Anarchy and Old Dogs

The Dr. Siri Investigations, Book 4

By: Colin Cotterill

Narrated by: Clive Chafer

An elderly man has been run down by a logging truck on the street in Vientiane just opposite the post office. His body is delivered to the morgue of Dr. Siri Paiboun, the official and only coroner of Laos. At the age of 73, Siri is too old to be in awe of the new communist bureaucrats for whom he now works. Before he can identify the corpse, he must decipher a letter in the man’s pocket—it is written in invisible ink and in code. He was a blind retired dentist, his widow explains, and the enigmatic letters and numbers describe chess moves, but they are unlike any chess symbols Siri has previously encountered. With the help of his old friend, Civilai, now a senior member of the Laos politburo; Nurse Dtui; Phosy, a police officer; and Auntie Bpoo, a transvestite fortune-teller, Siri must solve the mystery of the note to the blind dentist and foil a plot to overthrow the government of Laos.

Crack another case with Dr. Siri.©2007 Colin Cotterill (P)2011 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A series of terrifically beguiling detective novels…Whimsical, more personal stories that feature Siri and an equally memorable set of supporting characters…A wry, seasoned, offhand style that has been the secret weapon of this unexpectedly blithe and charming series." ( New York Times Book Review)

CSI: Vientiane, Laos

I used to have a crush on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation's Dr. Gil Grissom, so adeptly played by William Petersen. And Petersen as Will Graham in Michael Mann's "Manhunter" (1986)? Based on Thomas Harris' 1981 "Red Dragon" prequel to the book/film "The Silence of the Lambs" (1988/1991), Petersen as a fictional investigator is tenacious and cooly ironic.

Gil Grissom/William Petersen, I'm sorry. I will always admire your entomological wizardry - but my forensic adoration had been replaced with the 1977 version of Dr. Siri Paiboun, the 73 year old National Coroner of Laos. Dr. Siri's impossibly green eyes are a tell that he is the host of a millennia-old sprit - but only Buddhists "in the know" recognize the shaman Ya Ming in the Laotian National Coroner.

In Colin Cotterill's "Anarchy and Old Dogs" (2007), the resourceful Dr. Siri is faced with a puzzle Georges Simenon's Inspector Maigret would love. The question wasn't how an elderly man died: it was the result of a marriage of a poorly made Soviet truck with badly designed brakes, and a man blinded by cataracts who couldn't have seen it coming. Dr. Siri's question: who was the man, and why had he just picked up a blank "letter" sent from a town near the Thai border?

Dr. Siri's sardonic comments about communism and bureaucracy are a wonderful complement to the equally snarky repartee of his oldest friend, Comrade Civilai. Civilai and Dr. Siri are both founding members of the Pathet Lao. Civilai's adept maneuvering has gotten him party respect, a large house, and even access to a plane and pilot. Dr. Siri uses Civilai's privileges to solve the mystery, and to find romance.

I enjoyed the narration - as always, Clive Chafer's pronunciation of Lao, Hmong, and French words are an easy listen.

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5th Book I've

listened to in this series. I actually love the stories and how the narrator performs the dialogues BUT the narrator brings them all down from 5 to 4 stars because of his boring monotone reading when he's not doing speaking characters. I have such a hard time anchoring my attention to his voice that I can't appreciate the whole story. Such a shame.

Another funny and interesting story.

I really enjoy the characters in this book. The stories are fascinating and eye opening. I was very young when all this happened so I'm really learning. Clive Chafer does a great job performing these books. Colin Cotterill does a great and very entertaining job on these books. I am enjoying them immensely. Thank you.

I love this series

Mr. Cotterill writes in a way that draws you into the conversations, not just reading about them. Dry wit and entertaining plots. Reader Mr. Chafer wonderful as always.

When love comes calling

So far I am not tired if the good doctor and his associates. I was surprised about his BFF not living up to Dr. S expectations

Wonderful author and series! Great history lesson.

Colin Cotterill is a brilliant, compassionate and incredibly witty writer. He takes us on a physical and emotional journey through Laos with each book. I love Dr. Siri and crew. Clive Chafer's narration is spot on. And the Bruce Lee movie... 🤣

Always enjoyable

The series continues to be a lot of fun. The plot is rather beside the point - I just enjoy spending time with these characters and in this place and time.

spies and shaman/coroner

addictive-series, murder-investigation, humor, laos, spies, history-and-culture, historical-places-events, historical-fiction

A blind man traveling to get letters from a post box, an anarchist plot, more suspicious characters than usual, sneaky old friends, and spies in a refugee camp, all wrapped together with some gawdawful humor. The coroner and his friend hie off to investigate one death and find another that needs solving as well. The policeman and the nurse try to help and wind up investigating in a refugee camp in Thailand. Very twisty and with some insights into the conflicting attitudes toward old regimes and communism. And the coroner discovers that a former student is a very pleasant woman who he never really noticed when his wife was alive.
Clive Chafer continues to make the read easier and more enjoyable for those of us who need a bit of help in thinking some words in an unfamiliar language.

Each book just gets better

This series is one of the most clever and well written group of books I’ve ever read. It provides incredible insight into another culture and shows the inherent conflicts of all the characters.

One of the best series out there

If you like your mysteries down to earth, intelligent , and a whole lot of witty humor this series is for you. Colin Cotterill has quickly become one of my favorite authors.

Read the series in sequence for best results.