Status
Available
Series
Collection
Publication
New York : Soho Press, Inc., 2005.
Description
A tale of justice done, Laotian shamanic style. With the assistance of his helpers, Dr. Siri Paiboun, the national coroner of Laos, elucidates the causes of mysterious deaths.
User reviews
LibraryThing member jnwelch
"Hot, isn't it?"
"Damned hot."
"How's my favorite policeman?"
"Dr. Siri. I thought you were dead."
"Don't be so sure I'm not."
In Thirty-three Teeth by Colin Cotterill there are times when Dr. Siri has good reason to believe he is dead. A national coroner in communist Laos, he can commune with spirits -
Why this title? It turns out that having thirty-three teeth is "a sign . . . that you've been born as a bridge to the spirit world." The Buddha reportedly had that many, and members of the deposed and now degenerated royal family once did. Maybe Dr. Siri does, too. The spirit world, of course, does not mix well with the new socialist order. There's a hilarious scene in which Comrade Houey and the head Security Officer call all the local shamans to a meeting: "Quiet! I've called you here today because you are going to summon the spirits and give them an ultimatum." That sounds ill-conceived, doesn't it? Turns out a manual has been created with procedures for the spirits to follow. The spirits, and the shamans, don't think that is such a swell idea, and in the end Comrade Houey and his cohort do their dignified best to make their rushed exit.
Dr. Siri's bright assistant, Dtui, is the one who figures out the mystery, but in doing so she gets herself into dire trouble with the assailant. Dr. Siri braves creepy and dank conditions to try to extricate her, and is unexpectedly aided by a person who has known him in the past.
A large part of the fun of this series is the irreverent, clear-sighted and risk-taking Dr. Siri, although his supporting cast is well-drawn and pleasing. The book ends with a befitting impish exhibition in defiance of the somber forces of order, and sets the reader up for another foray into the chaotic, dangerous, and enlightening Laos of Dr. Siri.
"Damned hot."
"How's my favorite policeman?"
"Dr. Siri. I thought you were dead."
"Don't be so sure I'm not."
In Thirty-three Teeth by Colin Cotterill there are times when Dr. Siri has good reason to believe he is dead. A national coroner in communist Laos, he can commune with spirits -
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and they seem to take great delight in communing with him. With a penetrating understanding of the absurdities around him and an influential friend, he is able to back down obstinate functionaries and operate with an independence that at times brings him close (very close) to downfall and destruction. In this second book in this mystery series, something large and vicious is striking down victims with blows and bites that may be those of a local escaped bear - or something else entirely. The bear comes to visit Dr. Siri in a dream (or was it a dream?), but the significance is elusive.Why this title? It turns out that having thirty-three teeth is "a sign . . . that you've been born as a bridge to the spirit world." The Buddha reportedly had that many, and members of the deposed and now degenerated royal family once did. Maybe Dr. Siri does, too. The spirit world, of course, does not mix well with the new socialist order. There's a hilarious scene in which Comrade Houey and the head Security Officer call all the local shamans to a meeting: "Quiet! I've called you here today because you are going to summon the spirits and give them an ultimatum." That sounds ill-conceived, doesn't it? Turns out a manual has been created with procedures for the spirits to follow. The spirits, and the shamans, don't think that is such a swell idea, and in the end Comrade Houey and his cohort do their dignified best to make their rushed exit.
Dr. Siri's bright assistant, Dtui, is the one who figures out the mystery, but in doing so she gets herself into dire trouble with the assailant. Dr. Siri braves creepy and dank conditions to try to extricate her, and is unexpectedly aided by a person who has known him in the past.
A large part of the fun of this series is the irreverent, clear-sighted and risk-taking Dr. Siri, although his supporting cast is well-drawn and pleasing. The book ends with a befitting impish exhibition in defiance of the somber forces of order, and sets the reader up for another foray into the chaotic, dangerous, and enlightening Laos of Dr. Siri.
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LibraryThing member EBT1002
This is the second in the Dr. Siri series, set in Laos in the mid-1970s. Dr. Siri is the reluctant National Coroner and a more kind-hearted and cynical man you could not find. I adore him. Cotterill's writing is delightful (I'm trying to figure out how to get the word "glee" into my comments, but I
The 73-year-old Dr. Siri, who usually rides a motorcycle has been loaned a small horse to make a short journey.
"...the old Lao saying 'A year away from the nipple can make a baby nauseous of breast milk' was coined neither for fun nor for scholastic debate. His motorcycle saddle had made him soft. Five kilometers out of town, he negotiated the animal out of its happy canter and into a more leisurely trot. Old dears on bicycles with huge bundles of lemon grass overtook him. The journey took ninety minutes, not much faster than if he and the animal had changed places."
This isn't great literature. It won't challenge your vocabulary or make you stop and think big thoughts. But it's a compassionate glimpse into the Lao culture following the war and it's full of wonderful characters and funny scenes.
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can't do it at this early hour). Here is a short excerpt that I enjoyed:The 73-year-old Dr. Siri, who usually rides a motorcycle has been loaned a small horse to make a short journey.
"...the old Lao saying 'A year away from the nipple can make a baby nauseous of breast milk' was coined neither for fun nor for scholastic debate. His motorcycle saddle had made him soft. Five kilometers out of town, he negotiated the animal out of its happy canter and into a more leisurely trot. Old dears on bicycles with huge bundles of lemon grass overtook him. The journey took ninety minutes, not much faster than if he and the animal had changed places."
This isn't great literature. It won't challenge your vocabulary or make you stop and think big thoughts. But it's a compassionate glimpse into the Lao culture following the war and it's full of wonderful characters and funny scenes.
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LibraryThing member richardderus
Rating: 4.25* of five
The Book Report: Returning to Vientiane, Laos, a good three months after we left it in The Coroner's Lunch, Colin Cotterill drops us in the midst of Laotian Hell: It's the hot season, before the rains, and so the entire nation greets each other with, "Hot, isn't it?"
I felt that horrible, stifling, miserable heat the entire time I was engrossed in the two mysteries Dr. Siri Paiboun, Laos's only coroner, sets out to solve. The first is a truly terrifying series of maulings, which are blamed on a Malay black bear recently escaped from terrible, cruel captivity at a local luxury hotel's menagerie. Dr. Siri sees the first victim in his morgue, determines there's no human agency in the death, and goes home...there to awake with a black bear breathing on him! He suspects his last earthly moments have come, but the bear merely shambles off after communing with him for a time. More maulings are reported over the course of the book, but the bear herself is not found despite an intensive manhunt.
The next layer of mystery announces itself with a strange death at the Ministry of Sport and Culture. An official charged with overseeing the Ministry's archive is found dead at the base of the fountain in the square the Ministry's on, clearly having been precipitated from the roof. The archive is locked, the only key is on the inside of the door, and the official can't possibly have thrown himself that far from the building. Siri breaks into the archive with his pal Inspector Phosy, last seen as a covert cop, and now a Vientiane police inspector. They discover a chest with the Royal seal intact on it, and can't bring themselves to open it because of its evil aura. Siri warns Phosy and his fellow officers to stay away, he will find a way to get into the chest using his newly discovered connections to the Other World; reluctantly they agree; Siri must now figure out what to do, since he has not Clue One how to manage evil spirits.
And here is where Cotterill takes this tale from a very good 3.5 to near 4 stars, over the bar, and into the four-star world. Siri is summoned to Luang Prabang, Laos's ancient Royal capital, to look into the deaths of two men whose identities the Communist authorities are eager to discover for reasons they won't go into. Siri meets the spirits of the men, uncovers a vicious and wicked betrayal, and brings the malefactor to Justice, instead of legal justice. In the process, Cotterill introduces Siri and the reader to the Laotian kingdom's central spirit repository, and reveals the unhappy reason for an unhappy nation's descent from quiet prideful independence into ever-increasing want and lack. The scene of the reveal is so moving and so affecting that I was compelled to read it twice.
Far from leaving his readers there, though, the author then proceeds to tie in and tie up the maulings with Siri's morgue nurse, Dtui, earning her detective stripes (literally) by her determined and courageous pursuit of a solution to the mysterious animal's whereabouts, taking her from Comrade Minister Civilai's world of the Politburo (where the old codger is the Voice of Reason, an exhausting and thankless task, making him miss his youth spent in the jungles as a freedom fighting boon companion to Siri), to the hidden world of the prisons Laos isn't supposed to need anymore in the Socialist Paradise, and finally to the ragged edge of her own life at the mercy of the evil forces causing the mutilation killings. Siri and his boon companions wind all the loose ends into a very, very happy ending, though just as in real life, there are prices to be paid for all happiness...but on balance, the good outweighs the painful and unhappy.
Like we wish it would in Real Life.
My Review: Oh my heck. I just can't get over several scenes in this book, the one I won't spoiler that I mentioned above, but also some character scenes that I was moved by. One involves Comrade Coroner Siri, Comrade Minister Civilai, and Comrade Inspector Phosy having lunch by the river, something that childless Siri and Civilai have done together often, but now include the unmarried, middle-aged Phosy in. The scene comes at a very interesting point, where Siri has just confirmed that he (like Buddha) has thirty-three teeth which marks him out as a being who is a bridge between the Other Realms and the mundane world we all live in. It feels like the reader is the quiet fourth person watching a pair of old uncles chaffing and loving their younger, respectful nephew, all with the quietest and most enjoyable teasing sweetness. I was very pleased and honored to be allowed into their moment of closeness, and then remembered that the author was creating this scene, not recording or reporting it.
And then there came a moving scene between Siri and Nurse Dtui, which I can't talk about for fear of spoilering events. I hate that I can't talk about it, but to anyone who has felt the ghastly sense of anti-climax when reading a spoilered ending, I need not explain my hesitation. Suffice it to say, Nurse Dtui is more of a daughter to Siri than even he knows yet.
Four full and happily given stars, plus a quarter star to grow on. This is a series my mystery fanboy heart has embraced for good.
The Book Report: Returning to Vientiane, Laos, a good three months after we left it in The Coroner's Lunch, Colin Cotterill drops us in the midst of Laotian Hell: It's the hot season, before the rains, and so the entire nation greets each other with, "Hot, isn't it?"
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Responding, "Damned hot."I felt that horrible, stifling, miserable heat the entire time I was engrossed in the two mysteries Dr. Siri Paiboun, Laos's only coroner, sets out to solve. The first is a truly terrifying series of maulings, which are blamed on a Malay black bear recently escaped from terrible, cruel captivity at a local luxury hotel's menagerie. Dr. Siri sees the first victim in his morgue, determines there's no human agency in the death, and goes home...there to awake with a black bear breathing on him! He suspects his last earthly moments have come, but the bear merely shambles off after communing with him for a time. More maulings are reported over the course of the book, but the bear herself is not found despite an intensive manhunt.
The next layer of mystery announces itself with a strange death at the Ministry of Sport and Culture. An official charged with overseeing the Ministry's archive is found dead at the base of the fountain in the square the Ministry's on, clearly having been precipitated from the roof. The archive is locked, the only key is on the inside of the door, and the official can't possibly have thrown himself that far from the building. Siri breaks into the archive with his pal Inspector Phosy, last seen as a covert cop, and now a Vientiane police inspector. They discover a chest with the Royal seal intact on it, and can't bring themselves to open it because of its evil aura. Siri warns Phosy and his fellow officers to stay away, he will find a way to get into the chest using his newly discovered connections to the Other World; reluctantly they agree; Siri must now figure out what to do, since he has not Clue One how to manage evil spirits.
And here is where Cotterill takes this tale from a very good 3.5 to near 4 stars, over the bar, and into the four-star world. Siri is summoned to Luang Prabang, Laos's ancient Royal capital, to look into the deaths of two men whose identities the Communist authorities are eager to discover for reasons they won't go into. Siri meets the spirits of the men, uncovers a vicious and wicked betrayal, and brings the malefactor to Justice, instead of legal justice. In the process, Cotterill introduces Siri and the reader to the Laotian kingdom's central spirit repository, and reveals the unhappy reason for an unhappy nation's descent from quiet prideful independence into ever-increasing want and lack. The scene of the reveal is so moving and so affecting that I was compelled to read it twice.
Far from leaving his readers there, though, the author then proceeds to tie in and tie up the maulings with Siri's morgue nurse, Dtui, earning her detective stripes (literally) by her determined and courageous pursuit of a solution to the mysterious animal's whereabouts, taking her from Comrade Minister Civilai's world of the Politburo (where the old codger is the Voice of Reason, an exhausting and thankless task, making him miss his youth spent in the jungles as a freedom fighting boon companion to Siri), to the hidden world of the prisons Laos isn't supposed to need anymore in the Socialist Paradise, and finally to the ragged edge of her own life at the mercy of the evil forces causing the mutilation killings. Siri and his boon companions wind all the loose ends into a very, very happy ending, though just as in real life, there are prices to be paid for all happiness...but on balance, the good outweighs the painful and unhappy.
Like we wish it would in Real Life.
My Review: Oh my heck. I just can't get over several scenes in this book, the one I won't spoiler that I mentioned above, but also some character scenes that I was moved by. One involves Comrade Coroner Siri, Comrade Minister Civilai, and Comrade Inspector Phosy having lunch by the river, something that childless Siri and Civilai have done together often, but now include the unmarried, middle-aged Phosy in. The scene comes at a very interesting point, where Siri has just confirmed that he (like Buddha) has thirty-three teeth which marks him out as a being who is a bridge between the Other Realms and the mundane world we all live in. It feels like the reader is the quiet fourth person watching a pair of old uncles chaffing and loving their younger, respectful nephew, all with the quietest and most enjoyable teasing sweetness. I was very pleased and honored to be allowed into their moment of closeness, and then remembered that the author was creating this scene, not recording or reporting it.
And then there came a moving scene between Siri and Nurse Dtui, which I can't talk about for fear of spoilering events. I hate that I can't talk about it, but to anyone who has felt the ghastly sense of anti-climax when reading a spoilered ending, I need not explain my hesitation. Suffice it to say, Nurse Dtui is more of a daughter to Siri than even he knows yet.
Four full and happily given stars, plus a quarter star to grow on. This is a series my mystery fanboy heart has embraced for good.
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LibraryThing member Smiler69
This is the second book in the Dr. Siri series, now officially a favourite of mine. This time there is a mistreated bear on the loose in Vientiane and people being randomly mauled to death, though of course things aren't quite as they seem; our coroner meets with a very unusual person in what might
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be the garden of Eden, and the communist party has called a meeting for all the shamans of Laos, which Siri of course manages to attend as one of the mystics. This chapter, called "Doin' the Exorcism Conga" had some of the funniest, laugh out very loud moments in the book, with the party official demanding that the shamans summon the spirits to give them an ultimatum and essentially get them to toe the communist party line. I intend to devour these books one after the other and worry about having come to the end of the series later. Show Less
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
I actually liked this one more than The Coroner's Lunch, which I read some time ago. If you are considering reading Thirty-three Teeth, I would HIGHLY advise that you start with Coroner's Lunch...because you absolutely will not have a clue what's going on here.
The main character of these two
In this story, Siri and his staff have to try and figure out what has killed a number of people, leaving terrible bite marks on them that they cannot identify. There is also the mystery of why two men would jump out of the Ministry of Sports building, to their deaths. And of course, there is Siri's search for understanding about his spiritual/supernatural self.
This book was quite good, and there is one scene in this book that's going to stick with me a long time. One of the local communist comrade bigwigs has called a meeting of all of the Shamans and spirit channelers to give the spirits the ultimatum to work on behalf of the party or leave. All of them gather for the meeting, and the result is one of the funniest scenes I've read in a novel in a long time. I laughed out loud reading this -- it was a hoot.
I definitely recommend this one, it is such a little book but a true treasure. If I had to give it a classification, I'd call it an occult mystery, but it's a lot more.
The main character of these two
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stories is Dr. Siri Paiboun, who is the national coroner of Laos. Set in 1977, the book is set in the People's Republic of Laos, in the midst of the new Communist regime. Siri is 72, and in the Coroner's Lunch, we discover that he is the re-embodiment of Yeh Ming, a shaman of the Hmong people who lived about 1000 years earlier. But wait...before you decide NOT to read this book because of that fact, this whole shaman thing really does work in this novel. In this story, Siri and his staff have to try and figure out what has killed a number of people, leaving terrible bite marks on them that they cannot identify. There is also the mystery of why two men would jump out of the Ministry of Sports building, to their deaths. And of course, there is Siri's search for understanding about his spiritual/supernatural self.
This book was quite good, and there is one scene in this book that's going to stick with me a long time. One of the local communist comrade bigwigs has called a meeting of all of the Shamans and spirit channelers to give the spirits the ultimatum to work on behalf of the party or leave. All of them gather for the meeting, and the result is one of the funniest scenes I've read in a novel in a long time. I laughed out loud reading this -- it was a hoot.
I definitely recommend this one, it is such a little book but a true treasure. If I had to give it a classification, I'd call it an occult mystery, but it's a lot more.
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LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50
I am still very much enjoying the Dr. Siri series by Colin Cotterill of which Thirty-Three Teeth is the second book. Continuing on with his story of the reluctant seventy year old national coroner set in 1977 Laos after the communist take-over, this book finds Dr. Siri less reluctant about having
Three mysteries are touched upon in this book and there is a lot of spiritual activity. I felt perhaps this aspect was a little overdone, but the author still implants plenty of humour and keeps his settings interesting and informative. Along with the pragmatic Dr. Siri there is a great cast of supporting characters that help to flesh out the story and his writing style is witty, sharp and ironic.
These books are not classic whodunits in any way, relying less on mystery solving and more on descriptions of Dr. Siri’s day-to-day activities and the strange things that happen around him. Extremely entertaining, I relish my time spend with Dr. Siri and his cronies.
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to work as the corner and coming to terms with playing host for an ancient shaman’s spirit.Three mysteries are touched upon in this book and there is a lot of spiritual activity. I felt perhaps this aspect was a little overdone, but the author still implants plenty of humour and keeps his settings interesting and informative. Along with the pragmatic Dr. Siri there is a great cast of supporting characters that help to flesh out the story and his writing style is witty, sharp and ironic.
These books are not classic whodunits in any way, relying less on mystery solving and more on descriptions of Dr. Siri’s day-to-day activities and the strange things that happen around him. Extremely entertaining, I relish my time spend with Dr. Siri and his cronies.
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LibraryThing member Ma_Washigeri
I remember the first book 'The Coroner's Lunch' as amusing and quirky but this one transcends that somehow - the characters all leap from the page and he had me looking up maps of Laos and learning a bit about why the country is such an odd shape. I think magical realism is a good description, even
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though it masquerades as as niche detective story. Show Less
LibraryThing member cameling
The 2nd in the Laotian series starring national coroner, Dr Siri Paiboun is back with his trusty assistants Dtui and Geung. A couple of women are found slashed and bitten to death. All evidence appear to indicate that they'd been killed by a bear. In addition, a wooden box with the royal seal was
While trying to solve the mysteries surrounding the victims, Dr Siri continues to be stalked by enemies of Yeh Ming, his neighbor Ms Vong, and watched over by Saloop, a mangy dog.
The spirits continue to help and maybe sometime hinder his work, but his sense of humor continues to prevail, even when he's .... arrested.
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found in a closed office of a government building and is emanating a strong and malevolent vibe which Dr Siri suspects may have caused a government civil servant to throw himself out the window, landing on a passing cyclist, killing the 2 of them. He's also called out to identify 2 crisp bodies of pilots who were burned.While trying to solve the mysteries surrounding the victims, Dr Siri continues to be stalked by enemies of Yeh Ming, his neighbor Ms Vong, and watched over by Saloop, a mangy dog.
The spirits continue to help and maybe sometime hinder his work, but his sense of humor continues to prevail, even when he's .... arrested.
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LibraryThing member eachurch
What great fun this book is. Cotterill does a fabulous job of weaving the traditional spirit world in with the new secular world created by the Communist. I particularly enjoyed the family the recurring characters have created for themselves.
LibraryThing member smik
The opening setting is Vientiane, People's Democratic Republic of Laos, in March 1977. A large Vietnamese delegation is staying at the Lan Xang Hotel. In the back garden of the hotel are some cages, one housing a mal-treated black mountain bear which escapes. The once retired and very reluctant
Conditions in the morgue are primitive, and not airconditioned. Siri is assisted in his autopsies by the very observant Nurse Dtui and Mr. Geung, a downs syndrome man with an incredible memory. Siri brings to the mix "mystic connections", dreams, intuition, and visitations from the dead. Sometimes Siri has a problem in telling the dreams from reality, particularly after he's had a vodka drinking session with his good friend Comrade Civilai.
No sooner have they solved the puzzle of the dead men on the bicycle, than the rather odd team is presented with the body of old Auntie See, discovered in the bushes near her shanty, mauled to death. Almost simultaneously Siri is told his presence is required at the royal capital of Luang Prabang. He is required to discover where two rather carbonised corpses have come from. Such are the duties of Laos' national coroner.
One of the things I enjoyed about this book is Cotterill's underlying humour. There are also glimpses of forensic pathology far removed from the world of Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs. For those of us whose countries fought in the Vietnam War, this is also a look at the post-war world of Laos.
Cotterill's writing style is very laconic. Reminds me a bit of William Mcinnes although of course the latter isn't writing crime fiction. It also earlier reminded me a lot of Alexander Mccall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, and although the setting is very different, and in many ways, more third world, the connection is still there for me. Politically it gives a picture in which the revolutionary government is being tolerated by its citizens, but there is no doubt, that despite physical enforcement, the Laotian government remains in power only because the people tolerate it.
This novel, #2 in Cotterill's Siri Paiboun series, won't be everybody's cup of tea, and there was nearly too much of the "mystic" connections for me. But then this is a reminder that in some cultures the spiritual world exists in parallel with the physical, and so we must accept that in Dr. Siri's elderly body resides a very ancient spirit. If this were medieval England we would have no difficulty in accepting a belief in the influence of the spirits of good and evil on our daily lives.
So what has 33 teeth? Sorry- you'll have to read the book to find out.
Colin Cotterill trained as a physical education teacher and, now an Australian citizen, has lived and worked in Israel, Australia, USA, Japan, Thailand and Laos. He presently lives in Chiang Mai. His entertaining website tells you a lot about him, his books, and his Books for Laos project.
Titles to look for in the Dr. Siri series
THE CORONER'S LUNCH (2004)
THIRTY THREE TEETH (2005)
DISCO FOR THE DEPARTED (2006)
ANARCHY & OLD DOGS (2007)
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national coroner, 72 year old Dr. Siri Paiboun, lives in a concrete mausoleum of a building in an outer suburb. On Monday morning when he arrives at the morgue for work Siri already has guests: two men found dead on a bicycle in the middle of the street.Conditions in the morgue are primitive, and not airconditioned. Siri is assisted in his autopsies by the very observant Nurse Dtui and Mr. Geung, a downs syndrome man with an incredible memory. Siri brings to the mix "mystic connections", dreams, intuition, and visitations from the dead. Sometimes Siri has a problem in telling the dreams from reality, particularly after he's had a vodka drinking session with his good friend Comrade Civilai.
No sooner have they solved the puzzle of the dead men on the bicycle, than the rather odd team is presented with the body of old Auntie See, discovered in the bushes near her shanty, mauled to death. Almost simultaneously Siri is told his presence is required at the royal capital of Luang Prabang. He is required to discover where two rather carbonised corpses have come from. Such are the duties of Laos' national coroner.
One of the things I enjoyed about this book is Cotterill's underlying humour. There are also glimpses of forensic pathology far removed from the world of Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs. For those of us whose countries fought in the Vietnam War, this is also a look at the post-war world of Laos.
Cotterill's writing style is very laconic. Reminds me a bit of William Mcinnes although of course the latter isn't writing crime fiction. It also earlier reminded me a lot of Alexander Mccall Smith's No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency, and although the setting is very different, and in many ways, more third world, the connection is still there for me. Politically it gives a picture in which the revolutionary government is being tolerated by its citizens, but there is no doubt, that despite physical enforcement, the Laotian government remains in power only because the people tolerate it.
This novel, #2 in Cotterill's Siri Paiboun series, won't be everybody's cup of tea, and there was nearly too much of the "mystic" connections for me. But then this is a reminder that in some cultures the spiritual world exists in parallel with the physical, and so we must accept that in Dr. Siri's elderly body resides a very ancient spirit. If this were medieval England we would have no difficulty in accepting a belief in the influence of the spirits of good and evil on our daily lives.
So what has 33 teeth? Sorry- you'll have to read the book to find out.
Colin Cotterill trained as a physical education teacher and, now an Australian citizen, has lived and worked in Israel, Australia, USA, Japan, Thailand and Laos. He presently lives in Chiang Mai. His entertaining website tells you a lot about him, his books, and his Books for Laos project.
Titles to look for in the Dr. Siri series
THE CORONER'S LUNCH (2004)
THIRTY THREE TEETH (2005)
DISCO FOR THE DEPARTED (2006)
ANARCHY & OLD DOGS (2007)
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LibraryThing member prettysinister
I enjoyed this immensely. It's the 2nd in a series and it's the first that really runs wild with the supernatural and mystical portions of Laotian culture and Dr. Siri's shamanistic abilities. The multiple storylines are still present as were in the first book, but there is still the focus on one
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particular case which indeed has a very interesting little twist. It's a clever work of misdirection that rivals anything the old Golden Age authors might have penned. While the denouement is not entirely surprising, the investigation of the gruesome killings of the women who appear to have been attacked by a crazed animal is right up there with some of the books of Dickson Carr, Queen, Abbot, Hake Talbot and other detective fiction writers who loved to combine the crime novel with the bizarre. When the finale came I was reminded of a terrible 1930s Crime Club novel long out of print (the name of which I will not reveal) that used a similar idea but handled it utterly ineptly. Cotterill's books are right up my alley. This work is far more action-oriented than the first a trend that will continue in the later books. It also has quite a bit of the genuinely supernatural (the royal puppets and the exorcism/cleansing Mr. Inthanet performs, for example). I know Cotterill gets criticized for being too Western in his writing for books about Southeast Asians and his black humor does not appeal to many readers. However, I would like to see more crime writers populating their books with these good humored, humane characters than the dour alcoholics and depressive figures I encounter most of the time in contemporary crime novels. Show Less
LibraryThing member FicusFan
This is the second book in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series. It is set in the 1970s in Laos after the communists take over. The main character is a doctor and disillusioned party member. He is 72 and wants to retire, he did his time in the hills for 20 years and doesn't like how the party are treating
Unfortunately many educated people fled to Thailand when the communists took over, including the National Coroner. The party decides that Siri will take over the job. They don't care that he has no knowledge of taking people apart, or the coroner's specialties and techniques. In the communist party everyone is an interchangeable cog. The trials of Siri working out his job are detailed in the first book The Coroner's Lunch .
Siri is also a reluctant shaman who can see the spirits of the dead. They perform actions and he uses the information to help determine how and why they died. His powers increase with each book, but he has no training and no idea how to harness or use them.
He is given important or suspicious deaths to investigate. The spirits mean that those he works on are real people to him, and not just anonymous slabs of meat. He wants to find justice and dignity for the victims of crime.
In this book there are several threads. There is an animal in town killing people. Some think its the old bedraggled bear who escaped from a hotel 'zoo', others think it might be a tiger (due to bite marks), except no one can image it wandering the city and not being seen. The other option is a weretiger (the spirits switching form between tiger and human).
There is also a strange double death on a bicycle circling a fountain on a deserted street in the middle of the night. They think a man in the Sports Ministry took a flying leap from the top floor and landed on the man on the bicycle. There is a strange box in the upper room with dark and dangerous spirit vibes, and the seal of the Royal family.
Siri is then sent to the capital to determine the identity of two men burned to death. The party won't tell him the details, but he is able to work out broadly who they are and their connection to the deposed Royal Family who are being held there before being moved.
While Siri is away dealing with the deaths with the royal connections, his nurse and assistant Dtui is left with the search for the animal or spirit that is mauling people. She is poor, lacking political connections, female, big and not pretty. She is also very smart and Siri is trying to get her sent to school in the Soviet Union to receive coroner training. The party wants to send party members, and those with connections. In many ways this book is an exploration of Dtui's character, as well as that of Siri.
The people who work in the morgue are very important to Siri, not just Dtiu, but his technician who cleans and does menial work - Mr. Geung, and adult with Down's Syndrome. The judge in charge of them is filled with hate and revulsion towards Mr. Geung, and is always trying to replace him.
The books, although about death and murder are very warm hearted, funny and life affirming. There is also a good bit of cultural and spiritual information about Loas worked into the story. We also see Siri's battles with the party and how they are abusing their power and the common people. The writing is good, and I just love the series.
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people.Unfortunately many educated people fled to Thailand when the communists took over, including the National Coroner. The party decides that Siri will take over the job. They don't care that he has no knowledge of taking people apart, or the coroner's specialties and techniques. In the communist party everyone is an interchangeable cog. The trials of Siri working out his job are detailed in the first book The Coroner's Lunch .
Siri is also a reluctant shaman who can see the spirits of the dead. They perform actions and he uses the information to help determine how and why they died. His powers increase with each book, but he has no training and no idea how to harness or use them.
He is given important or suspicious deaths to investigate. The spirits mean that those he works on are real people to him, and not just anonymous slabs of meat. He wants to find justice and dignity for the victims of crime.
In this book there are several threads. There is an animal in town killing people. Some think its the old bedraggled bear who escaped from a hotel 'zoo', others think it might be a tiger (due to bite marks), except no one can image it wandering the city and not being seen. The other option is a weretiger (the spirits switching form between tiger and human).
There is also a strange double death on a bicycle circling a fountain on a deserted street in the middle of the night. They think a man in the Sports Ministry took a flying leap from the top floor and landed on the man on the bicycle. There is a strange box in the upper room with dark and dangerous spirit vibes, and the seal of the Royal family.
Siri is then sent to the capital to determine the identity of two men burned to death. The party won't tell him the details, but he is able to work out broadly who they are and their connection to the deposed Royal Family who are being held there before being moved.
While Siri is away dealing with the deaths with the royal connections, his nurse and assistant Dtui is left with the search for the animal or spirit that is mauling people. She is poor, lacking political connections, female, big and not pretty. She is also very smart and Siri is trying to get her sent to school in the Soviet Union to receive coroner training. The party wants to send party members, and those with connections. In many ways this book is an exploration of Dtui's character, as well as that of Siri.
The people who work in the morgue are very important to Siri, not just Dtiu, but his technician who cleans and does menial work - Mr. Geung, and adult with Down's Syndrome. The judge in charge of them is filled with hate and revulsion towards Mr. Geung, and is always trying to replace him.
The books, although about death and murder are very warm hearted, funny and life affirming. There is also a good bit of cultural and spiritual information about Loas worked into the story. We also see Siri's battles with the party and how they are abusing their power and the common people. The writing is good, and I just love the series.
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LibraryThing member sriemann
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
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LibraryThing member wildbill
This book was fun. It is part of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series. He is the only coroner in the Socialist Republic of Laos. He also carries the sprirt of Yeh Ming a shaman who is one thousand years old. As the coroner he gets involved in a lot of murder mysteries and sometimes he uses the powers from
The setting provides a lot of the fun in the book. Laos is a very old country and the people have learned not to take life too seriously. The common greeting when people meet in this story is "It's hot, Damned hot." It hasn't rained in a long time. People don't gripe about global warming. They just fan themselves and say," It's hot." There is plenty of tropical scenery and old French colonial buildings. The only people who aren't fun are the cadres who take themselves too seriously.
There are several mysteries in the book. The most serious involves people who are found murdered by a wild animal. Dtui, the nurse at the morgue, finds out that a Malay brown bear has escaped from a cage. She tells the police that the bear is probably the killer. Then she finds out the bear couldn't have been the killer and feels very bad that she may be the cause of the bear's death. She goes on a hunt to find the killer in order to save the bear. The problem is that she finds the killer and gets herself in a real bad situation. Dr. Siri goes to save her. I won't be a spoiler but the story goes from fun to suspense and danger.
There is an interesting story in the book that begins with a murder and ends with the discovery of the royal puppets. All through the book a mixture of murders and the light side of life.
This is the second Dr. Siri book I have read. They have an interesting mixture of murder and the occult. The more I get to know the characters the more I enjoy spending time with them. Nice people, mostly, good entertainment with a nice mixture of mystery and suspense.
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Yeh Ming to help solve them. In this book he discovers that he has thirty-three teeth just as The Buddha had.The setting provides a lot of the fun in the book. Laos is a very old country and the people have learned not to take life too seriously. The common greeting when people meet in this story is "It's hot, Damned hot." It hasn't rained in a long time. People don't gripe about global warming. They just fan themselves and say," It's hot." There is plenty of tropical scenery and old French colonial buildings. The only people who aren't fun are the cadres who take themselves too seriously.
There are several mysteries in the book. The most serious involves people who are found murdered by a wild animal. Dtui, the nurse at the morgue, finds out that a Malay brown bear has escaped from a cage. She tells the police that the bear is probably the killer. Then she finds out the bear couldn't have been the killer and feels very bad that she may be the cause of the bear's death. She goes on a hunt to find the killer in order to save the bear. The problem is that she finds the killer and gets herself in a real bad situation. Dr. Siri goes to save her. I won't be a spoiler but the story goes from fun to suspense and danger.
There is an interesting story in the book that begins with a murder and ends with the discovery of the royal puppets. All through the book a mixture of murders and the light side of life.
This is the second Dr. Siri book I have read. They have an interesting mixture of murder and the occult. The more I get to know the characters the more I enjoy spending time with them. Nice people, mostly, good entertainment with a nice mixture of mystery and suspense.
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LibraryThing member austcrimefiction
Title: THIRTY-THREE TEETH
Author: Colin Cotterill
Publisher: Text Publishing
Edition released: June 2007
ISBN: 978-1-921145-88-9
244 pages
Review by: Karen Chisholm
THIRTY-THREE TEETH is the follow up to THE CORONER'S LUNCH featuring the elderly, reluctant Laotian National Coroner Dr Siri Paiboun.
In
Whilst Dr Siri is spending time in the north, Nurse Dtui goes snooping using some very ingenious casts of the mauling victim wounds to try to understand what creature could be causing these sorts of injuries. In the North, Dr Siri has got problems of his own. He's always been psychic and he frequently chats to the dead, but in the North he's surrounded by the living, the spirits, the dead, shamans, Laotian Royalty, Communist hierarchy and his own in-laws. Knowing what caused the death of the two charred victims is one thing. Getting back to Vientiane, getting that chest in the Archives open, sorting out the fate of the poor bear and stopping the mauling deaths is another thing. Equally importantly there are the more domestic problems of that blasting loudspeaker at the end of the road and watching his new Shaman friend romance his dreaded next door neighbour.
THIRTY-THREE TEETH is a little more confrontational than THE CORONER'S LUNCH from two major aspects. Firstly there are a number of animal characters in this book that have a higher profile and there is cruelty described in broad detail which could be disconcerting for some readers. There is also a much higher level of the mystical in this book than in the first, which again might worry some readers. Both of these aspects fit seamlessly in the cultural context of the book, and there is a nice touch of revenge and restitution which helps lessen any reader discomfort. It would be a pity to dodge an outing with the marvellous Dr Siri and his indomitable assistant Nurse Dtui because of them. The mystical in THIRTY-THREE TEETH has the added bonus of delivering a new side character in the magnificent shaman Inthanet whose role in the unveiling of the contents of the chest are only a small part of his overall impact on the various storylines.
Ultimately THIRTY-THREE TEETH is a good mystery with a lot of solid threads running through it, peopled by some fabulous characters, deftly drawn. It is delivered in what seems, to a complete outsider, a very Laotian style - celebrating the cultural uniqueness, whilst also pointing out the differences and difficulties that the people are managing within.
Author: Colin Cotterill
Publisher: Text Publishing
Edition released: June 2007
ISBN: 978-1-921145-88-9
244 pages
Review by: Karen Chisholm
THIRTY-THREE TEETH is the follow up to THE CORONER'S LUNCH featuring the elderly, reluctant Laotian National Coroner Dr Siri Paiboun.
In
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THIRTY-THREE TEETH it is summer in Vientiane and it is hot, bloody hot. Laotians greet each other with that phrase as they steam away in the unrelenting heat. In Vientiane, a much tormented Asian Bear escapes from cruel confines in a local hotel garden just before there is a slow build-up of viciously savaged corpses in Dr Siri's morgue. The injuries that these victims have endured appear to indicate that they have been mauled by a very large animal, but Dr Siri is pulled away from that investigation by the authorities who demand he flies immediately to the north of the country to examine two badly charred bodies. In the meantime there has been another very mysterious death at a local government building and there's a chest in the National Archives that still has to be opened.Whilst Dr Siri is spending time in the north, Nurse Dtui goes snooping using some very ingenious casts of the mauling victim wounds to try to understand what creature could be causing these sorts of injuries. In the North, Dr Siri has got problems of his own. He's always been psychic and he frequently chats to the dead, but in the North he's surrounded by the living, the spirits, the dead, shamans, Laotian Royalty, Communist hierarchy and his own in-laws. Knowing what caused the death of the two charred victims is one thing. Getting back to Vientiane, getting that chest in the Archives open, sorting out the fate of the poor bear and stopping the mauling deaths is another thing. Equally importantly there are the more domestic problems of that blasting loudspeaker at the end of the road and watching his new Shaman friend romance his dreaded next door neighbour.
THIRTY-THREE TEETH is a little more confrontational than THE CORONER'S LUNCH from two major aspects. Firstly there are a number of animal characters in this book that have a higher profile and there is cruelty described in broad detail which could be disconcerting for some readers. There is also a much higher level of the mystical in this book than in the first, which again might worry some readers. Both of these aspects fit seamlessly in the cultural context of the book, and there is a nice touch of revenge and restitution which helps lessen any reader discomfort. It would be a pity to dodge an outing with the marvellous Dr Siri and his indomitable assistant Nurse Dtui because of them. The mystical in THIRTY-THREE TEETH has the added bonus of delivering a new side character in the magnificent shaman Inthanet whose role in the unveiling of the contents of the chest are only a small part of his overall impact on the various storylines.
Ultimately THIRTY-THREE TEETH is a good mystery with a lot of solid threads running through it, peopled by some fabulous characters, deftly drawn. It is delivered in what seems, to a complete outsider, a very Laotian style - celebrating the cultural uniqueness, whilst also pointing out the differences and difficulties that the people are managing within.
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LibraryThing member emanate28
Just as the 1st book in the Dr Siri series was, this was an unusual, quirky and entertaining detective story. It was quite enjoyable, although it lost a touch of mysteriousness (and therefore of intrigue) with the spirit world aspect becoming rather matter-of-fact, unlike the 1st book where it was
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still grey whether Dr Siri was really seeing things or it was in his mind. The ending with the murderer was not 100% convincing for me, but otherwise a very entertaining read. I think I will come back to read more from Dr Siri's adventures. Show Less
LibraryThing member RBeffa
This is the second of Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri books, and the second one I have read this year. I really enjoy the exoticness of these stories and am glad I found them. This story charmed me just as much as the "The Coroner's Lunch". Dr. Siri must again unravel the mysteries behind several deaths
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and events. I think that the various storylines and incidental characters are well done, and Dr. Siri is as irreverent as ever. I enjoy the history lessons included with the story - where we continue to learn more about Laos both before and following the communist takeover. The mystical spirit world aspects continue as a major part of the storytelling and we (and Dr. Siri) also learn more about Siri's early life and why he has this spiritual connection. The story builds to a scary and suspenseful climax. This is my new favorite series I think. Show Less
LibraryThing member wodfest
Siri Paiboun - what an unexpected hero. I love that all his characters, settings and descriptions are so evocative of place and real. Echewing the traditional impressive looking heros and heroines just makes these books stronger. I'll be looking for more and one day I am going to have to visit Laos.
LibraryThing member countrylife
How can crime fiction be fun, with all that death, and autopsies, and politics? I don’t know how he does it, but Colin Cotterill’s Dr. Siri Paiboun series are simply a hoot.
He pokes gentle fun at communism. ”So, there it was in a nutshell. Poverty led him to religion, religion to education,
With native beliefs, he creates amusing storylines that are not at all dismissive. “Thirty-three teeth. It’s almost unheard of. The Lord Buddha also had thirty-three . . . It’s a sign, an indication that you’ve been born as a bridge to the spirit world.
Realistic and fascinating settings, engaging characters, and imaginative stories – all the ingredients for a great series!
“Hot, isn’t it?”
“Damned hot.”
He pokes gentle fun at communism. ”So, there it was in a nutshell. Poverty led him to religion, religion to education,
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education to lust, lust to communism. And communism had brought him back full circle to poverty. There was a Ph.D. dissertation waiting to be written about such a cycle.” . . . “Even being the national coroner didn’t carry any weight in pushing that old bureaucratic bus up the hill to socialist nirvana.” With native beliefs, he creates amusing storylines that are not at all dismissive. “Thirty-three teeth. It’s almost unheard of. The Lord Buddha also had thirty-three . . . It’s a sign, an indication that you’ve been born as a bridge to the spirit world.
Realistic and fascinating settings, engaging characters, and imaginative stories – all the ingredients for a great series!
“Hot, isn’t it?”
“Damned hot.”
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LibraryThing member -Eva-
Dr. Siri Paiboun, the “Super Spirit Doc,” is sent to ascertain the identity of a couple of charred bodies at the same time as he and his team have to contend with the horrific maulings by what could be a "weretiger," the repercussions of the departure of the deposed king's spirits, and the
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Government attempting to impose state regulations on the spirit world. Although not quite as engaging as the first book in the series, mainly because there are a few too many things going on, Dr. Siri and his coworkers are still very charming and funny, the mysteries intriguing enough, and the spirit world contributing with some madness, which makes for a very exciting read. If you're reading this purely for mystery the supernatural parts can get a little overwhelming, but they don't detract too much once you're prepared that they'll be part of the solution. Show Less
LibraryThing member mamzel
The second book of this series finds Dr. Siri embracing his spiritual talents which help him solve the forensic mysteries he is faced with. The scene where the party representatives call together all the shamans of the area to deliver directives to their spirits is absolutely priceless!
LibraryThing member Joycepa
2nd in the Dr. Siri Paibon, national coroner of Laos series.
It isn’t a Dr. Siri book if there weren’t weird deaths in the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos of 1977. Two men have been mysteriously killed on the same bicycle and it’s hard to figure out how exactly that could have happened.
There is a light-heartedness to the series that makes it fun to read. The cast of characters is unusual and interesting: Dr. Siri himself, Nurse Dtui (one of his assistants), Mr. Geung (his other assistant who has Down’s Syndrome), Civilai (his best friend), Phosy (a nosy police investigator). And more.
What elevates this from fluff to medium-weight is the amount of information about Laos--both its culture and the operation of the country under the Communist Pathet Lao regime. this alone would make the books worth reading.
The mysteries are enjoyable, and there’s no problem about tying up loose ends when you can call on the spirit world to help you.
Good fun; highly recommended.
It isn’t a Dr. Siri book if there weren’t weird deaths in the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos of 1977. Two men have been mysteriously killed on the same bicycle and it’s hard to figure out how exactly that could have happened.
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Then other mysterious deaths occur, and fear is about that a large, vicious animal--or worse--is preying on the countryside. Of equal significance, Dr. Siri discovers that he has 33 teeth (instead of the usual 32), definitely marking him as a shaman (which he already knew).There is a light-heartedness to the series that makes it fun to read. The cast of characters is unusual and interesting: Dr. Siri himself, Nurse Dtui (one of his assistants), Mr. Geung (his other assistant who has Down’s Syndrome), Civilai (his best friend), Phosy (a nosy police investigator). And more.
What elevates this from fluff to medium-weight is the amount of information about Laos--both its culture and the operation of the country under the Communist Pathet Lao regime. this alone would make the books worth reading.
The mysteries are enjoyable, and there’s no problem about tying up loose ends when you can call on the spirit world to help you.
Good fun; highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member msf59
“Hot, isn’t it?”
“Damned hot!”
Lao greeting
Dr. Siri Paiboun , the National coroner of Laos, returns for his second adventure. He is a widower, in his early 70s, still quite sharp-minded but looking to retire. He is also a shaman, so he has vivid and prophetic dreams and can see spirits
Our setting once again, is the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos, mid-70s. A country in transition.
The story begins with Siri investigating several mysterious deaths, but the one that truly baffles him, is multiple bodies being found, mangled by a large carnivorous animal, which are not common in this South-Asian country.
Cotterill writes masterfully. His prose is quick, smart and occasionally very funny. All of his characters are richly textured and he also evokes Laos with amazing clarity. Highly recommended and I can’t wait to get to book 3.
“Damned hot!”
Lao greeting
Dr. Siri Paiboun , the National coroner of Laos, returns for his second adventure. He is a widower, in his early 70s, still quite sharp-minded but looking to retire. He is also a shaman, so he has vivid and prophetic dreams and can see spirits
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lurking in the shadows.Our setting once again, is the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos, mid-70s. A country in transition.
The story begins with Siri investigating several mysterious deaths, but the one that truly baffles him, is multiple bodies being found, mangled by a large carnivorous animal, which are not common in this South-Asian country.
Cotterill writes masterfully. His prose is quick, smart and occasionally very funny. All of his characters are richly textured and he also evokes Laos with amazing clarity. Highly recommended and I can’t wait to get to book 3.
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LibraryThing member laytonwoman3rd
This is the second in a series of mysteries featuring Laotian national coroner, Dr. Siri Paiboun. These are set in the late '70's, under the new Communist regime in Laos. Dr. Siri is the reluctant holder of his office, having no particular qualifications for the job other than being one of the few
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doctors who didn't "swim across the river" to Thailand to avoid the troubles that were obviously coming after the overthrow of the royalist Lao government. Dr. Siri is irreverent, scornful of the government, downright subversive in his mild-mannered fashion, and yet quite conscientious about doing his job to the best of his ability with his preposterously limited resources. He is also the receptacle of an ancient shaman's spirit, a fact of which he was blissfully ignorant for the first 70-some years of his life. He has a very big heart and a fine sense of the ridiculous, which allows us to see the whole bureaucratic mess as farce rather than tragedy. Show Less
LibraryThing member Becky221
Quite an interesting mystery and so much culture (Laos) as well. I will definitely read more in this series.
Subjects
Awards
Dilys Award (Winner — 2006)