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In Vientiane, Laos, a booby-trapped corpse intended for Dr. Siri, the national coroner, has been delivered to the morgue. In his absence, only Nurse Dtui's intervention saves the lives of the morgue attendants, visiting doctors, and Madame Daeng, Dr. Siri's fiancée.On his way back from a Communist Party meeting in the north, Dr. Siri is kidnapped by seven female Hmong villagers under the direction of the village elder so that he will—in the guise of Yeh Ming, the thousand-year-old shaman show more with whom he shares his body—exorcise the headman's daughter, whose soul is possessed by a demon, and lift the curse of the pogo stick.
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nandadevi Although set 1300 years apart, van Gulik has done for T'ang Dynasty China what Cotterill has done for Laos of the 1990's, distilled the essence of a time and place in a vastly entertaining series of novels of detection.
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Rating: 4* of five
The Book Description: In Vientiane, a booby-trapped corpse, intended for Dr. Siri, the national coroner of Laos, has been delivered to the morgue. In his absence, only Nurse Dtui’s intervention saves the lives of the morgue attendants, visiting doctors, and Madame Daeng, Dr. Siri’s fiancée.
On his way back from a communist party meeting in the north, Dr. Siri is kidnapped by seven female Hmong villagers under the direction of the village elder so that he will—in the guise of Yeh Ming, the thousand-year-old shaman with whom he shares his body—exorcise the headman’s daughter whose soul is possessed by a demon, and lift the curse of the pogo stick.
My Review: Dr. Siri Paiboun is my role model for growing show more older. I want to be as cantankerous and unafraid as he is, and as forgiving and tolerant as he is, and marry someone I'm in love with like he does.
Who am I kidding? I'd like any of those things NOW, except the marriage thing, which no thank you, I remember that too well.
So this is the fifth book in the series, and the action takes place late in 1977 into 1978. Siri's seventy-three. The reason I'm reviewing a book so late in the series is simple: I want to tell everyone that, contrary to established custom, the series isn't sagging, and the sleuthing isn't drooping. Siri's believability is quite as firm as it was, meaning if you didn't buy in from the get-go, you won't be in now either. I love our secondary characters quite a lot, and am invested in the world of Dtui and Phosy and Geung as much as Siri and Daeng and Civilai. It's just too much fun to perch on the back of the lilac police Vespa, pull my scarf over my nose and mouth, and whip along the trafficless roads around Vientiane to chase malefactors!
Now that's one helluva mental picture, isn't it? But in this book, in this series, your fat old stiff-jointed American correspondent here can do exactly that. AND solve a crime. (Sort of, there really isn't a mystery-novel crime to solve in this book...so what, though?) I get to travel to the Hmong Otherworld! I am invited to an illegal Buddhist wedding! And through it all, my green-eyed hobbit-sized impish cicerone, Dr. Siri, sees how true and marvelous the world is, how little in it matters except being present and available and kind.
Rightness. Completing one's journey and, thereby, completing the journeys of others. I hope all of us are able to say, looking at our last dawn, that we did that very thing, at least once. show less
The Book Description: In Vientiane, a booby-trapped corpse, intended for Dr. Siri, the national coroner of Laos, has been delivered to the morgue. In his absence, only Nurse Dtui’s intervention saves the lives of the morgue attendants, visiting doctors, and Madame Daeng, Dr. Siri’s fiancée.
On his way back from a communist party meeting in the north, Dr. Siri is kidnapped by seven female Hmong villagers under the direction of the village elder so that he will—in the guise of Yeh Ming, the thousand-year-old shaman with whom he shares his body—exorcise the headman’s daughter whose soul is possessed by a demon, and lift the curse of the pogo stick.
My Review: Dr. Siri Paiboun is my role model for growing show more older. I want to be as cantankerous and unafraid as he is, and as forgiving and tolerant as he is, and marry someone I'm in love with like he does.
Who am I kidding? I'd like any of those things NOW, except the marriage thing, which no thank you, I remember that too well.
So this is the fifth book in the series, and the action takes place late in 1977 into 1978. Siri's seventy-three. The reason I'm reviewing a book so late in the series is simple: I want to tell everyone that, contrary to established custom, the series isn't sagging, and the sleuthing isn't drooping. Siri's believability is quite as firm as it was, meaning if you didn't buy in from the get-go, you won't be in now either. I love our secondary characters quite a lot, and am invested in the world of Dtui and Phosy and Geung as much as Siri and Daeng and Civilai. It's just too much fun to perch on the back of the lilac police Vespa, pull my scarf over my nose and mouth, and whip along the trafficless roads around Vientiane to chase malefactors!
Now that's one helluva mental picture, isn't it? But in this book, in this series, your fat old stiff-jointed American correspondent here can do exactly that. AND solve a crime. (Sort of, there really isn't a mystery-novel crime to solve in this book...so what, though?) I get to travel to the Hmong Otherworld! I am invited to an illegal Buddhist wedding! And through it all, my green-eyed hobbit-sized impish cicerone, Dr. Siri, sees how true and marvelous the world is, how little in it matters except being present and available and kind.
Rightness. Completing one's journey and, thereby, completing the journeys of others. I hope all of us are able to say, looking at our last dawn, that we did that very thing, at least once. show less
I'm sure that starting at the beginning of the series would have given me a much clearer understanding of the characters...but hey...why should I start doing that now? It seems that politics plays a large role in the stories, but the books are NOT about politics...they're about friendship and love of the people living in a small Laotian community. Dr. Siri, the main character, has special abilities that connect him to the spirit world as well as special abilities to work the system. I found the book to be beautifully written and the cast of characters a rare treasure...and at the center of all this is a fantastic mystery, the kind that grabs the reader and makes you want to keep reading well into the night. I'm hooked as long as he show more continues to produce such marvelous, funny, endearing and amazing characters as those I have already met. I'll be good and start at the beginning. show less
In which Dr. Siri is kidnapped from a Party conference and taken to a rural Hmong village to exorcise a demon from one of their young women. (As we know, Dr. Siri plays reluctant physical host to the spirit of a shaman, Yeh Ming, who is frequently recognized in him by people who then expect Dr. Siri to BE Yeh Ming.) Meanwhile, back at the morgue, the auditors have come 'round in Dr. Siri's absence, and someone is setting traps to kill....someone. Dtui and Phosy must sort the latter before they become victims, intended or otherwise, of evil schemes. Delightful. As always, I absolutely love the picture of Comrade Siri defying, thwarting and generally ignoring the dictates of the totalitarian state known as the People's Democratic Republic show more of Laos. show less
Dr. Siri and the Hmong Exorcism
Review of the Knopf Canada hardcover edition (August 26, 2008) of the Soho Crime hardcover original (July 1, 2008)
Curse of the Pogo Stick is the 5th book of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series and has Lao national coroner Dr. Siri and his nemesis Judge Haeng off in Northeast Laos. Back in the capital city of Vientiane, Siri's friends and allies, fiancée Daeng, Inspector Phosy, Nurse Dtui, Attendant Deung, and old comrade Civilai are dealing with the after effects of the failed coup d'état from the previous book Anarchy and Old Dogs (2007).
Siri and Haeng are kidnapped by a tribe of Hmong who need Siri's shaman powers to exorcise an evil force in their village (the pogo stick of the title is a macguffin, and show more hardly features in the book). This plot line provides author Cotterill the opportunity to expand on the history of the Hmong and how their culture has been decimated in the long nationalist and political conflicts of the region. The hapless Judge Haeng provides the comic relief with his cowardly antics.
Meanwhile in Vientiane, the forces of the Lizard are attempting to assassinate Siri's friends in retribution for their coup failure. Nurse Dtui is able to defuse their various bombings and poisonings. She and the rest of the gang formulate a plan to expose the conspirators.
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. show less
Review of the Knopf Canada hardcover edition (August 26, 2008) of the Soho Crime hardcover original (July 1, 2008)
Curse of the Pogo Stick is the 5th book of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series and has Lao national coroner Dr. Siri and his nemesis Judge Haeng off in Northeast Laos. Back in the capital city of Vientiane, Siri's friends and allies, fiancée Daeng, Inspector Phosy, Nurse Dtui, Attendant Deung, and old comrade Civilai are dealing with the after effects of the failed coup d'état from the previous book Anarchy and Old Dogs (2007).
Siri and Haeng are kidnapped by a tribe of Hmong who need Siri's shaman powers to exorcise an evil force in their village (the pogo stick of the title is a macguffin, and show more hardly features in the book). This plot line provides author Cotterill the opportunity to expand on the history of the Hmong and how their culture has been decimated in the long nationalist and political conflicts of the region. The hapless Judge Haeng provides the comic relief with his cowardly antics.
Meanwhile in Vientiane, the forces of the Lizard are attempting to assassinate Siri's friends in retribution for their coup failure. Nurse Dtui is able to defuse their various bombings and poisonings. She and the rest of the gang formulate a plan to expose the conspirators.
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. show less
Fifth book in the Siri adventures proves delightful. In this installment we are introduced to Hmong culture, opening with an interpretation of how the Hmong lost their history and written language. The first shaman gifts his people with the geng pipes, so they would be able to guide the dead to the Otherworld, giving them "a musical language that communicated directly from one soul to another." The piping transports us to the world of the morgue, where two auditors investigating Siri are complaining about a Hmong beggar's playing. It's a haunting transition, showing the difference between the richness of a culture, and the realities of economic oppression, and is quickly balanced with a moment of humor: "Dtui has known straightaway that show more the task was impossible... her boss had handwriting so horrible he could hardly read it himself. Dipping a cockroach in ink and having it scamper around the page would have left traces more legible to the average reader." It is a sublime transition typical of Cotterill's writing, the moments of beauty or humor interspersed with hard-edged reality, and it is one of the reasons I'm inordinately fond of the Dr. Siri series.
The first plot revolves around a possible attempt on Siri's life, initially foiled by Dtui. Shortly after, she and Madame Daeng lure Civilai out of retirement to join them in their investigation. Meanwhile, Siri is forced into a attending the quarterly Party Planning and Progress Conference and discovers a dead man in the audience. He causes a small scene, and as his punishment, Judge Haeng has him accompany him through the countryside in a Party demonstration. Unfortunately, Siri is kidnapped and the second mystery begins.
Narrative was more streamlined, told in more linear fashion with fewer character jumps, much to the benefit of the story. The spiritual element was integrated well, although apparently the spirits present a problem of description: "Tenses were annoyingly unhelpful when it came to the afterlife." Scenes of the countryside are described beautifully, conveying the love Siri (and the author) has for the country. The touches of humor are still present, more delightfully than ever: "It was a Lao-Mexican standoff. Haeng couldn't fire Siri and they both knew it."
I love Dr. Siri. I love learning vicariously and however fictionally about communist Laos. I find that Cotterill usually achieves a good story, and I usually enjoy his use of language. Four stars instead of five for a few reasons. One is that I had fears of Dtui and Daeng turning into Lulu and Grandma from the Stephanie Plum mysteries, a crisis narrowly averted at this time. Second, although I am no historian, I rather feel quite a lot of modernisms are creeping into the story. In one instance, Siri tells the Judge, "I was waiting for the movie version," which feels suspiciously modern for 1970s Laos. Third, the ending was a little forced, done reunion "summing up" style at a dinner house. Fourth, my proximity alarm for Western imperialism is beeping, although I'm still running diagnostics to discover the source.
Still, the story is done well enough that I feel such quibbles can be overcome. A delightful read; without doubt I'll be continuing with the series.
Favorite throw away line: "Mrs. Fah's kids were running around like headless chicks, shaking off the cobwebs they'd gathered at school." show less
The first plot revolves around a possible attempt on Siri's life, initially foiled by Dtui. Shortly after, she and Madame Daeng lure Civilai out of retirement to join them in their investigation. Meanwhile, Siri is forced into a attending the quarterly Party Planning and Progress Conference and discovers a dead man in the audience. He causes a small scene, and as his punishment, Judge Haeng has him accompany him through the countryside in a Party demonstration. Unfortunately, Siri is kidnapped and the second mystery begins.
Narrative was more streamlined, told in more linear fashion with fewer character jumps, much to the benefit of the story. The spiritual element was integrated well, although apparently the spirits present a problem of description: "Tenses were annoyingly unhelpful when it came to the afterlife." Scenes of the countryside are described beautifully, conveying the love Siri (and the author) has for the country. The touches of humor are still present, more delightfully than ever: "It was a Lao-Mexican standoff. Haeng couldn't fire Siri and they both knew it."
I love Dr. Siri. I love learning vicariously and however fictionally about communist Laos. I find that Cotterill usually achieves a good story, and I usually enjoy his use of language. Four stars instead of five for a few reasons. One is that I had fears of Dtui and Daeng turning into Lulu and Grandma from the Stephanie Plum mysteries, a crisis narrowly averted at this time. Second, although I am no historian, I rather feel quite a lot of modernisms are creeping into the story. In one instance, Siri tells the Judge, "I was waiting for the movie version," which feels suspiciously modern for 1970s Laos. Third, the ending was a little forced, done reunion "summing up" style at a dinner house. Fourth, my proximity alarm for Western imperialism is beeping, although I'm still running diagnostics to discover the source.
Still, the story is done well enough that I feel such quibbles can be overcome. A delightful read; without doubt I'll be continuing with the series.
Favorite throw away line: "Mrs. Fah's kids were running around like headless chicks, shaking off the cobwebs they'd gathered at school." show less
The fifth book of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series begins in Vientiane, Laos, where a booby-trapped corpse intended for Dr. Siri, has been delivered to the morgue. In his absence, only Nurse Dtui’s intervention saves the lives of the morgue attendants, visiting doctors, and Madame Daeng, Dr. Siri’s fiancée. Meanwhile on his way back from a Communist party meeting in the north, Dr. Siri is kidnapped by seven female Hmong villagers under the direction of the village elder so that he can, in the guise of Yeh Ming, the thousand-year-old shaman with whom he shares his body, exorcise the headman’s daughter, whose soul is possessed by a demon.
I always say this is not the series for everyone but I absolutely love them. Our champion is a 73 show more year old national coroner in 1970's Laos. Dr. Siri was a faithful revolutionary and has been compensated with the position of the country's only coroner, although he's really just a doctor who wants to retire and enjoy his old age. He and his assistants solve various crimes that come attached to the bodies they autopsy. His loyal associates are Nurse Dtui, smart and “big -boned” and the devoted Mr. Geung, who has Down's Syndrome. They have their individual stories and I love the plot lines that follow these characters.
Curse of the Pogo Stick isn't strictly a whodunit-style mystery but it does have great mystery elements, witty characters and humorous elements galore. I learned a lot about the Hmong culture in Laos and commend the author for featuring a culture that's largely unknown to most of us. Colin Cotterill has written a fantastic series that's one of my all-time favorites. show less
I always say this is not the series for everyone but I absolutely love them. Our champion is a 73 show more year old national coroner in 1970's Laos. Dr. Siri was a faithful revolutionary and has been compensated with the position of the country's only coroner, although he's really just a doctor who wants to retire and enjoy his old age. He and his assistants solve various crimes that come attached to the bodies they autopsy. His loyal associates are Nurse Dtui, smart and “big -boned” and the devoted Mr. Geung, who has Down's Syndrome. They have their individual stories and I love the plot lines that follow these characters.
Curse of the Pogo Stick isn't strictly a whodunit-style mystery but it does have great mystery elements, witty characters and humorous elements galore. I learned a lot about the Hmong culture in Laos and commend the author for featuring a culture that's largely unknown to most of us. Colin Cotterill has written a fantastic series that's one of my all-time favorites. show less
"Cars had become front yard ornaments. The sound of a passing engine prompted little children to run to the street's edge and wave. Siri might have been right. Laos was shrinking back into a preindustrial age."
We're back in 1970s Laos after a Communist takeover significantly assisted by our now disenchanted Dr. Siri. Early on he drowsily sits at a required lecture: "It was around three when he regained consciousness in time to learn that ' the quintessential socialist is patriotic, technically and managerially competent, morally upright and selflessly devoted to the greater social good', but he'd forgotten to bring his notepad." One comrade literally dies of boredom. You'll want to read what Siri announces to everyone about that.
This show more entry in the series features the oppressed and misunderstood Hmong, and the depth of understanding Siri brings to their troubles makes this one a standout. His alter ego Yeh Ming is revered by them, and one tribe seeks his assistance as they need to move on once again. An exorcism may be necessary. Meanwhile his bright assistant Dtui and her new romantic interest Phosy and the simple but insightful morgue attendant Geung must try to thwart a clever royalist bent on revenge against them and Siri, this time without him.
The series continues to be funny and illuminating about this part of the world, while providing unusual stories with engaging characters, not the least of which is our septuagenerian doctor, now romantically inclined toward the equally strong and eccentric Madame Daeng. She does for him what he does for others: leads him to understanding with a compassionate but fearless wit. Looking forward to the next one in this entertaining series. show less
We're back in 1970s Laos after a Communist takeover significantly assisted by our now disenchanted Dr. Siri. Early on he drowsily sits at a required lecture: "It was around three when he regained consciousness in time to learn that ' the quintessential socialist is patriotic, technically and managerially competent, morally upright and selflessly devoted to the greater social good', but he'd forgotten to bring his notepad." One comrade literally dies of boredom. You'll want to read what Siri announces to everyone about that.
This show more entry in the series features the oppressed and misunderstood Hmong, and the depth of understanding Siri brings to their troubles makes this one a standout. His alter ego Yeh Ming is revered by them, and one tribe seeks his assistance as they need to move on once again. An exorcism may be necessary. Meanwhile his bright assistant Dtui and her new romantic interest Phosy and the simple but insightful morgue attendant Geung must try to thwart a clever royalist bent on revenge against them and Siri, this time without him.
The series continues to be funny and illuminating about this part of the world, while providing unusual stories with engaging characters, not the least of which is our septuagenerian doctor, now romantically inclined toward the equally strong and eccentric Madame Daeng. She does for him what he does for others: leads him to understanding with a compassionate but fearless wit. Looking forward to the next one in this entertaining series. show less
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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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- Canonical title
- Curse of the Pogo Stick
- Original title
- Curse of the Pogo Stick
- Original publication date
- 2008
- People/Characters
- Dr Siri Paiboun; Nurse Dtui; Geung Watajak; Judge Haeng Somboun; Civilai Songsawat; Inspector Phosy
- Important places
- Vientiane, Laos
- Dedication
- This book is dedicated to the Hmong and other hill tribespeople of Laos who fought reluctantly on both sides of the political battlefield. I am sad for the betrayals they've suffered in their lives. I hope I haven't represent... (show all)ed them inaccurately in this book, and I thank all those who helped with my research. I apologize for any liberties I may have taken to give my book more cheer and hope than real life has afforded the Hmong. Apologies also to missionaries Dr. G. Lynwood Barney and William A. Smalley for using my own transcription and trashing their fine Hmong phonetic system—but it gave me a headache.
- First words
- As there were no longer any records, the Hmong could not even tell when they actually misplaced their history.
- Quotations
- “Did you think it would end up like this? When you were fighting the French? Did you think the alternative to colonialism would be so . . . so claustrophobic? Did you think we’d be looking over our shoulders all the ti... (show all)me worrying we might be doing or saying something to offend the Party?”
“We’re in transition, Dtui. Things will get better. At least we Lao are in control of our own destiny now.”
“If you don’t count the Vietnamese ‘advisers.’”
My biggest problem as a practicing cynic, however, is that I’m aligned, against my will and better judgment, to another world. I’m connected to a world of spirits and souls and gods and no matter how hard I try to dispro... (show all)ve this world, I know it exists. I don’t know how it’s possible, but, damn it, it’s there.
Although the Lao wouldn’t have their own new year for another three months, the West was calling this 1978 and hailing it as the dawning of the age of computers. Half a million were already in use around the world and pred... (show all)ictions were that this number might double by the end of the century. Like the news of Charlie Chaplin’s death and the decision by Sweden to ban aerosol cans, the revelation passed Vientiane by without even staring in the window. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)And one more button eased its way from its slit.
- Blurbers
- Burdett, John
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- Popularity
- 55,994
- Reviews
- 44
- Rating
- (3.94)
- Languages
- English, German, Russian
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 27
- ASINs
- 15
