Jade K. (Jade4142) reviewed on 7/23/2013 + 4 more book reviews

Colin Cotterill brings Laos alive in this series. We walk dirty streets and wonder about how clean the street vendors keep their hands and do they always use fresh food? And what exactly is the meat they use? But since Dr Siri Paiboun never dies of what he eats from those side street vendors, we must assume that either he is immune to dirt or it's OK enough to eat.

He is far too old to have been called into the coroner job, but one just doesn't say no, in this new democracy that looks an awful lot like the old Communist regime. He has the temerity to employ a woman (!) in the morgue, and a retarded person too! That second one, the fellow does bring him much criticism from his much younger and utterly stupid supervisor, but his heart is the size of Laos and he lets it run off and does not fire his female employee or his retarded one. They are like family to him and he will not have them mistreated. (Incidentally, I know that word is politically incorrect, but it isn't, in Fr. Siri's Laos and I take it from the book.)

He has to solve the crimes that bring battered bodies to him. He is most surely not going to tell anyone about the ... um ... ghosts that help him. They think he's a crazy old coot already; ghosts are not a topic of discussion.

This book is FUNNY! You will laugh until tears stand in your eyes. You will shake your head at the fools who think they supervise the good doctor. You will find in him some elderly man you have loved. You will identify with him and cheer him on even when his circumstances in the book lend no hope for good cheer. And then it will all turn around again, and you'll laugh until your sides hurt and at some point, you'll start to wonder about the man who created Dr. Siri. Do look him up. He's pretty interesting himself.

Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details