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Anarchy and Old Dogs: A Dr Siri Murder Mystery (Dr Siri Paiboun Mystery 4)
 
 

Anarchy and Old Dogs: A Dr Siri Murder Mystery (Dr Siri Paiboun Mystery 4) [Kindle Edition]

Colin Cotterill
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)

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Product Description

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

Amazon 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


Product details

  • Format: Kindle Edition
  • File Size: 460 KB
  • Print Length: 290 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0676979521
  • Publisher: Quercus (7 May 2009)
  • Sold by: Amazon Media EU S.à r.l.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B004EYT89C
  • Text-to-Speech: Enabled
  • X-Ray: Not Enabled
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #23,575 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Entry to Date in a Wonderful Series 23 Mar 2008
By A. Ross TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
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.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Siri Gets Real 7 Aug 2007
By Miran Ali VINE™ VOICE
Format:Hardcover
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.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Country, Wonderful Books 12 Sep 2009
By Quicksilver TOP 500 REVIEWER VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback
'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.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Great book! 10 Jun 2013
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Great book - Mystery; politics; humour - recommend reading the series. I've read the seventh book and now going to order some more :)
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By L. J. Roberts TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Hardcover
First Sentence: The post office box was eighteen across, twelve down, and it had a loop of wool around the door so Dr. Buagaew wouldn't miss it.

A blind man, killed when hit by a bus, is carrying an envelope containing an apparently blank sheet of paper. Not only is it not blank, but it could have dire consequences for the country. Dr. Siri travels to a small village where a governor's deputy died from electrocution in his bath. Was it assassination, suicide, accident or murder? A small boy has apparently drowned, but his body looks unusual. It is up to Siri, and his friends, to resolve these issues.

Anarchy and Old Dogs draws you in from its very compelling opening and never once do you think of stopping. His descriptions are poetic and evocative..."The drought had wrung every last tear of moisture from the sad earth."

His characters are unique and charming. Dr. Siri, the 73-year-old coroner, imagines himself as Georges Simenon's protagonist Inspector Maigret--and is occasionally referred to by others as "Inspector Migraine"--yet when he solves a case in very short order "...he was still a little upset that he hadn't been given the opportunity to eliminate the suspects one by one through the magic of dactyloscopy." Accompanying him on this venture are this friend Civilai and the faithful Nurse Dtui.

One thing that makes this book particularly interesting is that there is very little of the supernatural element, which was part of the previous books. There are fascinating descriptions of Siri's dreams and the delightful character Auntie Bpoo, a transvestite fortune teller. Siri and Civilai, of whose background we finally learn, are much more introspective than in the past.
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5.0 out of 5 stars Great as ever! 30 Nov 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
I love this series and the fabulous Dr Siri and team.
Great insight into Laos.
Wish there were more books in the series.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars enjoyable, but underplayed
The real strengths of Colin Cotterill's Dr Siri series are the colourful set of characters, the light and witty prose, and a wonderfully rich sense of place and history. Read more
Published 13 months ago by Rob Kitchin
5.0 out of 5 stars wonderfully engaging
I've been following the series of Dr Siri tales, and this one really nailed it for me. The characters, and their strengths and flaws, really come through. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Royale
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent Series
This is book four in the Dr Siri series of books set in Laos.It isn't essential to start this series with book 1, but as the characters grow and develop through the series and past... Read more
Published on 13 May 2010 by rollerskate
5.0 out of 5 stars As funny as Carl Hiaasen?
I would say so! Anarchy and Old Dogs is the fourth in the series about Dr Siri, the national coroner. Read more
Published on 7 Jan 2010 by R. Jordan
5.0 out of 5 stars love Colin Cotterill
Top marks for a detective story with an unusal protagonist and side kicks. It gives a facinating insight into Laos in the 1970's. Read more
Published on 7 Oct 2009 by A. Foley
5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone should read this series
For anyone who enjoys a good whodunnit has to read this book. It is written with such ease that you have ended the book long before you are happy to put it down. Read more
Published on 13 Sep 2009 by J. E. M. Boer
5.0 out of 5 stars Not just a thriller
Dr Siri Paiboun, the reluctant national coroner of Laos, is a delightful character, not without an astringent side. Read more
Published on 26 Aug 2009 by Lee Coppack
1.0 out of 5 stars Slow food for little thought
For a crime story this was a not-at-all-exciting experience. Little happened, slow progression, rather boring in total. A thin souped brewed on the Laos landscape.
Published on 19 April 2009 by Steen Martiny
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