It is 1978 in the People’s Democratic Republic of Laos. Dr. Siri Paiboun, the country’s only coroner is quietly pulled by Vietnamese security from a screening of a movie he was attending with his wife. He’s asked/escorted to the crime scene of a murdered young woman who’s been speared through the heart by an épée –a french sword. Marked on her thigh is the killer’s signature.
The events that led up to the discovery of this young woman’s body has Dr. Siri suspicious. Speaking with the officers on patrol to glean facts, Dr. Siri feels he is being lied to but he doesn’t know about what. Two more murders in the same fashion occur right after the other causing outcry and expediency to find the killer. There’s no pattern between the three murders except for one thing: all three Laotian women were given scholarship to study in the Eastern bloc. Love Songs From A Shallow Grave (2010, 304 pgs) has to be the darkest book in the series since Dr. Siri first appeared in The Coroner’s Lunch (2004, 272 pgs). As of now, I’ve read all seven books in this (ongoing) series and find this one to be the most chilling and compelling. Overall, the series on average is excellent.
Told in third person narrative, Dr. Siri and his cohorts must come together again to investigate a horrific set of crimes. Just to briefly introduce the recurring characters within the series, we have Inspector Phosy, a policeman who uses Dr. Siri in an unofficial capacity to help him solve murder cases. Then there’s Dr. Siri’s two morgue assistants, Nurse Dtui (smart, outspoken, opinionated and a very strong female character ) and Mr. Geung (his invaluable lab assistant who is said to have mild Down’s Syndrome). To round out the rest of the characters are Madame Daeng an ex-freedom fighter who now runs a popular noodle shop and Dr. Siri’s best friend Civilai.
At the start of the story we learn that Dr. Siri has made the hero “shortlist.” His boss, Judge Haeng, sees this a boon for the Justice Department. Since he was put in the position of being the nation’s only coroner in the new socialist regime (that prompted many of the educated class to leave) he’s been busy in the autopsy room. Quick background info: Siri was a surgeon on the battle-field looking to retire but the politburo thought that putting people back together again was no different than. . . taking them apart. Since he took the job (there was no point in correcting them on the various disciplines of medicine), he’s been busy, solving cases that would sometimes involve people in powerful positions of government and security.
Throughout this series there’s been some mockery at the expense of the new socialist regime implementing its policies. Their foibles and ideology is narrated in a humorous, sarcastic tone. As I mentioned earlier, this entry is darker and more sinister because our protagonist finds himself face to face with evil and accused of being a subversive and eventually locked up and tortured. His experiences are intertwined with the thread of the murder investigation. The trip to Cambodia is what changes Siri. While there he’s told of the atrocities of humanity and death of the killing fields.
This setting is fertile ground for revisiting historically significant events. Hồ Chí Minh, the Khmer Rouge and the persecution of the Hmong people are just a few of the names or events that have been mentioned or had an integral part in the series. The Lao people/culture have a strong belief in spirits and rituals. The protagonist of the series is the host of a thousand year old shaman with the ability to speak and see ghosts. It’s done in such a seamless way as to not be distracting or come off as silly or intrusive.
The motive for most of the crimes in here are similar to all other crime fiction: revenge. What contrasts this series from others are several things: 1) the writing and the politics in here is quite dense. It’s almost as if you have to have an awareness and interest in politics but he does a good job of explaining things not to leave you behind 2) this amateur sleuth is a very active, stubborn, compassionate seventy year old man 3) the author’s ability to create realistic characters is impressive as well as the dialogue. 4) the plotting is well done as well as the pacing. I can’t say that I’ve ever been bored reading these books.
There’s personal developments in the lives of all our characters especially for Inspector Phosy, who comes off as a man who is very stoic. He has some emotional baggage. I find him intriguing as well as mysterious. To say more about the personal lives of the other characters is to spoil the books for those who are still reading this series or who haven’t even started. So, I will only say that the characters in the series continue to grow and change.
The denouement of this book did take me by surprise regarding the crime of the three women and I thought the red herrings were all well done. It’s typical of the author to have several threads going independently and he does a good job of closing loose ends. Must say that Dr. Siri’s trip to Cambodia was one of the most interesting parts of the novel. Dr. Siri and his companion were sent there with the Chinese delegation to “test the waters” while unaware that The Khmer Rouge (1975 to 1979) was in power.
You can just imagine the air of oppression and human destruction going on while other parts of the world are oblivious. The best thing about reading books is that you get to travel to these different places of the world without leaving the seat of your chair. This was a trip I wouldn’t want to repeat in my reading though. Your imagination can conjure up so much more than what’s written on the page and curiosity always get the better of me so I spent a lot of time looking stuff up.
Having read all the books in the series (or caught up at least till the next one is out) my favorite would still be the first book, The Coroner’s Lunch. Surprise, surprise. Why? Well, the first three books actually had more interesting cases and were more politically suspenseful to me. My grade/impression of Love Songs From A Shallow Grave is that it is very dark book and politically suspenseful and dense as well. Very compelling storyline but not my favorite in the series. Or should I say, I wouldn’t want to reread it again when compared to the other books in the series. Still, I’d recommend this series without reservations as it’s one of the best out there now. B+.
Source: I bought this book
Other notable reviews of this book on the net: Eurocrime
Cotterill is great. I look forward to reading this book.
Very nice review. I loved the Coroner’s Lunch but found the next couple less appealing, not sure why, maybe the mystical elements? I have not read beyond #3 but perhaps I should. I do like the characters of Siri and his little band of friends. Perhaps the plots just got a bit too bizarre and convoluted? Must try again.
The mystical elements seems to have decreased significantly after the third or fourth book. They are no longer apart of the plot like they were before. Siri may get a brief visit with a ghost but it’s in passing and barely a blip.