Anarchy and Old Dogs - Hardcover

Cotterill, Colin

4.09

4,082 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1847245765 ISBN 13: 9781847245762

Publisher: Quercus, 2008

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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.

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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:

'Cotterill's novels have richer plots than Alexander McCall Smith's African detective stories, but the same comic charm' Sunday Times. (Sunday Times)

'Fascinating background, engaging characters and witty dialogue' Sunday Telegraph. (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. (New York Times)

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