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wombat929 's review for:
Thirty-Three Teeth
by Colin Cotterill
The second of the Dr. Siri mysteries, set in Communist Laos in 1977, Thirty-Three Teeth follows a number of different murders as Dr. Siri wrestles with his new role as a spiritual coroner and nurse Dtui continues her efforts to further her education. Some quick thoughts:
* Like the last book, the spiritual part of the story is almost entirely dismissable (at least in terms of believe vs real-world actions), with the exception of the couple spirits that more than one person saw in the same place at different times. It's an interesting line, though in this book it becomes much less ambiguous. It's almost more like The Dresden Files or other magical story, rather than something more realist.
* The depiction of Communism is equally mixed too, still showing Dr. Siri's strong belief in it even in the face of atrocious failures of the system. Really reinforces how individual freedom ought to be the center grounding point for a society, even a socialist one.
* The three different series of murders (two burnt, bullet-riddled corpses, two men found dead in the middle of a street on top of a bicycle, and some victims of a wild animal attack) don't really drive the story as much as the two main characters (Siri and Dtui). That said, the first two victims were a particularly good red herring, as the last book was about a politically sensitive murder and this book appeared like it was going to be again. Good dodge, Colin!
All in all, another enjoyable book. I probably won't seek out any more in the series, but I wouldn't mind reading another one if it happened my way or the mystery book club picks it.
* Like the last book, the spiritual part of the story is almost entirely dismissable (at least in terms of believe vs real-world actions), with the exception of the couple spirits that more than one person saw in the same place at different times. It's an interesting line, though in this book it becomes much less ambiguous. It's almost more like The Dresden Files or other magical story, rather than something more realist.
* The depiction of Communism is equally mixed too, still showing Dr. Siri's strong belief in it even in the face of atrocious failures of the system. Really reinforces how individual freedom ought to be the center grounding point for a society, even a socialist one.
* The three different series of murders (two burnt, bullet-riddled corpses, two men found dead in the middle of a street on top of a bicycle, and some victims of a wild animal attack) don't really drive the story as much as the two main characters (Siri and Dtui). That said, the first two victims were a particularly good red herring, as the last book was about a politically sensitive murder and this book appeared like it was going to be again. Good dodge, Colin!
All in all, another enjoyable book. I probably won't seek out any more in the series, but I wouldn't mind reading another one if it happened my way or the mystery book club picks it.