Book Review: Dr. Siri Paiboun Series by Colin Cotterill, Soho Crime

We meet Dr. Siri Paiboun sometime in 1976; he is an old revolutionary who was trained as a doctor in France; the communists have taken over Laos, the royal family has been deposed, professional classes have fled, and when a senior Laos leader is dead, the old revolutionary doctor is made the national coroner of the country without any training or enthusiasm for the job. Thus begins one of the most enjoyable series I have come across on Laos.

The Dr. Siri Paiboun series by Colin Cotterill takes readers on an unforgettable journey into post-revolutionary Laos through the eyes of an unforgettable protagonist: the 70-something national coroner who never cared for the job and, having been a revolutionary, does not really care for his colleagues now in power. The first book, The Coroner’s Lunch, is set in 1975 and the series spans15 novels; the series weaves historical fiction, mystery, and elements of magical realism into a rich tapestry that transcends genre conventions; it is also a great introduction to Laos, its history, culture, and in general a lamentation on the tragedy of revolutions.

Dr. Siri Paiboun is one of the most intriguing characters in modern mystery fiction. A Paris-trained doctor and longtime communist revolutionary, he becomes Laos’s national coroner after the Pathet Lao victory. An unexpected gift matches his medical knowledge: he learns that he is the vehicle for an ancient Hmong shaman whose spirit brings both insight and considerable inconvenience to his investigations. Rather than using these supernatural elements as easy solutions, Cotterill integrates them naturally into the spiritual fabric of Laotian culture, where they serve to deepen both the atmosphere and Siri’s character development.

Just as well-developed are the members of the supporting cast. Nurse Dtui, based on a real nurse Cotterill met during his own stay in a Laotian hospital, has a quick wit and practical sensibilities to bring to the investigations. Siri’s old friend Civilai, who is also a member of the politburo and as powerful as one can be but still manages to retain a sense of irony and humour, brings political insights and late-night drinking companionship to ponder how they fit into the revolution’s aftermath. Each character feels fully realised, their relationships evolving naturally across the series. There is a rich cast of characters Geung, who suffers from Down’s syndrome but is the best help that Siri and Dtui could have asked for in the morgue, we encounter Madam Daeng who plays Siri’s love interest and was once an assassin for the revolution.

The years Colin Cotterill spent living in Laos and recording local stories for a development organisation infuses the novels with authentic detail. The writing captures both the physical sensations of oppressive heat before monsoons, terrible hospital coffee, constant mosquitoes, and complex social and political dynamics of 1970s Southeast Asia.

The mysteries themselves are intricately plotted, often featuring multiple cases that fit together like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle which Siri has to untangle. Above all what stands apart with this series is its feeling for place and time. As experienced through Siri’s eyes, we witness a pivotal historical moment: the early years of communist Laos, marked by idealism, contradiction, and challenge. Political change, cultural preservation, personal integrity or lack thereof, and entertaining qualities of detective fiction are on display throughout the series.

For mystery readers looking for more than just puzzle-solving, the Dr. Siri Paiboun series holds rich rewards. Taken on their own, the books are great mysteries but read together; they form a continuing narrative of friendship and political change, all wrapped around one reluctant coroner’s late-life journey into an unexpected calling. This series does well to show how the mystery is used as a vehicle to explore memory, history, and changing contours of culture, as well as the human condition, without losing the essential need to tell a good, gripping story.

The novels are best appreciated from the start with The Coroner’s Lunch since the character relationships and historical context build meaningfully across the series. However, Cotterill’s masterful writing ensures that each book also stands alone while contributing to the larger tapestry of narrative. The series is an outstanding achievement in cross-cultural storytelling, bringing a pivotal period of Southeast Asian history to life through the eyes of one of crime fiction’s most unique and engaging detectives.

In Dr. Siri Paiboun’s series, Colin Cotterill masterfully weaves the complex history of the Laotian Civil War and its aftermath into the narrative fabric of his mysteries. The series begins in 1975, just after the Pathet Lao communist movement took control of Laos, following a conflict that had become inextricably entangled with the larger Vietnam War and the Cold War power struggles in Southeast Asia.

A true revolutionary of communist ideals, Siri spent years battling as a communist fighter and doctor in the jungle, rising as high as Major General in the Vietnamese communist army. Our doctor is cynical about how those ideals are being implemented, which adds depth to the series’ exploration of this post-revolutionary Laos. Stories disclose how the country became known as the “Land of a Million Elephants and the CIA” during the war years, when American forces conducted a “secret war” that made Laos, per capita, the most heavily bombed nation in history. A fact that historians beyond South East Asia have largely forgotten.

Cotterill subtly weaves into the narrative historical elements like the Hmong people’s role in the conflict on the losing side and, upon the end of the civil war, the persecution they face from the state; the Hmong people have rich spiritual traditions, which come alive through Siri’s shamanic connections.

The books are full of details on the war’s lasting legacy: unexploded bombs that continue to menace civilians, complex relationships with communist Vietnam and capitalist Thailand, and the difficulties of rebuilding society after decades of war. Through characters like Siri’s friend Civilai, we get a glimpse of the ideological battles within the revolutionary movement itself as former fighters adapt to being bureaucrats, administrators, and statesmen.

The series excels in showing how the war affected daily life in Laos after its end. Siri’s morgue struggles with even basic supplies, reflecting economic challenges in the post-war period. Soviet advisors with very little advice, disgruntled Vietnamese allies suspicious of Laotian’s growing fondness for the Chinese, and suspicions of Western influences make for a rich backdrop of mysteries. Even elements apparently straightforward, like the disgusting coffee Siri grumbles about, resonate with broader themes about historical trade restrictions and economic disaster under the new government.

It is particularly effective in how history naturally emerges from character interactions and plot developments. Rather than delivering lessons in history, the series shows how past events affect present investigations. The legacy of war pops up in all sorts of ways: a corpse may be linked to old CIA operations, a murder investigation may trace back to wartime allegiances, or a seemingly simple case may unveil intricate international intrigue from the conflict years.

Through it all, Siri’s unique position as both a former revolutionary and a pragmatic problem-solver allows him to navigate the complex political and social landscape of post-war Laos. His investigations often reveal how the idealism of the revolution confronts the realities of governance and how larger historical forces shaped individual lives. In fact, the series is a triumph both as an assortment of intriguing mysteries and as an insightful study into one of the most crucial periods of Southeast Asian history, shaping the region still.

These historical elements contribute depth to the mysteries without overwhelming them, making a series that educates as it entertains. Cotterill’s own extensive research, as well as first-hand experience in the region, shines through in the authentic details and complex characterisations, making Dr Siri books valuable both in terms of being historical fiction and detective novels.

The Pathet Lao’s inadequacies as a governmental authority are a recurring theme throughout the Dr Siri series, depicted in darkly humorous observations or very serious consequences. In this series of books, Cotterill shows how the revolution’s effectiveness in fighting a guerrilla war was not duplicated by the practicalities of governing the country or how managing the economy is slightly more complicated than the dialectics of Marx or Mao.

The series tells the story of the continuous trial and error with which the daily operations of the morgue have to be managed, where threats, pleas, and bribery are ever present as formaldehyde. Yet this is not a jaundiced view of a great country; it is an empathy-laden account of a people making their way through a bureaucracy in the making. Cotterill portrays Laos in a nuanced rather than purely critical light. In characters like Siri and Civilai, we observe how even committed revolutionaries could hold to their principles while recognising the failure of their movement in governance. It is implied that these issues were not just a matter of ideology but practical issues in turning a guerrilla movement into an administrative state in a country ravaged by years of war and foreign interventions. So if you can pick up any of the 15 books featuring the good doctor, you will enjoy a crackling tale told well, with just the right dash of history coupled with a whodunit to keep you working through the pages.