Colin Cotterill The Thirty-Three Teeth

The Thirty-Three Teeth

Colin Cotterill

Soho, Jul 2005, $24.00, 272 pp.

ISBN: 1569473889

In Vientiane five months have passed since septuagenarian medical Dr. Siri Paiboun was named by the two year old Communist government as the Lao Peoples' Democratic Republic national coroner, a job the widower did not want, but had to accept. His selection was based on two critical criteria; that he is too old to make waves and he is the only doctor left in the country as the Intelligentsia fled in 1975 when the Communists took control. Siri did not want to leave his beloved deceased wife behind in an unattended grave.

The communist bureaucrats underestimate their coroner who in spite of constant tutorials and harangues, tries to do the right thing. Currently, he and his team look at the murders of two males found near a bike. Dubbed Man A and Man B, the better dressed victim suffered from triplicate syndrome as his fingers are mauve colored, which means government. As he works the case, Siri is named the honorary consul to the spirit world and assigned with shamans to warn the spirits to get with the communist program or leave. He takes both situations seriously while the party hacks look over his shoulders.

The second Dr. Paiboun investigation is a fabulous look at late 1970s Laos at a time when the royal family lost their "kwun" enabling the Communists to send the monarch into a gardening career. The story line includes a solid mystery, but what makes this tale and its predecessor (see THE CORONER'S LUNCH) worth reading is the insight into the complex society focusing on a deep understanding of politics, religion and customs. Fans will appreciate this fine look at Communism with an influential Buddhist tradition.

Harriet Klausner