The Coroner’s Lunch

The Dr. Siri Investigations, Book 1

By: Colin Cotterill

Narrated by: Clive Chafer

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Laos, 1975: The Communist Pathet Lao has taken over this former French colony. Dr. Siri Paiboun, a 72-year-old Paris-trained doctor, is appointed national coroner. Although he has no training for the job, there is no one else: the rest of the educated class have fled.

He is expected to come up with the answers the party wants, but crafty and charming Dr. Siri is immune to bureaucratic pressure. At his age, he reasons, what can they do to him? And he knows he cannot fail the dead who come into his care without risk of incurring their boundless displeasure. Eternity could be a long time to have the spirits mad at you.

©2004 Colin Cotterill (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A wonderfully fresh and exotic mystery…If Cotterill…had done nothing more than treat us to Siri’s views on the dramatic, even comic crises that mark periods of government upheaval, his debut mystery would still be fascinating. But the multiple cases spread out on Siri’s examining table…are not cozy entertainments but substantial crimes that take us into the thick of political intrigue.” ( New York Times Book Review)

The Unintentional Coroner

I love this book. I have read this series about 5 times since I got it. I will read them all again, several times. These books are about an old man who has absolutely no respect for the government. He goes out of his way to make his disrespect known, as does his older "brother " in the polit bureau. He has a secretly, over classified nurse, and a mongoloid, that Siri's boss REALLY wants to get rid of yesterday! And mayhem and hilarity ensue

Laos has suffered another change in government. This time, though, it's their own people. But that doesn't mean life is much easier than before. That's how Dr. Siri found himself thrust in the job of coroner, for which he has no training. And as he told the administrator who is constantly interfering in his job, "...retired. I'm 72 years old, a decade older than the national norm..."

From crashing his colleague's bicycle into the broom seller's stand (...you didn't tell me it didn't have any brakes!), to surviving three assassination attempts, he appears to muddle on, learning his job, and solving crimes.

Throughout the book, vivid details of Laotian life are woven into the story.

Clive Chafer is a great narrator. he has a great range of voices. His voice is smooth and soothing, but his pacing might be slow for some people. I enjoy it.

21 May, 2021

I have read sci - fi/fantasy almost exclusively for roughly 50 years. But this is my go to series. I'm reading it again, and I love it more every time I read it.

I'm paraphrasing, but the description of Dr. Siri is 72years old, and ready to retire. But much to his dismay, he is made the country coroner, a job which he neither welcomes, has no training nor equipment. He answers to a judge, many his younger, and changes every death certificate to heart failure, even the man who had his legs amputated suddenly by a large boat. Ay ay ay ay ay.

But Siri himself is a small, white haired gentleman. He is stooped, and when he walks, it looks like his a** is trying to catch up with the rest of his body.

Siri's predecessor taught his employee with Down Syndrome, to work in the morgue. Once he learns something, he never forgets it. Although he is instrumental in helping teaching the doctor about his job, they still only pay him 1/2 pay. And, as important as nurses are,his nurse, well, in slow times she...oh, wait, that might be WTMI☺

So. I love this series, about a small, white haired gentleman, whose a** looks like it's attempting to catching up with the rest of his body, more than the first time I read it.

A nice mystery set in Laos

I enjoyed the fusion between the Lao sociocultural background and the Brittish sense of humor.

Post Vietnam War View of Laos from Coroner's View

I thoroughly enjoyed (strange to enjoy a story from the morgue, huh?) this audio book, much to my own surprise. A 72-year old doctor turned coroner, is not at all happy with the prospects, he was educated in Paris prior to the communist regime of Pathet Lao in Laos, now following the Vietnam war, the former French colony is forever changed. But Dr. Siri must play along. The twists and turns are hilarious, sad, strange and full of Asian mystical meaning, of which the kind doctor has a gift. This is great writing on many levels . . . the descriptions of post-war Laos, the great understanding of what the Laotian people endured and how they felt during this time (but were unable to express), the deceptions of communist, and the ingenious ways that all resilient people survive under horrendous conditions. I can't wait to go on to the next book in the series.

Loved it!

This book is a treasure! I loved Dr. Siri and his assistants, the government, and the culture. This is a book of attitudes, each character is well developed and has a place in my heart. This is not a fast-paced, high adventure narrative. It is just a grand, enjoyable story. Dr. Siri is always in some sort of mess and thumbs his nose at the government. I will probably listen to this again some time in the future.

Wonderful Surprise

I went in to this with pretty low expectations - not even sure I would stick with it to the end. But by the end of the fifth chapter I was hooked. Awesome characters - not just Dr. Siri, though he is one of my favorite "detectives" after just one book.

Cannot recommend this highly enough and now looking forward to the rest of the series.

Really fun!

Like a couple of other reviewers, it took me a little while to get into the rhythm of both the performance and the reader but only about 10 minutes. The story is terrific - a good mystery or two and wonderfully written. I am not a giant fan of magical realism but this was so understated that I thoroughly enjoyed it. And the writer's humor is lovely. Can't wait to listen to another!

unexpected pleasure

I knew nothing about this series, or the author, and picked it at random. It has turned out to be a great choice, and I will go on with the series. Laos was not a place I expected to go in a detective fiction either, especially having just finished an Ann Cleeves book which took place in the north of Scotland. The coroner turns out to be quite a character, and the author has created someone I'd like to get to know better. And some of the other recurring (at least I hope as this is only Book 1...). Lovely turns of phrase. Very informative concerning the geopolitical situation, especially as a person growing up during the time of the SE Asia "situations". Again, I really wasn't expecting the story that I got and I am glad I took the chance. My only slightly less than enthusiastic comment is that the narrator is a bit less good than the book. A picky comment. I have listened to many better and also some who were worse. Keeps the interest up but sometimes hard to distinguish characters. The narration will not keep me away.

It's way over in Laos, but you'll know the people

This popped up in the Recommended For You section, and I thought I would try it. This was a charming book, with characters that came alive fairly easily for me, considering how distant Laos is, and how little I really know about it. It seems that people are the same everywhere. I was never really sure how tightly the author was basing the book on real people and real situations (supernatural aside), but I'd love to know. As far as the supernatural elements go, it wasn't overly done, and it melded surprising well with the storyline. The main character, the coroner Dr. Siri, is a genuine wit, and there is a steady stream of dry humor, helped along considerably by the droll voice of the narrator, Clive Chafer. It was a very good pairing of actor and book. The mystery story itself was OK; it wrapped up in a bit of a jumble at the end. But no matter. I'll probably read the next one in the series sometime.

A mystery in Laos

This is the first Cotterill mystery I've read but it won't be the last. If you're a mystery lover, it's a great way to get to know a country and the people who inhabit it, while enjoying a great mystery.

A Gem of a story and storytelling

What a delightful surprise ! Unique setting and circumstances for a cleverly different detective story with wonderfully drawn characters and witty dialogue to make you laugh aloud. The excellent performance matched voices and accents to characters perfectly. This is one of Audibles best !!