The Coroner's Lunch (Dr. Siri Paiboun #1 of 15) [B1382]

2015 PB in nice clean condition. Laos, 1978: Dr. Siri Paiboun, a 72-year-old medical doctor, has unwillingly been appointed the national coroner of the new socialist Laos. His lab is underfunded, his boss is incompetent, and his support staff is quirky, to say the least. But Siri's sense of humor gets him through his often frustrating days. When the body of the wife of a prominent politician comes through his morgue, Siri has reason to suspect the woman has been murdered. To get to the truth, Siri and his team face government secrets, spying neighbors, victim hauntings, Hmong shamans, botched romances, and other deadly dangers. Somehow, Siri must figure out a way to balance the will of the party and the will of the dead.

From recent-ish Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "Such a wonderful story. Beautifully written and so evocative of the place. Some great humor too! I plan to buy more of his work."; "I quickly became engrossed in the story because of the gentle humor and cutting insights spoken by Dr. Siri, the main character. He is old and has an old man's clarity when describing politics and people. Set in 1970s Laos, the story unfolded in a country and culture that are unknown to me, but the novelty drew me in. Another enjoyable aspect of this mystery was the paranormal intrusions that helped Dr. Siri solve his cases. I look forward to reading more in this series."; "While the echoes of Brave New World and 1984 and corruption, etc are everywhere, this book is a fun and interesting read because of the charm of its characters who regularly engage in witty banter. There are enough good guys to warm the cockles of your heart and they are by no means simplistic - these are fully rounded, clever people who are making the best of things in very difficult circumstances. So it's a warm book set in a country we hear little about. Now on to the rest of the series."; "A fun mystery! I enjoyed reading this story. All of the characters were fun to get to know. It had action, adventure, suspense, and surprises throughout. There were even a few giggles or laughs within. This is the first book in a series, and I would like to continue with it."