Helpful Score: 7
This book was like a breath of fresh air. It is written very well with just the right amount of humor included with the mystery. Dr. Siri is a hoot!
Any book that can make me laugh out loud gets a bigs thumbs up from me. I can't wait to read more in the series.
Any book that can make me laugh out loud gets a bigs thumbs up from me. I can't wait to read more in the series.
Helpful Score: 3
I forced myself to read this book by offering it in a swap. Why or why did I wait so long! I love Dr. Siri Paiboun. Although he has lived for 72 years, he is neither old nor crotchety. He rightfully feels his age with a sense of humor about his position and his time in history.
I've spent a lot of time on his age and humor which carries the book through to the end. The story and mystery are equally engrossing. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series and hope there are more to come.
I've spent a lot of time on his age and humor which carries the book through to the end. The story and mystery are equally engrossing. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the series and hope there are more to come.
Helpful Score: 2
This is one of the most enjoyable series I read -- the characters are well-crafted, the stories hang together without obvious solutions, and the setting is both exotic and quirky.
This is one of the best books I have ever read. Not only did the author create charming characters in a most unusual setting, but he also wrote a marvelous mystery. I have now read several more in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series, and they continue to be of the very best quality. I rank this author in my all-time top ten.
Helpful Score: 1
If you're looking for something a little different in the mystery genre, try this! Interesting locale, great characters and an intriguing mystery make this a good book.
This novel takes place in 1976 in Laos. The royal family has been deposed, the professional classes have fled and the communists have taken over, and Dr. Siri Paiboun has just been appointed state coroner for the Laos People's Democratic Republic. The 72-year-old Siri has got the coroner's job because he's the only doctor left in Laos. But when the wife of a Party leader is found dead and the bodies of tortured Vietnamese soldiers surface on a Laotian lake, all eyes turn to the new coroner and his small staff to figure things out. Siri looks to old friends, consults tribal shamans, and uses forensic deduction to figure out what's going on.
This novel takes place in 1976 in Laos. The royal family has been deposed, the professional classes have fled and the communists have taken over, and Dr. Siri Paiboun has just been appointed state coroner for the Laos People's Democratic Republic. The 72-year-old Siri has got the coroner's job because he's the only doctor left in Laos. But when the wife of a Party leader is found dead and the bodies of tortured Vietnamese soldiers surface on a Laotian lake, all eyes turn to the new coroner and his small staff to figure things out. Siri looks to old friends, consults tribal shamans, and uses forensic deduction to figure out what's going on.
Catherine M. (KittyJ) reviewed The Coroner's Lunch (Dr. Siri Paiboun, Bk 1) on + 49 more book reviews
Interesting mystery set in Laos with an aging national coroner who bucks the system to get to the heart of the case.
Karen S. (MKSbooklady) reviewed The Coroner's Lunch (Dr. Siri Paiboun, Bk 1) on + 998 more book reviews
At times humorous, at times a little scary, at times fascinating. Dr. Siri is a coroner in Laos in the 1970's. Yep, the Vietnam war is over, and the communist have taken over Laos. You may find parts a little confusing (he talks with the dead). But stick with it, especially the part in Vietnam, and you'll have a good yarn.
Maura (maura853) -
Enjoyable oddball mystery thriller, with a mild supernatural twist. I enjoyed this, but felt that it was, perhaps, a bit too "busy" -- a symptom of "first novel in a long-running series" syndrome.
It's the local color that really makes this stand out, and makes me want to revisit the series: Laos in the 1970s Dr. Siri Paibourn is someone who fought for his whole life to liberate Laos from its monarchy and malign foreign influences (the USA and France), and establish a socialist state -- but is bloody-minded enough to recognize that the Communist regime that has taken over from that monarchy is far from paradise on earth, and the foreign influences that it has buckled under to (the USSR, China, Vietnam) aren't much better than what went before.
I can see this series getting better and better, as the author relaxes, and let's the character and story breathe a bit.
Regarding the ghostly element: My husband -- who is as supernatural-phobic as they come -- really enjoyed this. I was surprised that he wasn't turned off by the ghostly thread to the story, and I asked him about it -- and he said that he interpreted it as a manifestation of PTSD from Paibourn's wartime experiences. An interesting reading, I thought.
It's the local color that really makes this stand out, and makes me want to revisit the series: Laos in the 1970s Dr. Siri Paibourn is someone who fought for his whole life to liberate Laos from its monarchy and malign foreign influences (the USA and France), and establish a socialist state -- but is bloody-minded enough to recognize that the Communist regime that has taken over from that monarchy is far from paradise on earth, and the foreign influences that it has buckled under to (the USSR, China, Vietnam) aren't much better than what went before.
I can see this series getting better and better, as the author relaxes, and let's the character and story breathe a bit.
Regarding the ghostly element: My husband -- who is as supernatural-phobic as they come -- really enjoyed this. I was surprised that he wasn't turned off by the ghostly thread to the story, and I asked him about it -- and he said that he interpreted it as a manifestation of PTSD from Paibourn's wartime experiences. An interesting reading, I thought.
Eadie B. (eadieburke) -
Book Description:
Laos, 1975. The Communist Pathet Lao has taken over this former French colony. Dr. Siri Paiboun, a 72-year-old Paris-trained doctor, is appointed national coroner. Although he has no training for the job, there is no one else; the rest of the educated class has fled.
He is expected to come up with the answers the party wants. But crafty and charming Dr.Siri is immune to bureaucratic pressure. At his age, he reasons, what can they do to him? And he knows he cannot fail the dead who come into his care without risk of incurring their boundless displeasure. Eternity could be a long time to have the spirits mad at you.
My Review:
This is the first in a new series and I found the main character of Siri Paiboun to be quite charmingly unusual. He is a 72 year old doctor/detective acting as a coroner in Communist Laos where there are quite a few murders happening. The book was full of humor, intrigue and had a great sense of place. I look forward to reading more of the series and would recommend this series to those who like Alexander McCall Smith.
Laos, 1975. The Communist Pathet Lao has taken over this former French colony. Dr. Siri Paiboun, a 72-year-old Paris-trained doctor, is appointed national coroner. Although he has no training for the job, there is no one else; the rest of the educated class has fled.
He is expected to come up with the answers the party wants. But crafty and charming Dr.Siri is immune to bureaucratic pressure. At his age, he reasons, what can they do to him? And he knows he cannot fail the dead who come into his care without risk of incurring their boundless displeasure. Eternity could be a long time to have the spirits mad at you.
My Review:
This is the first in a new series and I found the main character of Siri Paiboun to be quite charmingly unusual. He is a 72 year old doctor/detective acting as a coroner in Communist Laos where there are quite a few murders happening. The book was full of humor, intrigue and had a great sense of place. I look forward to reading more of the series and would recommend this series to those who like Alexander McCall Smith.
Excellent read. Engrossing with subtle humor and a historical bent. Went to order the rest of the series only to find there is a waiting list even though some of his books have been out for more than 10 years.
If you haven't read any of Siri Paiboun books, and if you have a good sense of humor, and if you like the championing of the human spirit, read The Coroner's Lunch. I was so pleasantly surprised- altho' I expected an interesting book, I had no idea how much I would enjoy it.
SUSAN S. (susieqmillsacoustics) -
What a fun and quirky character! The mystery, the setting, the supernatural elements all make for an entertaining and interesting read!
Thomas F. (hardtack) -
If you can overlook some of the the 'supernatural' aspects of the book, then you should enjoy this series about a Laotian coroner who is forced to become a detective outside the morgue. But then there are many mysteries with supernatural aspects, so why belittle a few ghosts.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series about communists who can laugh at themselves. Who would ever have thought I'd be pulling for the Pathet Lao!
In case you're wondering, the series is written by an Englishman who lived in Thailand and Laos, and who still lives in Thailand with his wife.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first book in this series about communists who can laugh at themselves. Who would ever have thought I'd be pulling for the Pathet Lao!
In case you're wondering, the series is written by an Englishman who lived in Thailand and Laos, and who still lives in Thailand with his wife.
Gerald G. (PhotoJer) reviewed The Coroner's Lunch (Dr. Siri Paiboun, Bk 1) on + 92 more book reviews
Great story, interesting plot and subplots, unusual location and great characters... all of this makes for a wonderful read.
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.
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.
