Just when I thought Slash and Burn was the end of the Dr. Siri Paiboun series by Colin Cotterill, what do I see listed at Amazon? A brand new novel titled -The Woman Who Wouldn’t Die coming from Soho Crime Feb 2013. It’s only by chance that I saw it. The synopsis is below the break and yes there are spoilers. This is a long series so if you are still reading these books then you are bound to find out more than you care to know. Reading order for the entire series is here. The stories are all set in Laos in the late 1970′s under the newly formed socialist regime. I’ve read them all.
In a small Lao village, a very strange thing has happened. A woman was shot and killed in her bed during a burglary; she was given a funeral and everyone in the village saw her body burned. Then, three days later, she was back in her house as if she’d never been dead at all. But now she’s clairvoyant, and can speak to the dead. That’s why the long-dead brother of a Lao general has enlisted her to help his brother uncover his remains, which have been lost at the bottom of a river for many years.
Lao national coroner Dr. Siri Paiboun and his wife, Madame Daeng, are sent along to supervise the excavation. It could be a kind of relaxing vacation for them, maybe, except Siri is obsessed with the pretty undead medium’s special abilities, and Madame Daeng might be a little jealous. She doesn’t trust the woman for some reason─is her hunch right? What is the group really digging for at the bottom of this remote river on the Thai border? What war secrets are being covered up?
Related Posts: Books I’ve reviewed here
Slash and Burn
Love Songs From a Shallow Grave
The Merry Misogynist
Curse of the Pogo Stick
Anarchy and Old Dogs
Disco For the Departed
Thirty-Three Teeth
The Coroner’s Lunch
Keishon – Oh, I like this series! I haven’t kept up entirely with it but it’s good to know there will be another. Or not so good, considering my TBR….
Oh, my. This is the best news and a complete surprise. Thanks! More to look forward to in the cold, grey month of February.
I’ve not tried this series Keishon. Would you recommend it?
Yes, I do. I’ve read them all and didn’t tire of it. Must say though that the protagonist is 70 years old but very witty and wise. He’s also a shaman meaning he can see the dead and they speak to him. Usually it’s the ghosts of murdered people. The supernatural elements are really strong in the first three or four books but they kind of taper off a bit for the rest and are not as heavy handed. I usually cannot STAND supernatural stuff in books but this worked for me. I think all the books are excellently written, too. Colin Cotterill is a underrated writer. Hope you will give him a try.
I’ve just dowbloaded ‘The Coroner’s Lunch’ from Audible. I’ll looking forward to it.
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