In 1978 in poverty-stricken Laos, a man from the city with a truck was somebody—a catch for even the prettiest village virgin. The corpse of one of these bucolic beauties turns up in Dr. Siri’s morgue, and his curiosity is piqued. The victim was tied to a tree and strangled, but she had not, as the doctor had expected, been raped. And though the victim had smooth, pale skin over most of her body, her hands and feet were gnarled, callused, and blistered.
On a trip to the hinterlands, Siri discovers that many women have been killed in this way. He sets out to investigate this unprecedented phenomenon—a serial killer in peaceful Buddhist Laos—only to discover, when he has identified the murderer, that not only pretty maidens are at risk: seventy-three-year-old coroners can be victims too.
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"Another great book in this loveable series. This time Dr Siri is out to catch a serial killer. A romping good read... as always. "
— Debra (4 out of 5 stars)
“It is part of Colin Cotterill’s skill that he grips the reader by intercutting between the cerebral deductions of Siri and the determined planning of the killer…Tight plotting and a background full of the sounds and color of the Orient make this a fascinating read.”
— Independent (London)“The glimpses of everyday life in Laos will appeal to those readers curious about a culture unfamiliar to most Americans.”
— Publishers Weekly“In this sixth volume in the series, the protagonist is as delightfully eccentric and unpredictably clever as ever…Cotterill provides a detailed look at the life, customs, and political realities of a place and time unfamiliar to most Americans: Laos in the 1970s. And again he does this with his trademark combination of crisp plotting, witty dialogue, political satire, and otherworldly phenomena…The Merry Misogynist is a suspenseful, informative read.”
— School Library Journal“Dr. Siri is one of the most engaging amateur sleuths around...The consistently fine characterizations of the entire cast are matched by a tightly constructed plot in which tension is heightened with excerpts from the killer’s point of view.”
— Booklist" 3.5--liked it a lot, but it isn't one of my favorites of his. still, any Dr. Siri book is a treat. "
— Leslie, 10/24/2011" Brilliant! Unputdownable! I love this series! "
— Martine, 8/9/2011" Darker than previous but still great "
— Jane, 3/25/2011" I just so love this series - the most wonderful characters, a quirky 78-year-old hero, great story and a fascinating setting. "
— Carey, 3/6/2011" Usual great characters and situations. Killer is up close and personal on this one. "
— Donmoore, 12/25/2010" This was the weakest of the series thius far. "
— Sami, 12/8/2010Colin 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.