite some time. I’m so happy to say this book did not disappoint.
The Coroner’s Lunch is a quirky mystery novel that follows the reluctant national coroner and semi-ghost whisperer Dr. Siri as he attempts to unravel the truth behind a recent autopsy. When a high ranking military official’s wife dies suddenly, things begin to get strange for Dr. Siri. Between governmental conspiracies, unruly spirits, and a series of assassination attempts, Dr. Siri has a lot to deal with.
The mystery and plot of this book alone deserve four, if not five stars. I was so engrossed in this that I pretty much ignored everything else when possible to read it. I really didn’t expect any of the twists in the book and I really loved the small dose of magical realism. I found most of the book to be fairly believable and even the parts that were a stretch didn’t bother me because I was having so much fun unraveling the mystery with Dr. Siri. Some of the book mentioned various aspects of living in a communist state. The author did a great job giving enough detail about it to set the scene, but not too much as to bore the reader.
The characters in this book were also so well done! This is definitely more of a plot driven book, but all the characters were unique and vibrant. I loved Siri’s relationships with his two staff members in the coroner’s office at the hospital. There was enough witty banter to add comical relief to those scenes, but not so much that it felt forced or unrealistic. I also really enjoyed Siri’s character in general. I think that author did a fantastic job of capturing his voice and humor without it feeling too cynical or sarcastic.
Overall, I don’t have anything negative to say about this one. It didn’t absolutely blow me away, hence only four stars, but it was still one of my favorite reads of the year so far. With an intriguing plot and a really fascinating main character, it was hard to put this down. Any fans of mystery will like this and even if mystery isn’t really your thing, this may still be worth a read for a lazy rainy day. I will 100% be reading the next book in the series.
I have been waiting to read this book for over a year. I added it to my TBR list for a reading challenge in 2018, but I never got around to it. So, expectations were building for quite some time. I’m so happy to say this book did not disappoint.
The Coroner’s Lunch is a quirky mystery novel that follows the reluctant national coroner and semi-ghost whisperer Dr. Siri as he attempts to unravel the truth behind a recent autopsy. When a high ranking military official’s wife dies suddenly, things begin to get strange for Dr. Siri. Between governmental conspiracies, unruly spirits, and a series of assassination attempts, Dr. Siri has a lot to deal with.
The mystery and plot of this book alone deserve four, if not five stars. I was so engrossed in this that I pretty much ignored everything else when possible to read it. I really didn’t expect any of the twists in the book and I really loved the small dose of magical realism. I found most of the book to be fairly believable and even the parts that were a stretch didn’t bother me because I was having so much fun unraveling the mystery with Dr. Siri. Some of the book mentioned various aspects of living in a communist state. The author did a great job giving enough detail about it to set the scene, but not too much as to bore the reader.
The characters in this book were also so well done! This is definitely more of a plot driven book, but all the characters were unique and vibrant. I loved Siri’s relationships with his two staff members in the coroner’s office at the hospital. There was enough witty banter to add comical relief to those scenes, but not so much that it felt forced or unrealistic. I also really enjoyed Siri’s character in general. I think that author did a fantastic job of capturing his voice and humor without it feeling too cynical or sarcastic.
Overall, I don’t have anything negative to say about this one. It didn’t absolutely blow me away, hence only four stars, but it was still one of my favorite reads of the year so far. With an intriguing plot and a really fascinating main character, it was hard to put this down. Any fans of mystery will like this and even if mystery isn’t really your thing, this may still be worth a read for a lazy rainy day. I will 100% be reading the next book in the series.