Product Description

When a blind, retired dentist is run down by a logging truck as he crosses the road to post a letter, Dr Siri Paiboun, official and only coroner of Laos, finds himself faced with his most explosive case yet. The dentist's mortal remains aren't nearly as intriguing as the letter in his pocket. Written in invisible ink and encrypted, the letter presents Dr Siri with an irresistible challenge. Enlisting the help of his old friend, Civilai, now a senior member of the Laos politburo; Nurse Dtui ('Fatty'); Phosy, a police officer; and, Aunt Bpoo, a transvestite fortune-teller, Dr Siri soon finds himself on the trail of an international plot to overthrow the government of Laos.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20079 in Books
• Published on: 2009-05-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 272 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
Colin Cotterill's strikingly unusual crime series (The Coroner's Lunch, Thirty Three Teeth), featuring Laos’ only coroner, Dr Siri Paiboun, has already gleaned (in a relatively short time) a devoted legion of readers, as much for the sharp and quirky characterisations as for the colourful evocation of the Laos locales. In Anarchy and Old Dogs, the ageing Siri is, as usual, up to his elbows in double-dealing on the part of officialdom as much as the mysteries of the case he is working on.

A sightless dentist is struck by a logging company truck, and Siri Paiboun becomes involved – mainly as there is nobody else performing his function as coroner. The dentist, it transpires, was en route to post a letter, but Siri, when examining it, finds it impossible to read (the dentist has used invisible ink and has then encrypted the message). But as Siri peels back the layers of confusion surrounding the case, he realises that the stakes are as high as might be imagined: in fact, he has stumbled on nothing less than a plot to replace the government.

Aficionados of the crime thriller often lament that moment – all too familiar when reading many a novel – when the thought 'Oh, it's that plot again!' occurs. Colin Cotterill admirers know that such a moment is unlikely to happen in one of his books – and certainly not in Anarchy and Old Dogs. --Barry Forshaw

Review
'One of the most enjoyable books I've read all year' --Sunday Telegraph

'It is not unusual to find a renegade Thai forest monk or a transvestite fortune-teller wandering casually through the capital city, Vientane, where Dr Siri works... Everywhere Mr Cotterill's characters go, they maintain a wry, seasoned, offhand style that has been the secret weapon of this unexpectedly blithe and charming series' --New York Times

Sunday Telegraph
Fascinating background, engaging characters and witty dialogue.

Customer Reviews

Siri Gets Real
In the fourth installment of this wonderful series, our intrepid, ghost seeing, haunted doctor has to deal with some real life political problems and has to make some difficult choices. It has all the humour we've come to expect and some delicious Lao food. If you're new to this series then please start with the first one, since there is some chronology. If you like mysteries set in languid exotic locales, at a time which is now gone, this is the book for you.

Best Entry to Date in a Wonderful Series
All of Cotterhill's adventures featuring Laos' national (and only) coroner, Dr. Siri Paiboun, are extremely enjoyable, but this fourth one might be the best so far. It's 1977, and the Pathet Lao are still struggling mightily to make the transition from jungle insurgents to ruling government. The previous three books all worked a bit of Laos' history into the stories, but here politics and history really propel the plot, and it works wonderfully.

The seemingly everyday death of a blind man who steps in the path of a truck with failed brakes leads Dr. Siri and his redoubtable assistants into the heart of a royalist plot to overthrow the wobbly new communist government. Throughout the series we've see Dr. Siri lamenting the haplessness of the regime he fought to bring to power. However, he did spend thirty years in the jungle with the Pathet Lao, losing his wife, and forsaking hope for a family -- so he'll be damned if he's going to let his former comrades become usurped so quickly. But proof of the plot is elusive, and as in his other adventures, Dr. Siri is forced to travel to unravel matters. This time he heads to the crumbling city of Pakse with his old politburo pal and lunch companion Civilai. Meanwhile, the delightful Nurse Dtui and the honorable cop Phosy head to a very different place to poke around on their own.

Slowly but surely, Dr. Siri & Co. find their way to the heart of the conspiracy, with some rather unexpected results. Despite the appearance of a transvestite fortune-teller, the story is a little more sedate than others in the series -- the supernatural elements that play a large role in previous books are much more subdued here. Instead, the sad realities of realpolitik drive the plot. Events end on a note of great hope and happiness, whetting the appetite for the next entry in a great series.

Wonderful Country, Wonderful Books
'Anarchy and Old Dogs' details the fourth case of Dr Siri, Laos's increasingly exasperated coroner. Cotterill is now firmly in his groove, and this volume contiues the good work of his previous three novels.

Light in tone, witty, enchanting and filled with pathos, this series has become a firm favourite of mine. The books are perfect holiday reads, or welcome calling points, if you're unsure of what to read next. They are the literary equivalent of a comfortable pair of slippers. I've been a bit down lately and 'AAOD' proved the perfect tonic.

Cotterill's books are consistently entertaining and essential reading if you have been, or are going to visit Laos. The books capture perfectly the essence of this sleepy but beautiful nation. Forget Botswana, take your imagination to Laos.