Dr. Siri Paiboun Finally on Audio!

As someone who is charged with the responsibility for finding books for my mystery-hungry mother, I came across Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri Paiboun mysteries a few years ago. She loves them, and I thought they looked interesting, but they weren't available on audio, so I let them go. I was totally shocked, therefore, when I saw a few of the books pop up on the new audiobooks list on Library to Go. Of course, the wizened selectors at Library to Go only purchased books 1, 4, 5, 7, and 8 of the series – I think exploring that logic may be a whole other blog post. I had to use less appropriate means to secure the rest of the audiobooks and have now purchased the CD sets for my library. Thankfully, it was worth it!

Dr. Siri, (pronounced 'Silly') is the National Coroner for the People's Democratic Republic of Laos in the early 1970's, shortly after the communist revolution. Siri, who is in his 70's and had been hoping for a peaceful retirement where he could tend a garden and read, is appointed coroner despite the fact that he's never done an autopsy and has spent much of his medical career as a field doctor in the war. To say that he is reluctant would be an understatement. Siri is insubordinate and mocking of his superiors, and he would love nothing more than for them to fire him and leave him alone.

In Laos, a country that has no money, and a new and inexperienced government, the fact that Siri has been a paid member of the communist party for over 40 years makes him the ideal candidate in the eyes of those in power. Siri inherits a morgue with no chemicals for testing, little equipment or reference materials, a nurse who he initially believes is a 'bubble head' and spends her time reading Thai fan magazines (he is later proved wrong in dramatic fashion), and a morgue technician with Down's Syndrome, who knows more than both the doctor and the nurse about performing autopsies. Together the three make a very happy and loyal team.

In the first book, The Coroner's Lunch, Dr. Siri discovers the source of a lifetime of dreams where he routinely encounters the souls of the recently departed. Much to his alarm, he discovers he is the embodiment of a 1,000-year-old shaman spirit. Learning to use, rather than fight the dreams, Dr. Siri makes up for his lack of resources in the real world by solving mysteries using logic, a little luck, and a bit of help from the spirits.

These books, which I listened to back to back while mourning the fact that there are only eight of them, are read by actor Clive Chafer. Chafer's reading style is dry and initially I was a bit worried I'd want to kill him before 5 minutes were up, but his character voices are outstanding and very consistent, and the dry narration makes the wry humour even funnier. I laughed out loud more than once and will likely listen to the series again because I missed parts because I was laughing.

One of the nice things about listening to a story that takes place in a non-English speaking country, in this case Laos, is that someone else has already worked out the pronunciations for the difficult Lao, Vietnamese, and Thai place and character names. If I was reading the books my eyes would stop and the flow of the story would be interrupted as I tried to figure out how to pronounce the word. That jerkiness when reading makes it harder for me to get into or enjoy a series. In audio, all the hard work has been done for me!

Another interesting thing about these books is that they open up a world that I have had not yet experienced. Life in Asian countries like Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia during the tumultuous 1970's is portrayed from the point of view of the people who live there, and their struggles for independence, and the struggles that arise from their success, are captivating.

You can listen to samples of Chafer's reading by clicking on the titles below and choosing the sample on the page.

Listen Up!

The Coroner’s Lunch, (6.8 hrs), Blackstone Audio 2011, (book published in 2004)
Thirty-Three Teeth, (6.8 hrs), Blackstone Audio 2011, (book published in 2005)
Disco For the Departed, (6.8 hrs), Blackstone Audio 2011, (book published in 2006)
Anarchy and Old Dogs, (6.8 hrs), Blackstone Audio 2011, (book published in 2007)
Curse of the Pogo Stick, (5.6 hrs), Blackstone Audio 2011, (book published in 2008)
The Merry Misogynist, (6.8 hrs), Blackstone Audio 2011, (book published in 2009)
Love Songs from a Shallow Grave, (8 hrs), Blackstone Audio 2011, (book published in 2010)
Slash and Burn, (8 hrs), Blackstone Audio 2011 (book published in 2011)