Dr. Siri Paiboun Investigation Series by Colin Cotterill
Dr. Siri Paiboun Investigation #1
The Coroner's Lunch
Colin Cotterill
From Publishers WeeklyConfronted by the poisoning of an important official's wife and the sudden appearance of three bodies that may create an international incident between Laos and Vietnam, 72-year-old state coroner Dr. Siri Paiboun keeps his cool in Cotterill's engaging whodunit, set in Laos a year after the 1975 Communist takeover. Ably assisted by the entertaining Geung and ambitious Dtui, Siri calmly gleans clues from minute examinations of the bodies while circumnavigating bureaucratic red tape to arrive at justice. Only an attempt on his life manages to rattle him—and for good reason. In addition to being comfortable around corpses, Siri actually converses with the dead during his dreams. These scenes come across more as a personification of Siri's natural intuition than as a supernatural element. Less explainable is Siri's journey to a northern Laos army base, where he becomes involved in the witchcraft and spirit world of the local tribespeople. Despite this minor detour into the implausible and a later, jarring change in viewpoint, this debut mystery, with its convincing and highly interesting portrayal of an exotic locale, marks the author as someone to watch. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistStarred Review This first Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery introduces readers to a delightful old man conscripted in 1975 to become the chief medical examiner of Laos after the nation's "only doctor with a background in performing autopsies had crossed the river" into Thailand, "allegedly in a rubber tube." Siri thought he'd settle down with a state pension after helping the Communists force the Laotian royal family from power, but the party won't let him retire until he is a drooling shell. So the spry seventysomething settles into a routine of studying outdated medical texts and scrounging scarce supplies to perform the occasional cursory examination while making witty observations about the bumbling new regime to his oddball assistants. But when the wife of a party leader turns up dead and the bodies of tortured Vietnamese soldiers start bobbing to the surface of a Laotian lake, all eyes turn to Siri. Faced with dueling cover-ups and an emerging international crisis, the doctor enlists old friends, Hmong shamans, forest spirits, dream visits from the dead--and even the occasional bit of medical deduction--to solve the crimes. If Siri lives long enough, he'll make a wry, eccentric addition to the genre. Frank SennettCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Dr. Siri Paiboun Investigation #2
Thirty-Three Teeth
Colin Cotterill
Praise for Thirty-Three Teeth: “Paiboun’s droll wit and Cotterill’s engaging plot twists keep things energetic; the rather grisly murders are offset by comedy…. The elegant, elderly Paiboun seems an unlikely vehicle to carry a series … but he does so with charm and aplomb.”—Entertainment Weekly “The series neatly manages to include an engrossing mystery—political and folk history and a lot of sly satire.”—Day to Day, NPR “Keeps a perfect balance between the modern mysteries of forensic science and the ancient secrets of the spirit world.”—The New York Times Book Review Feisty Dr. Siri Paiboun is no respecter of persons or Party; at his age he feels he can afford to be independent. In this, the second novel in the series, he travels to Luang Prabang where he communes with the deposed king who is resigned to his fate: it was predicted long ago. And he attends a conference of shamans called by the Communist Party to deliver an ultimatum to the spirits: obey Party orders or get out. But as a series of mutilated corpses arrives in Dr. Siri’s morgue, and Nurse Dtui is menaced, he must use all his powers—forensic and shamanic—to discover the creature—animal or spirit—that has been slaying the innocent.
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Dr. Siri Paiboun Investigation #6
The Merry Misogynist
Colin Cotterill
Praise for the Dr. Siri series: “Terrifically beguiling detective novels steeped in local color and history.”—The New York Times Book Review “Like Dr. Siri, Colin Cotterill has a touch of magic about him.”—The Boston Globe “A delightfully fresh and eccentric hero.”—John Burdett “Unpredictable. . . . Tragically funny and magically sublime.”—Entertainment Weekly “A crack storyteller and an impressive guide to a little-known culture.”—The Washington Post Book World In poverty-stricken 1978 Laos, a man from the city with a truck was “somebody,” a catch for even the prettiest village virgin. The corpse of one of these bucolic beauties turns up in Dr. Siri’s morgue and his curiosity is piqued. The victim was tied to a tree and strangled, but she had not, as the doctor had expected, been raped. And though the victim had smooth, pale skin over most of her body, her hands and feet were gnarled, callused, and blistered. On a trip to the hinterlands, Siri discovers that many women have been killed in this way. He sets out to investigate this unprecedented phenomenon—a serial killer in peaceful Buddhist Laos—only to discover when he has identified the murderer that not only pretty maidens are at risk: seventy-three-year-old coroners can be victims too.
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Dr. Siri Paiboun Investigation #7
Love Songs From a Shallow Grave
Colin Cotterill
From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Set in 1978, Cotterill's superb seventh mystery to feature Dr. Siri Paiboun (after 2009's The Merry Misogynist) finds "the national and only coroner of the People's Democratic Republic of Laos" nearing his 74th birthday chained to a lead pipe in a Cambodian prison. Siri's captivity is wrapped around investigating the puzzling deaths of three Laotian women, each skewered by dueling swords that are a decided rarity in Laos. A strong supporting cast, including Siri's recently acquired wife, Madame Daeng, and morgue colleague Nurse Dtui, who's married to Inspector Phosy, enriches the narrative. The unfathomable violence of the Khmer Rouge reign emerges during Siri's unexpected ordeal and forms a vivid contrast to his humanity in seeking to protect the murder suspect in the three sword deaths. This immensely satisfying mystery has it all--a heroic protagonist, a challenging puzzle, and an exotic setting. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistCotterill’s mordant mystery series set in 1970s Southeast Asia features septuagenarian Siri Paiboun, national coroner of the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos. In this dark seventh entry, Dr. Paiboun investigates the deaths of three Laotian women who have died of fencing wounds. The killer, the doctor presumes, must be someone proficient with an épée, a rarity in his country, to be sure. Connections are found between the women—all pursued advanced studies in Eastern bloc countries—but that link doesn’t bring Paiboun much closer to solving the crimes. The offer of an all-expenses paid junket to Cambodia puts a fire under Paiboun, and he hastily cracks the case (or so he thinks). Despite a reputation for consorting with the spirit world, Paiboun ignores otherworldly warnings not to go to Cambodia. Now it’s too late; he’s a prisoner of the Khmer Rouge. Cotterill interweaves details of Paiboun’s investigation with an account of the doctor’s ghastly incarceration. Though his trademark levity lifts the tale, it’s still pretty grim stuff, but Cotterills many fans know that, in this series, wit comes at a price. --Allison Block
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Dr. Siri Paiboun Investigation #8
Slash and Burn
Colin Cotterill
Review“Outstanding ... deftly inserts humor into what could easily have been an unrelentingly grim plot line.”—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review“Any crime fan who hasn’t discovered the Dr. Siri books should start here and then work back. This is the eighth and best , and it’s been far too long since book seven.” —Globe and Mail"Cotterill brings together all the elements that have made the stories so popular: a good mystery, plenty of humor, and a touch of the supernatural. A must for series fans."—BooklistPraise for the Dr. Siri series:"Unpredictable.... Tragically funny and magically sublime."—Entertainment Weekly"A wonderfully fresh and exotic mystery. If Cotterill had done nothing more than treat us to Siri's views on the dramatic, even comic crises that mark periods of government upheaval, his debut mystery would still be fascinating. But the multiple cases spread out on Siri's examining table are not cozy entertainments but substantial crimes that take us into the thick of political intrigue."—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review"You get a real feeling for what Laos was like in the '70s. The humor is wonderful, too."—New York Post"The sights, smells and colors of Laos practically jump off the pages of this inspired, often wryly witty first novel."—Denver Post"A fresh and innovative detective who goes straight to the heart and soul, without any sappty sentiment. THe author gives us exotic locations; a world that few us know well; crisp, intelligent, and often-witty writing; and most of all a hero unlike any other."—Philadelphia Inquirer"A crack storyteller and an impressive guide to a little-known culture."—Washington Post Book World“This is the seventh and most sardonic of Mr. Cotterill’s Dr. Siri series, and it is not easy to cope with the combination of misery and merry melancholy that he employs. His writing, as always, is skillful and smooth and his plot is artfully strung together. The book fascinates as it chills.”—Washington Times"This wonderful series has consistently managed to convey the beauty and sadness of this damaged country through the wisdom and humor of its protagonist."—Boston Globe"I love this elegantly written series, set in Laos with clever, septuagenarian coroner Dr. Siri. This one, the seventh, is the best, but all of them are terrific.... A delightful mix of history and politics, and an excellent mystery."—Toronto Globe and Mail“It’s a rare treat to say that a book placed so far into a series is the best one. Authors more often than not run out of steam by the seventh book. Not Colin Cotterill.”—The Oregonian"Colorful."—Seattle TimesAbout the AuthorColin Cotterill is the author of seven previous mysteries featuring septuagenarian Dr. Siri Paiboun, all available in paperback from Soho Crime. Colin has received a Dilys Award win and a Barry Award nomination. He and his wife live in Chiang Mai, Thailand, where he teaches at the university. He is the 2011 Bouchercon International Guest of Honor.
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