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The fourth Dr. Siri Paiboun MysteryWhen a blind former dentist is run over by a truck, Dr. Siri Paiboun, the reluctant national coroner of Laos, suspects that this was no traffic accident. A coded message in invisible ink is recovered from the dentist's body, and Dr. Siri begins to follow clues that hint at deep—and dangerous—political intrigue. Dr. Siri only intended to investigate a murder; is he now being drawn into an insurrection? Will he, as a fortune teller predicts, betray his show more country? show less
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Rating: -14,975* of five
The Publisher Says: A blind retired dentist has been run down by a logging truck on the street in Vientiane just opposite the post office. His body is duly delivered to the morgue of Dr. Siri Paiboun, the official and only coroner of Laos. At the age of seventy-four, Dr. Siri is too old to be in awe of the new communist bureaucrats for whom he now works. He identifies the corpse, helped by the letter in the man’s pocket. But first he must decipher it; it is written in code and invisible ink. The dentist’s widow explains that the enigmatic letters and numbers describe chess moves, but they are unlike any chess symbols Siri has previously encountered. With the help of his old friend, Civilai, now a senior show more member of the Laos Politburo; Nurse Dtui (“Fatty”); Phosy, a police officer; and Aunt Bpoo, a transvestite fortune-teller, Dr. Siri solves the mystery of the note and foils a plot to overthrow the government of Laos.
My Review: Dr. Siri and his best pal since jungle-fighting revolutionary youth, Comrade Civilai the Politburo senior cadre and all-around curmudgeon, uncover a major problem in the course of an investigation into the death of an old blind dentist whose habit of coming by bus to Vientiane, the capital, to pick up a letter written in invisible ink every week is interrupted by a runaway logging truck. The widow, far from grieving, is damn near slobbering to get the letter away from Siri. This makes him wonder....
So Siri, Civilai, Nurse Dtui, and Comrade Policeman Phosy (Mr. Geung, the Down-syndrome-having morgue assistant, is still recovering from dengue fever from last book) are set on a collision course with modern Laos's first attempted counter-coup by Royalists based across the Mekong River in Thailand. Siri also solves the murder of a small boy, a troublemaking 1970s version of Siri himself I suspect, is betrayed, finds a long-lost revolutionary-era gal-pal of his and his wife's, is betrayed again, and suffers the pangs of later-life love. In the end, of course, the murder of the dentist, the murder of the small boy, and the pair of betrayals are interconnected by Cotterill's undeniable panache in plotting. And, well, love is in the August, 1977, air....
...but none of it is comin' from me. Anyone who has read my outraged screech of a review of The Brutal Telling by Lousy Louise Penny will remember how bitterly I responded to her ripping out my heart and shredding it into gobbets, then pouring boiling salted vinegar into the still-living cavity she left, with the character development that ends the book. I rated it -15,000*. I give Crummy Colin Cotterill 25 more stars because the ripping, shredding, and pouring were very slightly ameliorated by the in-book resolution to the main betrayal, and the sheer rightness of the second betrayal that ends so happily, and by the whimsical pleasure of the love affair for Dr. Siri.
Plus there's Auntie Bpoo, the transvestite shaman who works the riverside in front of the Aeroflot office, of whom I devoutly hope to see more.
*gets out voodoo dolly in Cotterill's likeness to inflict severe tooth pain on him for forseeable future*
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. show less
The Publisher Says: A blind retired dentist has been run down by a logging truck on the street in Vientiane just opposite the post office. His body is duly delivered to the morgue of Dr. Siri Paiboun, the official and only coroner of Laos. At the age of seventy-four, Dr. Siri is too old to be in awe of the new communist bureaucrats for whom he now works. He identifies the corpse, helped by the letter in the man’s pocket. But first he must decipher it; it is written in code and invisible ink. The dentist’s widow explains that the enigmatic letters and numbers describe chess moves, but they are unlike any chess symbols Siri has previously encountered. With the help of his old friend, Civilai, now a senior show more member of the Laos Politburo; Nurse Dtui (“Fatty”); Phosy, a police officer; and Aunt Bpoo, a transvestite fortune-teller, Dr. Siri solves the mystery of the note and foils a plot to overthrow the government of Laos.
My Review: Dr. Siri and his best pal since jungle-fighting revolutionary youth, Comrade Civilai the Politburo senior cadre and all-around curmudgeon, uncover a major problem in the course of an investigation into the death of an old blind dentist whose habit of coming by bus to Vientiane, the capital, to pick up a letter written in invisible ink every week is interrupted by a runaway logging truck. The widow, far from grieving, is damn near slobbering to get the letter away from Siri. This makes him wonder....
So Siri, Civilai, Nurse Dtui, and Comrade Policeman Phosy (Mr. Geung, the Down-syndrome-having morgue assistant, is still recovering from dengue fever from last book) are set on a collision course with modern Laos's first attempted counter-coup by Royalists based across the Mekong River in Thailand. Siri also solves the murder of a small boy, a troublemaking 1970s version of Siri himself I suspect, is betrayed, finds a long-lost revolutionary-era gal-pal of his and his wife's, is betrayed again, and suffers the pangs of later-life love. In the end, of course, the murder of the dentist, the murder of the small boy, and the pair of betrayals are interconnected by Cotterill's undeniable panache in plotting. And, well, love is in the August, 1977, air....
...but none of it is comin' from me. Anyone who has read my outraged screech of a review of The Brutal Telling by Lousy Louise Penny will remember how bitterly I responded to her ripping out my heart and shredding it into gobbets, then pouring boiling salted vinegar into the still-living cavity she left, with the character development that ends the book. I rated it -15,000*. I give Crummy Colin Cotterill 25 more stars because the ripping, shredding, and pouring were very slightly ameliorated by the in-book resolution to the main betrayal, and the sheer rightness of the second betrayal that ends so happily, and by the whimsical pleasure of the love affair for Dr. Siri.
Plus there's Auntie Bpoo, the transvestite shaman who works the riverside in front of the Aeroflot office, of whom I devoutly hope to see more.
*gets out voodoo dolly in Cotterill's likeness to inflict severe tooth pain on him for forseeable future*
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. show less
In the fourth book of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series, an elderly blind dentist has been run down by a logging truck on the street in Vientiane just opposite the post office. His body is delivered to the morgue of 73 year old Dr. Siri Paiboun, the official/sole coroner of Laos. Before he can identify the corpse he must decipher a letter in the man's pocket, written in code and with invisible ink. With the help of his old friend, Civilai, now a senior member of the Laos politburo; Nurse Dtui; and Phosy, a police officer Dr. Siri discovers a plot to overthrow the government of Laos. We also meet an important new character, Madame Daeng, owner of a noodle shop renowned for its delicious dishes. Siri first met Daeng thirty-seven years years show more earlier when he was serving with the Free Lao movement. Siri's wife, Boua, has been dead for many years and seeing Madame Daeng again stirs new feelings in Siri.
I don't necessarily think this series will appeal to everyone but I completely love it. Dr. Siri’s lingering idealism, hidden beneath his cynical and humorous comments about the communist government he worked all his life to help install, gives the reader a unique look at 1970s Laos. The characters are in- depth and well written. The author evokes such an atmospheric feel of a country which is largely unfamiliar to many readers. I can't wait to read the next one....Curse of the Pogo Stick. show less
I don't necessarily think this series will appeal to everyone but I completely love it. Dr. Siri’s lingering idealism, hidden beneath his cynical and humorous comments about the communist government he worked all his life to help install, gives the reader a unique look at 1970s Laos. The characters are in- depth and well written. The author evokes such an atmospheric feel of a country which is largely unfamiliar to many readers. I can't wait to read the next one....Curse of the Pogo Stick. show less
Dr. Siri and the Coup d'état
Review of the Knopf Canada hardcover edition (August 21, 2007) of the Soho Crime hardcover original (August 1, 2007)
I was late to the party and started my reading of Colin Cotterill's quirky Laos chief coroner Dr. Siri Paiboun mysteries with the 15th and supposed (I never rule out the possibility of continuations) final book "The Delightful Life of a Suicide Pilot" (2020). Luckily, my friend Karan had several of the earliest books to lend me and I was fortunately able to start the series from the beginning. I am continuing now with the rest of the books in order as best as I am able to source them from the Toronto Public Library.
Anarchy and Old Dogs is the 4th book of the series and finds Dr. Siri attempting show more to prevent a coup d'état on the still rather shaky Lao government. The plan is discovered through the accidental death of a blind dentist who was carrying a cryptographic letter. Dr. Siri and his old friend & colleague Civilai head to the south where Siri meets an old friend at her noodle stand while they attempt to uncover further details of the coup plot. Inspector Phosy and Nurse Dtui go undercover in Thailand and Attendant Deung is still recovering from his travails in Disco for the Departed. It is another widespread investigation for the team that ends with a surprise twist and a hint of a romantic future for Siri.
This series continues to delight with its overviews of Lao lifestyles and culture, the human persistence in the face of bureaucratic & totalitarian incompetence and Dr. Siri's unique investigative methods that combine spiritual perception with common sense intuition. I've already sourced #5 in the series, Curse of the Pogo Stick (2008), thanks to the holds system at the Toronto Public Library. show less
Review of the Knopf Canada hardcover edition (August 21, 2007) of the Soho Crime hardcover original (August 1, 2007)
I was late to the party and started my reading of Colin Cotterill's quirky Laos chief coroner Dr. Siri Paiboun mysteries with the 15th and supposed (I never rule out the possibility of continuations) final book "The Delightful Life of a Suicide Pilot" (2020). Luckily, my friend Karan had several of the earliest books to lend me and I was fortunately able to start the series from the beginning. I am continuing now with the rest of the books in order as best as I am able to source them from the Toronto Public Library.
Anarchy and Old Dogs is the 4th book of the series and finds Dr. Siri attempting show more to prevent a coup d'état on the still rather shaky Lao government. The plan is discovered through the accidental death of a blind dentist who was carrying a cryptographic letter. Dr. Siri and his old friend & colleague Civilai head to the south where Siri meets an old friend at her noodle stand while they attempt to uncover further details of the coup plot. Inspector Phosy and Nurse Dtui go undercover in Thailand and Attendant Deung is still recovering from his travails in Disco for the Departed. It is another widespread investigation for the team that ends with a surprise twist and a hint of a romantic future for Siri.
This series continues to delight with its overviews of Lao lifestyles and culture, the human persistence in the face of bureaucratic & totalitarian incompetence and Dr. Siri's unique investigative methods that combine spiritual perception with common sense intuition. I've already sourced #5 in the series, Curse of the Pogo Stick (2008), thanks to the holds system at the Toronto Public Library. show less
Reading about Dr. Siri gives me the urge to sit down by a slow-moving river with a Lao cocktail (per Dr. Siri--half rice whiskey and the other half rice whiskey).
This time Dr. Siri and his long-term comrade Civilai are drawn into an investigation after a blind dentist is found dead, a letter written in invisible ink tucked inside his pocket. Dr. Siri consults a school teacher to break the code (and how I love Cotterill's affection for talented teachers!), leading Siri and Civilai on a journey to the southern city of Pakse. Siri's incompetent boss, the Judge, provides the transportation south, with the caveat that Siri investigate a possible bathtub electrocution that could have been caused by the Russians. As he works the political show more drowning case, Siri also pursues the mysterious letter as well as a local village boy's drowning. Malignant spirits lurk in the background, a chance meeting in Pakse allows Siri to connect with his rebel days, and Dtui and Phosy, Siri's faithful associates in the coroner's office, take initiative while he is gone.
Anarchy contains everything there is to love about the Siri investigations. There's bits of shared Laotian culture, particularly a funeral and wedding, both with insight into ceremonies before and after the communists have come to power. There is evolving political commentary on the nature of government and revolutions. Notably, Cotterill achieves the rare feat of being simultaneously hopeful, disillusioned and uniformly critical of all forms of power. The Lao people are starting to notice the communists were failing to create a revolution, except in red tape. "The government was starting to look like a depressingly unloved relative who'd come to visit for the weekend and stayed for two years."
Leavening the seriousness of the political landscape are meltaway bits of humor, particularly Aunt Bpoo the mystic. I started to get worried when a transvestite was described as "a luminous beacon--and definitely a buoy," and I knew there was troubled waters ahead when I ran into the line, "it's hard to hold a serious debriefing with a man who's ripping off his pants." Yes, you read it--puns launched a subversive attack on a somber and contemplative mystery. Luckily a state-sponsored narration of a Bruce Lee movie provides some genuine comedic relief.
Aging remains a consistent theme, and I've come to enjoy the perspective of the older adult and the freedom that a lack of political ambitions can provide a narrative. I myself have noticed a similar experience to Siri's encounter with a pair of policemen: "As they entered, Siri looked at their boyish faces and noted how narrow the gap was becoming between puberty and authority."
Ah Siri, one of my favorite detectives. I hope by the time I am seventy-three that I too will "hardly ever flew into a rage or insulted anyone who didn't absolutely deserve it."
Criticisms include a enormous development in the Dtui storyline without adequate background and a somewhat obvious antagonist.
3.75 stars, rounding up because I'm hoping to adopt Dr. Siri.
Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/anarchy-and-old-dogs-by-colin-cotteril... show less
This time Dr. Siri and his long-term comrade Civilai are drawn into an investigation after a blind dentist is found dead, a letter written in invisible ink tucked inside his pocket. Dr. Siri consults a school teacher to break the code (and how I love Cotterill's affection for talented teachers!), leading Siri and Civilai on a journey to the southern city of Pakse. Siri's incompetent boss, the Judge, provides the transportation south, with the caveat that Siri investigate a possible bathtub electrocution that could have been caused by the Russians. As he works the political show more drowning case, Siri also pursues the mysterious letter as well as a local village boy's drowning. Malignant spirits lurk in the background, a chance meeting in Pakse allows Siri to connect with his rebel days, and Dtui and Phosy, Siri's faithful associates in the coroner's office, take initiative while he is gone.
Anarchy contains everything there is to love about the Siri investigations. There's bits of shared Laotian culture, particularly a funeral and wedding, both with insight into ceremonies before and after the communists have come to power. There is evolving political commentary on the nature of government and revolutions. Notably, Cotterill achieves the rare feat of being simultaneously hopeful, disillusioned and uniformly critical of all forms of power. The Lao people are starting to notice the communists were failing to create a revolution, except in red tape. "The government was starting to look like a depressingly unloved relative who'd come to visit for the weekend and stayed for two years."
Leavening the seriousness of the political landscape are meltaway bits of humor, particularly Aunt Bpoo the mystic. I started to get worried when a transvestite was described as "a luminous beacon--and definitely a buoy," and I knew there was troubled waters ahead when I ran into the line, "it's hard to hold a serious debriefing with a man who's ripping off his pants." Yes, you read it--puns launched a subversive attack on a somber and contemplative mystery. Luckily a state-sponsored narration of a Bruce Lee movie provides some genuine comedic relief.
Aging remains a consistent theme, and I've come to enjoy the perspective of the older adult and the freedom that a lack of political ambitions can provide a narrative. I myself have noticed a similar experience to Siri's encounter with a pair of policemen: "As they entered, Siri looked at their boyish faces and noted how narrow the gap was becoming between puberty and authority."
Ah Siri, one of my favorite detectives. I hope by the time I am seventy-three that I too will "hardly ever flew into a rage or insulted anyone who didn't absolutely deserve it."
Criticisms include a enormous development in the Dtui storyline without adequate background and a somewhat obvious antagonist.
3.75 stars, rounding up because I'm hoping to adopt Dr. Siri.
Cross posted at http://clsiewert.wordpress.com/2013/06/21/anarchy-and-old-dogs-by-colin-cotteril... show less
In the fourth book of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series, an elderly blind dentist has been run down by a logging truck on the street in Vientiane just opposite the post office. His body is delivered to the morgue of 73 year old Dr. Siri Paiboun, the official/sole coroner of Laos. Before he can identify the corpse he must decipher a letter in the man's pocket, written in code and with invisible ink. With the help of his old friend, Civilai, now a senior member of the Laos politburo; Nurse Dtui; and Phosy, a police officer Dr. Siri discovers a plot to overthrow the government of Laos. We also meet an important new character, Madame Daeng, owner of a noodle shop renowned for its delicious dishes. Siri first met Daeng thirty-seven years years show more earlier when he was serving with the Free Lao movement. Siri's wife, Boua, has been dead for many years and seeing Madame Daeng again stirs new feelings in Siri.
I don't necessarily think this series will appeal to everyone but I completely love it. Dr. Siri’s lingering idealism, hidden beneath his cynical and humorous comments about the communist government he worked all his life to help install, gives the reader a unique look at 1970s Laos. The characters are in- depth and well written. The author evokes such an atmospheric feel of a country which is largely unfamiliar to many readers. I can't wait to read the next one....Curse of the Pogo Stick. show less
I don't necessarily think this series will appeal to everyone but I completely love it. Dr. Siri’s lingering idealism, hidden beneath his cynical and humorous comments about the communist government he worked all his life to help install, gives the reader a unique look at 1970s Laos. The characters are in- depth and well written. The author evokes such an atmospheric feel of a country which is largely unfamiliar to many readers. I can't wait to read the next one....Curse of the Pogo Stick. show less
I think these books just keep getting better. This is the fourth in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series.
"The post office box was eighteen across, twelve down, and it had a loop of wool wound around the door so Dr. Buagaew wouldn't miss it. He traced the keyhole with his left hand and inserted the key with his right. From inside the wooden chamber came the scent of bygone correspondence: of brown-paper parcels and glue, of old parchment and secrets. His hand fell upon a thin envelope. He knew it would be there and he knew what it contained because only one other person was aware of the post office box address."
The first paragraph sets up the first of the mysteries to be solved. As Dr. Buagaew, the blind dentist, leaves the post office, he is show more killed by a runaway truck. Dr. Paiboun finds the letter, an encrypted note, in the pocket of the deceased's coat. He and his good friend Civilai travel from Vientiane to the doctor's town to try to unravel the meaning of what they discover after deciphering the note. Other mysteries unfold, and the good doctor reunites with an old friend.
Dr. Paiboun's spiritual helpers are less prevalent in this book. Nurse Dtui plays a big part again along with officer Phosi, and a new character, Auntie Bpoo, a fortune-teller transvestite, emerges. There is a lot of humor thrown in for good measure. It is the descriptions of 1970's Communist Laos that keep drawing me to this series.
April 2014 show less
"The post office box was eighteen across, twelve down, and it had a loop of wool wound around the door so Dr. Buagaew wouldn't miss it. He traced the keyhole with his left hand and inserted the key with his right. From inside the wooden chamber came the scent of bygone correspondence: of brown-paper parcels and glue, of old parchment and secrets. His hand fell upon a thin envelope. He knew it would be there and he knew what it contained because only one other person was aware of the post office box address."
The first paragraph sets up the first of the mysteries to be solved. As Dr. Buagaew, the blind dentist, leaves the post office, he is show more killed by a runaway truck. Dr. Paiboun finds the letter, an encrypted note, in the pocket of the deceased's coat. He and his good friend Civilai travel from Vientiane to the doctor's town to try to unravel the meaning of what they discover after deciphering the note. Other mysteries unfold, and the good doctor reunites with an old friend.
Dr. Paiboun's spiritual helpers are less prevalent in this book. Nurse Dtui plays a big part again along with officer Phosi, and a new character, Auntie Bpoo, a fortune-teller transvestite, emerges. There is a lot of humor thrown in for good measure. It is the descriptions of 1970's Communist Laos that keep drawing me to this series.
April 2014 show less
This may be one of the most interesting in the Dr Siri series thus far. There's less of the spiritual mysticism that dogged him in the first 3 books, and instead, there's more self-reflection by both Dr Siri and his best friend, Civilai and reminisces of the old days when they were idealistic youths. The history behind the Laotian overthrow of French rule was nicely woven into the story as the 2 friends head south to try and uncover how a dead blind dentist managed to get caught up in a conspiracy to overthrow the current Laotian government.
As Dr Siri and Civilai both go through moments of self-doubt, their own history of how they became part of the Laotian liberation movement emerges, both separate and yet sharing the same ideal.
In show more the meantime, Dtui and Inspector Phosy work undercover to infiltrate a refugee camp over the Thai border in an attempt to identify some of the individuals who may be part of the conspiracy, not realizing the danger they may be putting themselves in.
The little history lesson was the definite clincher for me. True, there was the usual dry humor from the 4 main characters that continues to entertain, and this time, there is a fortune telling transvestite and an old revolutionary colleague bringing additional color, and of course a number of suspicious deaths to investigate, but the history and the reflection of one's actions by a couple of the characters made this a stand out book. show less
As Dr Siri and Civilai both go through moments of self-doubt, their own history of how they became part of the Laotian liberation movement emerges, both separate and yet sharing the same ideal.
In show more the meantime, Dtui and Inspector Phosy work undercover to infiltrate a refugee camp over the Thai border in an attempt to identify some of the individuals who may be part of the conspiracy, not realizing the danger they may be putting themselves in.
The little history lesson was the definite clincher for me. True, there was the usual dry humor from the 4 main characters that continues to entertain, and this time, there is a fortune telling transvestite and an old revolutionary colleague bringing additional color, and of course a number of suspicious deaths to investigate, but the history and the reflection of one's actions by a couple of the characters made this a stand out book. show less
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54+ Works 8,108 Members
Colin Cotterill is an author and cartoonist. He was born in London in 1952, and trained as a Physical Education teacher, before setting off on a world tour that hasn't ended yet. Along the way, he has held various teaching positions in Israel, Australia, the U. S., Japan, and Southeast Asia. He would eventually become involved in child protection, show more and it was his work with trafficked children that motivated him to write his first novel, The Night Bastard. The reaction was so positive that he decided to take time off and write full-time. Two of his subsequent novels are child-protection based: Evil in the Land Without, and Pool and its role in Asian Communism. Cotterill may be best known as the author of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series, set in the People's Democratic Republic of Laos. Titles in the series include: Six and a Half Deadly Sins, the Woman Who Wouldn't Die, Love Songs from a Shallow Grave, The Merry Misogynist, Thirty-Three Teeth and The Coroner's Lunch. He also pens the Jim Jurree series, set in southern Thailand. Titles in this series include: The Axe Factor, Grandad, There's a Head on the Beach and Killed at the Whim of a Hat. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Anarchy and Old Dogs
- Original title
- Anarchy and Old Dogs
- Original publication date
- 2007
- People/Characters
- Dr Siri Paiboun; Nurse Dtui; Civilai Songsawat; Inspector Phosy; Madame Deung; Auntie Bpoo
- Important places
- Pakse, Laos; Vientiane, Laos
- Dedication
- I would like to thank my dedicated team of readers who, I'm delighted to say, have no hesitation in insulting me. Thanks to David, Lizzie, Dtee, Kye, Cathy, Geoff, Tony, my lovely Jess, and the marvelous John Cotterill, aka D... (show all)ad.
- First words
- The post office box was eighteen across, twelve down, and it had a loop of wool wound around the door so Dr. Buagaew wouldn't miss it.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)He had two things on his mind that were more worrying: the first, what words he could use to convince Daeng his intentions were honorable; the second, Auntie Bpoo's other prediction, that by the Lao New Year, Dr. Siri and his new bride would have two bouncing baby boys.
- Blurbers
- Burdett, John; Reichs, Kathy
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 634
- Popularity
- 45,646
- Reviews
- 42
- Rating
- (3.91)
- Languages
- 5 — English, German, Russian, Swedish, Turkish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 28
- ASINs
- 10
