Thirty-Three Teeth

Rating: 4.25* of five

The Publisher Says: Feisty Dr. Siri Paiboun is no respecter of persons or Party; at his age he feels he can afford to be independent. In this, the second novel in the series, he travels to Luang Prabang where he communes with the deposed king who is resigned to his fate: it was predicted long ago. And he attends a conference of shamans called by the Communist Party to deliver an ultimatum to the spirits: obey Party orders or get out. But as a series of mutilated corpses arrives in Dr. Siri’s morgue, and Nurse Dtui is menaced, he must use all his powers—forensic and shamanic—to discover the creature—animal or spirit—that has been slaying the innocent.

My Review: Returning to Vientiane, Laos, a good three show more months after we left it in The Coroner's Lunch, Colin Cotterill drops us in the midst of Laotian Hell: It's the hot season, before the rains, and so the entire nation greets each other with, "Hot, isn't it?" Responding, "Damned hot."

I felt that horrible, stifling, miserable heat the entire time I was engrossed in the two mysteries Dr. Siri Paiboun, Laos's only coroner, sets out to solve. The first is a truly terrifying series of maulings, which are blamed on a Malay black bear recently escaped from terrible, cruel captivity at a local luxury hotel's menagerie. Dr. Siri sees the first victim in his morgue, determines there's no human agency in the death, and goes home...there to awake with a black bear breathing on him! He suspects his last earthly moments have come, but the bear merely shambles off after communing with him for a time. More maulings are reported over the course of the book, but the bear herself is not found despite an intensive manhunt.

The next layer of mystery announces itself with a strange death at the Ministry of Sport and Culture. An official charged with overseeing the Ministry's archive is found dead at the base of the fountain in the square the Ministry's on, clearly having been precipitated from the roof. The archive is locked, the only key is on the inside of the door, and the official can't possibly have thrown himself that far from the building. Siri breaks into the archive with his pal Inspector Phosy, last seen as a covert cop, and now a Vientiane police inspector. They discover a chest with the Royal seal intact on it, and can't bring themselves to open it because of its evil aura. Siri warns Phosy and his fellow officers to stay away, he will find a way to get into the chest using his newly discovered connections to the Other World; reluctantly they agree; Siri must now figure out what to do, since he has not Clue One how to manage evil spirits.

And here is where Cotterill takes this tale from a very good 3.5 to near 4 stars, over the bar, and into the four-star world. Siri is summoned to Luang Prabang, Laos's ancient Royal capital, to look into the deaths of two men whose identities the Communist authorities are eager to discover for reasons they won't go into. Siri meets the spirits of the men, uncovers a vicious and wicked betrayal, and brings the malefactor to Justice, instead of legal justice. In the process, Cotterill introduces Siri and the reader to the Laotian kingdom's central spirit repository, and reveals the unhappy reason for an unhappy nation's descent from quiet prideful independence into ever-increasing want and lack. The scene of the reveal is so moving and so affecting that I was compelled to read it twice.

Far from leaving his readers there, though, the author then proceeds to tie in and tie up the maulings with Siri's morgue nurse, Dtui, earning her detective stripes (literally) by her determined and courageous pursuit of a solution to the mysterious animal's whereabouts, taking her from Comrade Minister Civilai's world of the Politburo (where the old codger is the Voice of Reason, an exhausting and thankless task, making him miss his youth spent in the jungles as a freedom fighting boon companion to Siri), to the hidden world of the prisons Laos isn't supposed to need anymore in the Socialist Paradise, and finally to the ragged edge of her own life at the mercy of the evil forces causing the mutilation killings. Siri and his boon companions wind all the loose ends into a very, very happy ending, though just as in real life, there are prices to be paid for all happiness...but on balance, the good outweighs the painful and unhappy.

Like we wish it would in Real Life.

Oh my heck. I just can't get over several scenes in this book, the one I won't spoiler that I mentioned above, but also some character scenes that I was moved by. One involves Comrade Coroner Siri, Comrade Minister Civilai, and Comrade Inspector Phosy having lunch by the river, something that childless Siri and Civilai have done together often, but now include the unmarried, middle-aged Phosy in. The scene comes at a very interesting point, where Siri has just confirmed that he (like Buddha) has thirty-three teeth which marks him out as a being who is a bridge between the Other Realms and the mundane world we all live in. It feels like the reader is the quiet fourth person watching a pair of old uncles chaffing and loving their younger, respectful nephew, all with the quietest and most enjoyable teasing sweetness. I was very pleased and honored to be allowed into their moment of closeness, and then remembered that the author was creating this scene, not recording or reporting it.

And then there came a moving scene between Siri and Nurse Dtui, which I can't talk about for fear of spoilering events. I hate that I can't talk about it, but to anyone who has felt the ghastly sense of anti-climax when reading a spoilered ending, I need not explain my hesitation. Suffice it to say, Nurse Dtui is more of a daughter to Siri than even he knows yet.

Four full and happily given stars, plus a quarter star to grow on. This is a series my mystery fanboy heart has embraced for good. show less

This is the second in a series of mysteries featuring Laotian national coroner, Dr. Siri Paiboun. These are set in the late '70's, under the new Communist regime in Laos. Dr. Siri is the reluctant holder of his office, having no particular qualifications for the job other than being one of the few doctors who didn't "swim across the river" to Thailand to avoid the troubles that were obviously coming after the overthrow of the royalist Lao government. Dr. Siri is irreverent, scornful of the government, downright subversive in his mild-mannered fashion, and yet quite conscientious about doing his job to the best of his ability with his preposterously limited resources. He is also the receptacle of an ancient shaman's spirit, a fact of show more which he was blissfully ignorant for the first 70-some years of his life. He has a very big heart and a fine sense of the ridiculous, which allows us to see the whole bureaucratic mess as farce rather than tragedy. show less

I continue to enjoy Dr. Siri's "cynical optimism" -- which just about sums up my view on life. His delightful, if slightly twisted, sense of humour and eastern spirituality carries the plot along at a brisk pace, and I am always disappointed it is over so soon. One would be very hard-pressed to find a more engaging, self-contradicting, paradoxical fictional detective. The plots are not "deep" or particularly devious -- but the exploration of character makes it all worthwhile. At the same time, I am learning more about Laotian history and culture through the pages of a detective novel than I ever imagined possible. Always a fun read if you're looking for comfort, and a damned good chuckle throughout. "Damned Hot." (Literally, and show more figuratively.) show less

"Hot, isn't it?"
"Damned hot."
"How's my favorite policeman?"
"Dr. Siri. I thought you were dead."
"Don't be so sure I'm not."

In Thirty-three Teeth by Colin Cotterill there are times when Dr. Siri has good reason to believe he is dead. A national coroner in communist Laos, he can commune with spirits - and they seem to take great delight in communing with him. With a penetrating understanding of the absurdities around him and an influential friend, he is able to back down obstinate functionaries and operate with an independence that at times brings him close (very close) to downfall and destruction. In this second book in this mystery series, something large and vicious is striking down victims with blows and bites that may be those of a show more local escaped bear - or something else entirely. The bear comes to visit Dr. Siri in a dream (or was it a dream?), but the significance is elusive.

Why this title? It turns out that having thirty-three teeth is "a sign . . . that you've been born as a bridge to the spirit world." The Buddha reportedly had that many, and members of the deposed and now degenerated royal family once did. Maybe Dr. Siri does, too. The spirit world, of course, does not mix well with the new socialist order. There's a hilarious scene in which Comrade Houey and the head Security Officer call all the local shamans to a meeting: "Quiet! I've called you here today because you are going to summon the spirits and give them an ultimatum." That sounds ill-conceived, doesn't it? Turns out a manual has been created with procedures for the spirits to follow. The spirits, and the shamans, don't think that is such a swell idea, and in the end Comrade Houey and his cohort do their dignified best to make their rushed exit.

Dr. Siri's bright assistant, Dtui, is the one who figures out the mystery, but in doing so she gets herself into dire trouble with the assailant. Dr. Siri braves creepy and dank conditions to try to extricate her, and is unexpectedly aided by a person who has known him in the past.

A large part of the fun of this series is the irreverent, clear-sighted and risk-taking Dr. Siri, although his supporting cast is well-drawn and pleasing. The book ends with a befitting impish exhibition in defiance of the somber forces of order, and sets the reader up for another foray into the chaotic, dangerous, and enlightening Laos of Dr. Siri. show less

“Hot, isn’t it?”
“Damned hot!”

Lao greeting

Dr. Siri Paiboun , the National coroner of Laos, returns for his second adventure. He is a widower, in his early 70s, still quite sharp-minded but looking to retire. He is also a shaman, so he has vivid and prophetic dreams and can see spirits lurking in the shadows.
Our setting once again, is the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos, mid-70s. A country in transition.
The story begins with Siri investigating several mysterious deaths, but the one that truly baffles him, is multiple bodies being found, mangled by a large carnivorous animal, which are not common in this South-Asian country.
Cotterill writes masterfully. His prose is quick, smart and occasionally very funny. All of his show more characters are richly textured and he also evokes Laos with amazing clarity. Highly recommended and I can’t wait to get to book 3. show less

I remember the first book 'The Coroner's Lunch' as amusing and quirky but this one transcends that somehow - the characters all leap from the page and he had me looking up maps of Laos and learning a bit about why the country is such an odd shape. I think magical realism is a good description, even though it masquerades as as niche detective story.

How can crime fiction be fun, with all that death, and autopsies, and politics? I don’t know how he does it, but Colin Cotterill’s Dr. Siri Paiboun series are simply a hoot.

He pokes gentle fun at communism. ”So, there it was in a nutshell. Poverty led him to religion, religion to education, education to lust, lust to communism. And communism had brought him back full circle to poverty. There was a Ph.D. dissertation waiting to be written about such a cycle.” . . . “Even being the national coroner didn’t carry any weight in pushing that old bureaucratic bus up the hill to socialist nirvana.”

With native beliefs, he creates amusing storylines that are not at all dismissive. “Thirty-three teeth. It’s almost unheard of. show more The Lord Buddha also had thirty-three . . . It’s a sign, an indication that you’ve been born as a bridge to the spirit world.

Realistic and fascinating settings, engaging characters, and imaginative stories – all the ingredients for a great series!

“Hot, isn’t it?”
“Damned hot.” show less