May 7, 2007
S
et in 1970s Communist Laos, Cotterill's delightful fourth novel to feature Dr. Siri Paiboun, the Laotian national coroner and one of the more eccentric characters in crime fiction, and Paiboun's clever assistant, Nurse Dtui (after 2006's Disco for the Departed
), nicely blends the supernatural, humor and intrigue. This time, their trials and tribulations begin with the death of Dr. Buagaew, a blind dentist hit by a truck. When blank papers are found on the dentist's body, Paiboun quickly discovers encoded writing in invisible ink. Aided by his friends, police officer Phosy and politburo member Civilai, Paiboun follows up on a number of clues and discovers that the code describes a series of chess moves. A trip to the southern Laotian city of Pakse draws him deeper into a complex political intrigue. Adding local color is Auntie Bpoo, a fortune-teller transvestite who predicts Paiboun will soon betray his country. This sometimes slapstick, sometimes serious, but always lively mystery is sure to bring the author many new readers.
July 1, 2007
Dr. Siri ("Disco for the Departed"), the 73-year-old national coroner of Laos, once again shows that age does not slow down a good man. His examination of a blind dentist mowed down by a truck leads him on a trip to southern Laos and a flirtation with espionage. Dilys Award winner Cotterill lives in Thailand. [See Prepub Mystery, "LJ" 4/1/07.]
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