Collect Love Songs From A Shallow Grave (Dr. Siri Paiboun, #7) Presented By Colin Cotterill Available In EPub
Siri and Phosy try to solve a series of murders that seem to have been perpetrated by a fencer Dr Siri makes an illadvised trip to Phnom Penh.
This was a gripping read that I had trouble putting down, Absolutely one of my favorite series, Couldn't resist a reread. I am a big fan of Colin Cotterill's Dr, Siri Paiboun series. Dr. Siri is really one of the most charming characters in all of the mystery genre and I always enjoy reading about his adventures and absorbing his gentle wisdom and view of the world.
That being said, I was disappointed in this particular book, In trying to analyze just why, I came to the conclusion that it was because it tried to do too much.
These stories take place ins Laos, just after their revolution, as the new socialist government was trying to find its footing.
Across the border in Cambodia, a much darker tale of transition was taking place, The Killing Fields were in full production, The population and the culture of the country were being systematically destroyed, In this book, Cotterill attempts to address that tragedy along with the more mundane events of Vientiane, if serial murders can ever be described as mundane.
The contrast between Cambodia Kampuchea and the more benign society of Laos is stark, But the contrast is really too stark, too dissonant and disruptive and too difficult to take in.
Cotterill's device for bringing in the Khmer Rouge story is that Dr, Siri is lured to Cambodia, along with his friend Civilai, on an allexpensepaid diplomatic mission, There, Siri's natural curiosity and abrasiveness lead him to stick his nose in where his hosts don't want it to be and he winds up afoul of the Khmer Rouge and chained and locked in a horrible prison where he is tortured and starved and where he expects to be killed.
Before he went to Cambodia though, Siri had been involved in the investigation of a serial murder case in Vientiane.
Three young women have been killed, skewered by epees and with a Z carved into their thighs.
There seems to be no logical connection between the three murders, and Siri and his usual posse struggle to find the solution to the puzzle.
Before he is able to reach a conclusion, the trip to Cambodia interferes, The story proceeds on two tracks, in Vientiane and in Cambodia,
We know that Dr, Siri will survive his horrible experience, because the series continues, but how he does so is more than a little incredible.
After all, theyearold national coroner of Laos is hardly James Bond, but his escape from Cambodia seems all too Bondlike.
Moreover, we know that he will solve the serial murder case, In this instance, the list of questions that he leaves for policeman Phosy before going to Cambodia lead to the surprising solution.
But it's all just a bit too much, a bit too convenient,
My disappointment with this book is certainly not enough to put me off the series and I'll be looking forward to reading the next entry.
I just hope it is a bit more narrowly focused, Cotterill is a genius, what can I say His unlikely hero is perfect, the setting in an alternate universe that iss Laos, although this one has a dark venture into the horror that was Cambodia.
Spooky and funny, a great read, The usual annoying back and forth between past and present with Dr, Siri as well as his vivid dreams and visions cavorting with the deceased,
In the midst of a murder investigation which grows from one victim to three, all women, Siri is dispatched with Civilai to Phnom Penh on a diplomatic mission.
At the time no one is aware of the killing fields, Siri experiences them first hand while solving an investigation via proxy,
Entertaining with the usual twists, Id missed reading this one when it came out in, Now Ive read them all, Wish there were more. An interesting historical mystery. The scenes set in the streets of Burma were eyeopening, This book is the darkest so far and looks back at the terrible, senselessgenocide in Cambodia.
Siri is in the middle of an investigation when he is sent to Cambodia on a diplomatic mission and discovers the true terror of whats happening there.
The other side of the story is a murder investigation involving fencing and women who studied in the Eastern Block.
There is a theme of being afraid of losing love, and learning appreciation for life, and for all its silliness, Laos.
The parts where Dr Siri speaks from a Lao prison are very dark and harrowing, and some things were incomgruous, but the ending tied it together for me.
Cant say it was mindless entertainment than the other books, though, I hope the next one is lighter, The Dr. Siri Paiboun series is one of my favorite series, I found it late so am now reading it from book, Dr Siri is a reluctant National Coroner of Laos, The previous Coroner swam across the river to leave Cambodia, The series takes place in the's, Dr. Siri is in his late's and was trained in France as a doctor, He used a French book to learn his coroner position, He fought for the Communist party with his wife before the take over of the government,
Now on to this book, A serial murder is happening which is unusual, Three women have been murdered and it looks like it is linked to a person who knows fencing.
Dr Siri and his workers/wife/friends are on the trail to find the murdered, Dr. Siri is sent to Cambodia during this time, The news hadn't reached the outside world as what atrocities and mass murders were occurring there, Dr. Siri lands in a Pol Pot prison and suffers greatly, It appears this will be the last Dr, Siri book.
What makes these books so enjoyable is the gentle humor of Dr, Siri and his connections with a circle of companions, The times are hard but they survive with humor and a sense of family, This was theth book in the series, At this time, I am half way through the series so I have a lot more visiting to do with Dr.
Siri and his circle of friends, Love Songs from a Shallow Grave is the seventh book in the Dr Siri series, Of the four that Ive read its the strongest in terms of the plot, which is very well constructed and executed, blending a nice mystery puzzle with a strong sense of place and fascinating historical and social context.
Whilst the tale still has some of the comic charm of the other books, both of the intersecting storylines are dark, especially Siris time in Kampuchea, which is quite harrowing but well handled.
And although the story principally follows the investigation and the official trip, Cotterill advances the personal lives of the stable of main characters Siri, Madame Daeng, Nurse Dtui, Inspector Phosy, former Minister Civilai, and Mr Geung.
Indeed, a real strength of the book is that the full gang are present for nearly the entire tale, each with their own interesting subplot.
Overall, a clever, dark and enjoyable tale with a fascinating geographical and historical context, Without a doubt, one of the hardest books I've ever read, I love this series and I've always loved the combination of humour and serious stuff in it, but this instalment is so overwhelmingly depressing and terrifying that I don't really know how to react to it.
Yes, it's written very powerfully, but I kind of wish I hadn't read it because it gave me nightmares.
Loved the series several years ago and recently rediscovered on Audible, Great stories and performance. The characters, story, and cultural details about Laos are endlessly entertaining,
In Love Songs from a Shallow Grave, focus on some of the darker history from the era of the Vietnam War, the Khmer Rouge and the Pathet Lao overwhelms
what one reviewer described as "magical mysteries.
" If you love the series for the historical background, you may be fine with it, For me, it detracts from the delight I take in the series' clever stories, characters and magic.
I was sorry I reread this one, This is the first title I've read in the Dr, Siri Paibourn mystery series, and it is an impressive outing, If you don't know much about Laos and the Khmer Rouge in neighboring Cambodia, Long Songs will give you a true but grim history lesson.
Dr. Siri is the only coroner working inLaos when he takes on a serial killer who's done in three young ladies using fencing swords.
Meanwhile he's also dispatched to Cambodia on a diplomatic mission where he runs into trouble, The wry sense of humor takes the edge off the violence and gritty settings, But I also liked the nifty murder mystery that fooled me, Definitely a series worth reading from book one and onward, Another wonderful installment featuring the National Coroner of Laos, septuagenarian and newlywed Dr, Siri Paiboun! This one features a nicelyplotted murder mystery in whichin addition, Civilai and Siri are “invited” to Phnom Penn along with a group of Chinese officials.
Phosy and Dtui appear to be having marital difficulties she confides to Daeng that she thinks he is having an affair.
Daeng deputizes Siri to talk to Phosy about it, Siri chickens out but leaves a note for Phosy before he leaves for Phnom Penn the note does the trick.
Phosy and Dtui have a real conversation and confess they love each other,
The spirit of a betelnutchewing old woman, that Siri thinks may be his mother, warns him not to go to Cambodia.
Comrade Phat, Siris friend who is a Vietnamese adviser to the Ministry of Justice, also warns him against going.
Of course, he goes anyway,
Cotterill presents a chilling picture of Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge, Siri escaped from the embassy, and for that crime, is accused of being a spy, He is imprisoned and tortured, while Civilai is sent back home, After weeks pass with no Siri, his friends give him up for dead,
Praise for the Dr, Siri series:
“The consistently fine characterizations of the entire cast are matched by a tightly constructed plot.
”â”Booklist
“Glimpses of everyday life in Laos will appeal to those readers curious about a culture unfamiliar to most Americans.
”â”Publishers Weekly
Three young Laotian women have died of fencing sword wounds, Each of them had studied abroad in an Eastern bloc country, Before he can complete his investigation, Dr, Siri is lured to Cambodia by an allexpensespaid trip, Accused of spying for the Vietnamese, he is imprisoned, beaten, and threatened with death, The Khmer Rouge is relentless, and it is touch and go for the dauntless, seventyfouryearold nationalâ”and onlyâ”coroner of Laos.
Colin Cotterill was born in London inand taught and trained teachers around the world before settling in Thailand.
He spent several years in Laos, initially with UNESCO, before he moved on to become involved in child protection in the region and set up a nongovernmental organization in Phuket.
He later moved on to ECPAT, an international organization combating child prostitution and pornography, Colin writes and illustrates full time, and lives in Chumphon on the Gulf of Thailand with his wife, Jessi, and a bunch of dogs.
He is a Dilys Award winner,.
This is the third book I have read in this series about the adventures of an elderly coroner in Laos in the lates.
Although there is some humour this book is quite dark, There is the mystery of the three women killed with fencing swords but there is also the background story of the Khmer Rouge in Kampuchea.
I was hoping for a fairly light hearted read but I found this book depressing, It's well written but not what I wanted, I dont write reviews.
Absolutely brilliant! I wonder if this is the highwater mark of the series, Both the A and B plots were wellconstructed and though basically unrelated, they didnt clash as competing storylines.
Cotterill interwove the firstperson narration of the B plot through the novel expertly,
I appreciated the character development the most in this story, Even stoic Phosey opens up, The firstperson comes from our lovely doctor himself, Madame Deng gets some great scenes as well, Im quite impressed with the direction Cotterill is taking, This is hardly your average detective series,
Theres one added bonus to these stories they show the evil vulgarity of politics, Cotterill makes a point of showing how politics are the true enemy of humanity and love, .