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Time & Place: late 1970s, Vientiane, Laos, South East Asia
Plot: As usual, all is abnormal in Dr Siri Paiboun's morgue in downtown Vientiane. Three young Laotian women have died of fencing sword wounds. Each of them had studied abroad in an Eastern bloc country. Before he can complete his investigation, Dr. Siri is lured to Cambodia by an all-expenses-paid trip. Accused of spying for the Vietnamese, he is imprisoned, beaten, and threatened with death. The Khmer Rouge is relentless, and it is touch and go for the dauntless, seventy-four-year-old national—and only—coroner of Laos.
Excerpts from Reviews
Publishers Weekly: Starred 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. 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."
Booklist: "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
Library Journal: Starred review. “Readers who enjoy Eliot Pattison’s Asian thrillers . . . will find that Cotterill shares the same sardonic view of Asian communism mixed with a touch of mysticism . . . a quality that sets the work of both authors apart from most mystery fare."
ABOUT THE BOOK
Three murders in Vientianne; genocide in Phnom Penh
Books in this Series
Dr. Siri Celebrates Seventy-Fourth Birthday Shackled to Pipe
A Man of Many Parts: Surgeon, Shaman, Stubborn Sr. Citizen
When Dr. Siri was young, his small South East Asian country was occupied by France; he was sent to Paris to be educated. There he fell in love and learned a few things about medicine and movies. His wife was a devoted revolutionary, who insisted they return to Laos to oust the evil occupier. It took about forty years and cost his wife her life, but finally the day came when the French were gone, the Lao monarchy was gone and the communist People's Democratic Republic of Laos was born. By this time, Dr. Siri was a disenchanted communist, sick of politics, sick of war, ready to retire.
Instead, the politburo appointed him national coroner and he began a second career. One drawback to this was his complete lack of experience with forensics. But he had a robust sense of humor, a logical mind, a brilliant nurse, a well-trained assistant and a gift for withstanding political pressure so he muddled along. He had another asset, although not one he could speak of in the new, anti-religious Laos: he saw the sprits of the dead. This had started when he was a young surgeon patching up wounded soldiers in the jungle and, man of science that he was, it had confused him greatly over the years. But now, he could use some help–and who better than the distressingly departed to advise him?
WHO IS DR SIRI PAIBOUN?
