The Coroner's Lunch

The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill (2004)

Reader's Annotation

72-year-old Dr. Siri Paiboun becomes national coroner for the newly formed Lao People's Democratic Republic.

Summary

72-year-old Dr. Siri Paiboun is tired. He spent the last fifteen years practicing medicine in the jungle. Ten years ago he lost his wife. He'd much rather retire than start a new career, but, because he is one of the few medical doctors left in Laos and a member of the Communist Party (though an indifferent one), he is appointed state coroner—despite his lack of training as a medical examiner. Dr. Siri decides that if he must take the job, he will not let an ignorant bunch of bureaucrats dictate to him—at his age he has nothing left to lose—he'll follow the evidence wherever it leads.

Dr. Siri's integrity is soon tested when the wife of an important Party official turns up dead at the morgue and the bodies of tortured Vietnamese soldiers are found in a reservoir. With the help of his very intelligent nurse Dtui, his man of all work Geung, who has Down's Syndrome, and the occasional ghost, Dr. Siri follows his curiosity to find and expose corruption.

Evaluation

I found this a well written and charming book as well as an intriguing look at an unfamiliar culture. The Coroner's Lunch is full of interesting and quirky characters, not the least of which is Dr. Siri himself. I enjoyed the mix of logic as Dr. Siri follows the forensic evidence and mysticism as the ghosts of the bodies in the morgue visit his dreams. I'm looking forward to reading the rest in this series.

Those who enjoy the Dr. Siri Paiboun series, may want to try other mysteries set in exotic locales such as Bangkok 8 by John Burdett set in Thailand and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith set in Botswana.

Genres: Mystery/Crime
Subgenres: