I Shot the Buddha

It's always a pleasure to visit with Dr. Siri and his friends, and I Shot the Buddha is no exception (even though I still hear Eric Clapton singing "I Shot the Sheriff"). Colin Cotterill has taken a rather dire period of Laotian history and peopled it with a memorable cast. He has a rare talent for combining truth and humor-- showing how miserable life under Communism in Laos could be, having us feel it, and then making us laugh about it all. To some this may sound callous, but it's not. People living in want and drudgery will often find the humor in day-to-day living; it's human nature. And while readers may laugh, they will also remember.

Although Dr. Siri, his wife, and his group of friends are all marvelous characters, I think Mr. show more Geung is my favorite. Mr. Geung has Down syndrome. He earns a living. He's in a good relationship. He's hard-working, kind, loving, and funny. He can also make observations that help Siri solve his investigations. Not only that, but Mr. Geung is probably the happiest character of them all. He is a man to respect, and I do. I also have a great deal of affection for him. See? That's one of Cotterill's greatest strengths: creating characters that worm their way into our hearts.

I Shot the Buddha has one of Cotterill's trademark convoluted plots that's enjoyable to read all the way to its conclusion. I do worry though. Dr. Siri is almost eighty-- how many more investigations are in store for him? Slow Father Time down as much as possible, Mr. Cotterill. I want these wonderful characters to hang on for as long as possible! show less

Colin Cotterill's books are always entertaining. I love getting a glimpse at Laos and in this book we also get a good dose of Thai culture. But I realized as I read this that I've missed quite a few books set before it. Thankfully, between Whodunit Bookstore and my local library I should be able to fill in that gap.

Dr. Siri was the Laotian coroner after the Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP) came to power in 1975. The first books in the series dealt with his investigations into mysterious deaths. Now (1979), however, Dr. Siri is retired and the coroner's lab has been closed down. Dr Siri and his wife, Madame Daeng, fought for the revolution and so they are honoured in Laos. Dr. Siri was even given a house but he prefers to live show more with Daeng above her noodle shop so he opened up his house to the homeless and destitute. One of those people living in his house was a Thai Buddhist monk called Noo. Then, one day Noo got on his bicycle and didn't return. Dr. Siri enlists the help of policeman Phosy who is married to his former nurse, Dtui. When they investigate they find a witness who saw Noo apprehended by two men with military haircuts. With this information Dr. Siri investigates further and finds a note that Noo had hidden telling of his mission to smuggle a monk across the Mekong River into Thailand. Dr. Siri and Madame Daeng decide to take on this mission even though neither of them believe in religion. They leave Nurse Dtui in charge of the noodle shop as they venture off with this monk into Thailand. Dr. Siri's old friend, Civilai, is also engaged on a mission involving Buddhism. He has been asked by the government to determine if a person in a small village is the reincarnated Buddha. Each mission ends up involving not just Buddhist relition but also spiritualism (for Siri) and black magic (for Civilai). Dr. Siri is more than equal to countering malevolent spirits since he has his own resident spirit, Yeh Ming, an ancient Hmong and he has the ability to disappear. Civilai is also equal to an encounter with practitioners of the black arts although he relies upon his intelligence to overcome them. I should also mention that Siri's dog, Ugly, provides some valuable assistance so it's a good thing Ugly joined Siri and Daeng on their adventure.

It's always fun to ponder the chapter headings in Cotterill's books. My favourite this time was "Felonious Monk". show less

Interesting setting in 1970s Laos, and the characters are quite a collection and somewhat engaging. Though mostly a set of retired public officials with deep revolutionary creds, the action starts with an abduction, a monk smuggling, and a request for evaluation of a Buddha incarnation. All of them bump up against multiple murder and murder attempts. Lots going on, excessive to my sense of story.

Cotterill is back in form in this delightful episode, in which the whole clan (Phosy, Civilai, Dr. Siri, Madame Daeng, Geung and Nurse Dtui, even Judge Haeng and Auntie Bpoo) get involved with magic, demons and Buddhism in Laos and Thailand. Following the three intersecting investigations is a bit demanding, but always both funny and awful. Terrific.

supernatural, superstitions, support-system, suspense, Laos, Thailand, verbal-humor, mystery, myths-legends, series

While the sociopolitical history is present, the mystery and suspense are woven throughout, and the sly humor abounds, this one is filled with the supernatural. There are dark things, but they seem more balanced, or maybe that's an illusion caused by Mme Daeng's new tail! All I know is that I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Clive Chafer continues to be excellent as narrator.

Imagine a ex-insurgent, after wining the war, now a retired coroner in a 1930's Thin-Man type relationship with his wife, bantering, drinking liquor, solving crimes in communist Laos bordering on rampant crony capitalist Thailand. Leaking back and forth across the border, running a restaurant, but never really reading as though the book left the western world. I'm not sure how much of this book has anything to do with Laos, but it moves quickly in a silly, quirky way. Crimes are outrageous, but the food sounds OK. A read when you have nothing else at hand.

A perhaps somewhat atypical entry in the series, as it deals with the supernatural more fully than any of the previous installments. Still has the mix of humor, culture and suspense that make the series a winner