Disco for the Departed is the 3rd book in the Dr. Siri Paiboun mystery series by Colin Cotterill. The stories take place in late-1970s Laos. I hadn't realized how attached I'd become to these characters until I thought something had happened to one of them and almost quit reading right then and there. I'm glad I managed to continue. I bought the 1st in the series on a whim and liked it enough to get the 2nd and then this one. I'll look for the 4th the next time I'm in my local book store. They should be read in publication order.
from the back of the book:
Dr. Siri, the 73-year-old national coroner of Laos, is summoned to the mountains of Huaphan Province, where the leaders of the current communist government hid for yeas before assuming power. There he must supervise the disinterment of a corpse whose arm is protruding from a concrete walkway laid between the president's former hideout and his new mansion. It is his gifts as a shaman that enable Siri to discover why the victim was buried alive and to identify the killer.Fantastic Fiction concludes,
Cotterill's worthy protagonist is as intriguing as ever, as he tackles both government indifference and nasty killers. And it's hard to believe that even a more serious book on this subject could conjure up the country of Laos -- in all its beauty and corruption -- as strikingly as Cotterill does here.Euro Crime has a positive review. AustCrime opens with, "If you haven't followed the adventures of Dr Siri, his nurse Dtui and his morgue assistant Mr Geung, then you're really missing out."
Kirkus Reviews says, "With its snappy chapter titles and its emphasis on character, this third installment in Cotterill’s series will especially appeal to fans returning from earlier episodes." Publishers Weekly closes by saying, "This witty and unusual series just keeps getting better."
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I can't keep up with you :-D
ReplyDeletelol I read a lot, and I read fast. I've always been this way.
DeleteI like mystery novels, and this one sounds good.
ReplyDeleteI started looking for mysteries that take place in places foreign to me, and came across this series that way.
DeleteI've heard of this book but I know I haven't read it. Maybe it was on one of those NPR book lists or someplace. or maybe I pulled it off a bookshelf at a bookstore. What an interesting title. I am adding this to my list of mysteries. I seem to be hooked on them lately. Happy Mother's Day. Hugs-Erika
ReplyDeleteDo start with the first in the series. You get to know the characters and how they came to be where and how they are in the first book.
DeleteI too like the characters, especially Siri's two assistants. I've already requested the 2nd book in the series. So thank you again for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to hear you're enjoying it :)
DeleteThis sounds good, will try to get it on Kindle. Valerie
ReplyDeleteIt'd be best to start with the first book in the series. You get character background and introductions that help understand their situation. I hope you like it :)
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