Dr. Siri Paiboun is summoned to the mountains of Huaphan Province, where for years the leaders of the current communist government hid in caves, waiting to assume power. Now a major celebration of the new regime is scheduled to take place, but an arm is found protruding from the concrete walk laid from the president’s former cave hideout to his new house beneath the cliffs. Siri must supervise the disinterment of the body attached to the arm, identify it, and determine the cause of death.
The autopsy provides some surprises, but it is his gifts as a shaman that enable the seventy-three-year-old doctor to discover why the victim was buried alive and to identify the killer.
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"Ok, Colin Cotterill's series just gets better and better as they go along - I'm now besotted with the adventures of the ancient, yet hearty, Dr.Siri and his assistant Dtui. What a great new series set in Laos, somewhere I've never gone in books, but actually have gone in real life. " — RunRachelRun (4 out of 5 stars)
"Ok, Colin Cotterill's series just gets better and better as they go along - I'm now besotted with the adventures of the ancient, yet hearty, Dr.Siri and his assistant Dtui. What a great new series set in Laos, somewhere I've never gone in books, but actually have gone in real life. "
“Purely entertaining…Elements of the ritualistic killings are pretty gross and the spooks can be scary; but as the author gently points out, life would be dreary without a few thrills.”
“Engrossing…This witty and unusual series just keeps getting better.”
“Cotterill’s writing is both evocative and educational.”
“Readers who enjoy Eliot Pattison’s Asian thrillers…will find that Cotterill shares the same sardonic view of Asian communism mixed with a touch of mysticism…a quality that sets the work of both authors apart from most mystery fare.”
“Exotic and engrossing…Cotterill mixes several elements of mysticism, including soul-transfer, elaborate rituals, dancing (and disco music) for the departed with more conventional themes: racism, international relations, military and government bureaucracy, and romantic posturing…The novel offers an excellent alternative to the typical American or British mystery setting.”
“The third entry in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series finds the spry, wry national coroner of Laos picking up a few new dance moves…With such a compelling cast of characters, the twisty mystery comes as a nice bonus.”
" I love this series... But not my favorite. I'll be back for more. "
" Every time I tell myself I don't like mysteries (and I don't really), I think, "well, maybe I should read another one of those Siri Paiboun books" and then I'm become Mikey---I like it! I really like it! "
" this book combines a good old who done it with a little bit of fantasy thrown in. it is a simple easy book to read that was fairly entertaining. I enjoyed reading about the cultural aspects of this books as it is set in Laos. not sure how accurate those aspects are. "
" enjoyable but not quite as good as the last one. Still love the characters. "
" I've enjoyed the two books in this series so far, with just one more left. Sense of time and place, the likable Laotian coroner/detective, the sense of humor. The supernatural allusions don't overwhelm. "
" This series, set in post-war Laos, with a geriatric coroner as the protagonist is outstanding as murder mysteries go--cross cultural "
" I'm still enjoying this series, although I have little interest in the actual mysteries. "
" This series is so much fun--Dr. Siri's sense of humor is terrific! "
" This one was a little less interesting - althoug it gave a lot of wonderful background. "
" I'm addicted to this series! Great story, as usual! "
Colin Cotterill has won the Dilys Award and a Crime Writers of America Dagger and has been a finalist for several other awards. Born in London, he has worked as teacher in Israel, Australia, the United States, and Japan before he started training teachers in Thailand. He lives with his wife in a small fishing village on the Gulf of Siam in Southern Thailand.
Clive Chafer is a professional actor, director, producer, and theater instructor. Originally from England and educated at Leeds and Exeter universities, he has performed and directed at many theaters in the San Francisco area, where he makes his home, and elsewhere in the US. In 1993 he founded TheatreFIRST, Oakland’s professional theater company, where he served as artistic director until 2008.
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