The Merry Misogynist, by Colin Cotterill

The Merry Misogynist (2009); 288 pages written in third person narrative. Colin Cotterill’s sixth book set during the 1970′s People’s Democratic Republic of Laos was a fast read. The nation’s only appointed coroner, 73 year old Dr. Siri Paiboun, is unofficially tracking down a cunning and methodical serial killer. Five dead wives and no one the wiser about it since the socialist government lacks any type of reliable communication system between agencies.

Many of the police files from the old Royalist regime were destroyed and a lot of the foot soldiers who handled the transfer of these files didn’t know how to read or write. By the time a young girl’s body lands in the morgue, the villain has already picked his sixth victim: a schoolteacher in a remote village. Throughout this entire series, the author has highlighted many of the dysfunctional aspects of the new socialist regime while poking fun at their ideology. The lack of expertise, resources and their utter inefficiency makes for most of the ridicule of this newly formed, struggling, socialist government.

I love this series despite how predictable it’s become because it hits on all the right buttons for me with the writing, characterization and plotting. Add to that the elements of mysticism and folklore and it’s a near perfect read for me each and every time. There are several subplots where one involves Siri and the Housing Authority. They’re on his case about the numerous people who are living in his house. Siri is now happily married to Madame Daeng, an ex-freedom fighter who runs a popular noodle shop in the city. He’s been living with her while his government issued home is occupied by people from all walks of life from monks to prostitutes. Not wanting to put the people out, he’s been avoiding the authorities. But Siri finds support in the one person I never thought would help him. There’s a third thread that involves crazy Rajid, an Indian of dubious intelligence who goes missing for two weeks. It was a weak thread that I could have skipped.

If you enjoy stories with exotic locales, political satire and suspense, then look no further than this series. The writing and the quirky characters makes this one of my favorite comfort reads. I only have one book left to read, Love Songs From a Shallow Grave before Slash and Burn comes out at the end of the year. My grade for this installment, a B+. I did laugh out loud on a couple of scenes. The villain while being a predictable, merry misogynist with the usual laundry list of motives and attributes, had a secret that did raise my eyebrows a bit. All in all, a quick read. Usually his sub-threads that support the main thread are interesting but in this entry, I could have skipped them both.