Anybody who hasn't indulged in the Dr Siri series by Colin Cotterill could be forgiven for wondering what on earth is going on with CURSE OF THE POGO STICK. Booby-trapped corpses and reluctant coroners might be reasonably expected in crime fiction, but Hmong villagers needing exorcism by a thousand-year-old shaman who shares the aforementioned coroner's body? Understandably a "What the" moment.

Whilst the spiritual (supernatural) component of CURSE OF THE POGO STICK is considerably stronger than the earlier books, the series has been building the unlikely scenario of Dr Siri and his intrepid band of assistants - Nurse Dtui, Mr Geung and now Madame Daeng, for a number of books now. Of course, the unlikely scenario probably relates mostly to western readers, as there's something intrinsically Laotian about these books. Not only are all the characters set within an environment which is beautifully drawn, the Laotian way of life and thinking is demonstrated in a way that makes it feel very real.

Laos is almost as much a character in these books as the people mind you. Whilst CURSE OF THE POGO STICK is set partially in Vientiane, Dr Siri spends more of his time held in a village in the mountains, deep in the countryside, in threatened Hmong territory. Whilst this book does have Nurse Dtui and Madame Daeng involved in why somebody would send a booby-trapped corpse to the mortuary, a lot of time is spent with the Hmong and with Dr Siri.

Perhaps it is this aspect that could make this book less attractive to fans of the series or as an introduction point for newcomers, as there is, alongside a considerably stronger spiritual component, a hefty dose of social commentary - with the Hmong being one of the most threatened groups of people within Laotian society. Having said that, this reader has been a from the first book fan of this series, and CURSE OF THE POGO STICK appealed just as much as the other books. Whilst not normally a fan of the supernatural, with Dr Siri, I have developed a considerably higher tolerance factor. Possibly because the author delivers these components of all the books as less of the supernatural, and more a long-held cultural belief system that is fundamental to these people's lives. Social commentary, on the other hand, is one of my very favourite things, and learning some of the hazards and problems that the Hmong experience made time spent with Dr Siri both educational and entertaining.

Perhaps if you are new to this series, it may be better to start a little earlier. Get to know Dr Siri and his band of supporters from the beginning, and you will be able to follow their story as the author relaxes into what seems to this reader, at least, to be a very Laotian way of telling a story.

Previous books in the series are:

* The Coroner's Lunch
* Thirty-Three Teeth
* Disco for the Departed
* Anarchy and Old Dogs ( )

#5 in the Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery series (he’s the national coroner) set in 1970’s Laos. Dr. Siri is up north at a conference, dragged there unwillingly by his boss, Judge Haeng. On the way back, their convoy is hijacked by a band of Hmong rebels who recognize Yeh Ming, the spirit of the ages-old Hmong shaman who resides within Siri. They need him for the exorcism of the leader’s daughter.

Meanwhile, Nurse Dtui and Mr. Geung get involved in their own intrigue with a terrorist they thwarted in a previous book who tries to blow them up with a bomb planted in a dead body. Dtui and her new husband, the policeman Phosy, and Dr. Siri’s fiancé Madame Daeng begin tracking this woman, known as The Lizard, down. As usual, a wonderful story filled with wry humor, cultural detail and of course social commentary, too. I found this one especially interesting as we have a rather large Hmong population here in the Minneapolis area so it was interesting to learn more about their culture and history. These books are never long enough to suit me and always leave me wanting more. ( )

The Curse of the Pogo Stick is the fourth entry in this idiosyncratic detective series that features the septuagenarian Dr. Siri Paiboun as the crime-solving national coroner of Laos. Oh yes, and he's sort of possessed by the spirit of an ancient shaman, Yeh Ming. Standard fare.

The series is set in the 1970's after the Pathet Lao came to power in the wake of the Indochinese wars that devastated the region. Siri himself was for many years an active member of the Communist resistance. He was even briefly a fighter until it was determined he was useless with a weapon and more useful treating the sick and wounded. Siri's enthusiasm for the Pathet Lao has waned due mostly to the fear and paranoia the regime creates as it looks for enemies of the people it thinks lurk everywhere.

I read this book out of sequence and enjoyed it enough to seek out the first book in the series (The Coroner's Lunch). I enjoyed this book more than the first simply because the stage setting has been done and we can get on with the stories. As odd as it may sound, Cotterill has created an English cozy kind of atmosphere. This reader found himself rooting for Siri and his rather motley assistants not so much to solve the crimes, but to find happiness in life and victory over the young largely clueless bureaucrats ruling the roost.

Cotterill recreates the extreme privation of post-war Laos and some sense of what life would be like in the country aside from the war's impacts. The mysteries (there are at least a couple that need solving) are good, if not great. Some will be put off by the mystical element that Yeh Ming introduces. The thousand year-old spirit more resides in Siri's mind next to his own mind rather than actually possessing him. I strongly favor realism over romanticism and I certainly am not a big fan of mysticism, but somehow Cotterill makes the Yeh Ming element work. Highly recommended. ( )

This is the first of Cotterrill's books I've read. I was thoroughly delighted and plan on reading them all now. The combination of wry hip humor with 1970s Southeast Asian characters greatly appealed to me. I also found the bizarre supernatural dream sequences to be some of the most imaginative and original I've read in a long time. The book is categorized as a crime novel and Dr. Siri and his morgue crew do display some Holmesian detective skills along with the usual forensic investigative techniques that take place in crime novels about coroners and medical examiners. But this is far more than just another crime novel. We get political and cultural insights into Laos and its people of the late 1970s. I never thought that Laos would ever be as fascinating as Cotterill has managed to make it. His characters help make these stories succeed. They have depth, compassion and nearly all of them display a wicked sense of humor – something I think must've been crucial in order to survive in the poverty and despair of a Southeast Asian country still struggling with its royalist past and a culture that is heavily steeped in mystical religious beliefs. Cotterill has no tolerance for the communist bureaucrats of the era and tends to be far more cruel with them than the rest of his cast of characters. Over-inflated egos, self-importance and the arrogance of the officials are all ridiculed by both author and his cast of corpse keepers. ( )

Dr. Siri, reluctant official coroner of Laos in the 1970's, is captured by Hmong tribesmen - or, more accurately, women, who have need of the 1,000 year old shaman who resides inside him. Most of their men have been taken as soldiers by one force or another, and their village is cursed. The curse does involve a pogo stick ... Meanwhile, back at the morgue, Siri's fiancee Madame Daeng and his faithful nurse Dtui foil a bombing and set out to discover who wants their doctor dead.
Like all the books in this series, there is charming, gentle humor and some historical information woven through the story. This book addresses the serious plight of the Hmong, forced by generations of foreign governments, including our own, to fight for causes not their own. ( )