 |
| Southeast Asia |
 |
| John Burdett |
"Witnessed by a throng of gaping spectators, a charismatic Marine sergeant is murdered under a Bangkok bridge inside a bolted-shut Mercedes Benz. Among the witnesses are the only two cops in the city not on the take, but within moments one is murdered and his partner, Sonchai Jitpleecheep—a devout Buddhist and the son of a Thai bar girl and a long-gone Vietnam War G.I.—is hell-bent on wreaking revenge. On a vigilante mission to capture his partner’s murderer, Sonchai is begrudgingly paired with a beautiful FBI agent named Jones and captures her heart in the process. In a city fueled by illicit drugs and infinite corruption, prostitution and priceless art, Sonchai’s quest for vengeance takes him into a world much more sinister than he could have ever imagined." I gave this 4 stars.
"This is the 2nd book in the Sonchai Jitpleecheep police series, set in Bangkok, Thailand. The first book, Bangkok 8 was excellent and this follow-up was just as good. The story is a rambling mystery, starting off with the discovery of the body of a CIA agent, who has been mutilated. Sonchai and his boss, Colonel Vikorn, work to protect the prostitute who was with the body. The story wanders through the underworld of Thailand, with Sonchai meeting with CIA agents, Muslim 'terrorists', the Yakuza and many others as he tries to solve the murder. There were nice surprises throughout and the story and the characters and the locale are all so interesting. Well worth following Sonchai on his journey to solve this case. (4 stars)."
"Sonchai has seen just about everything on his beat in Bangkok's crime-riddled District 8. But the video he's sent anonymously is something else. What he watches is a snuff film, and the person he sees die is Damrong, a woman he once loved and whom he still dreams about."
The other books in this series are -
- The Godfather of Kathmandu (2010)
- Vulture Peak (2012)
- The Bangkok Asset (2015)
 |
| Colin Cotterill |
Since 2004, he has written 13 books in the Dr. Paiboun series and 4 in the Jimm Juree books.
a. Dr. Siri Paiboun (the only coroner in Laos)
"A new author for me and I'm glad I discovered him. The Coroner is Dr Siri Paiboun, the only coroner in Laos. He's a 72 year old doctor who was appointed the Coroner. He works under poor conditions, has a wonderful staff of two, Nurse Dtui and Mr Geung. Their relationship is affectionate and humourous. The cast of characters are wonderful and Dr Siri is a wonderfully drawn personality, smart, individualistic, curmudgeonly and with a lovely sense of humour.
The story is well-crafted, many twists and turns as Siri tries to solve the cases he has been given. There is political intrigue and even a very spiritual aspect. It's a story that draws you in from the very first page and there will be many surprises. In some ways it reminds me of the first Number One Ladies' Detective Agency book, different, fascinating and with humour and love and mystery all mixed together. I highly recommend and know that I'll be reading more of the series. Loved it! (5 stars)"
"I've only read the first two books in this series, which features Dr. Siri Paiboun, the national coroner of Laos and the mysteries he becomes involved with. I like his co-workers, Dtui, his irrepressible Nurse, and Mr. Geung, his mentally challenge lab assistant. I enjoy the humour and the mystical aspects; Siri is possessed by the spirit of an old shaman, Yeh Ming, and he is often visited by the spirits of the victims of crimes he is investigating.
This story involves murders of women by what seems to be a bear. Another case causes Siri to go to the North, leaving Dtui to continue the investigation, with a potential danger to her life. The investigation is so interesting to be part of and the characters are wonderful. Excellent series so far. (4 stars)"
The third book is Disco for the Departed (2006). I have #'s 4 and 5 on my book shelf but will hold off on them until I find a copy of #3. But let's highlight them anyway.
"A blind retired dentist has been run down by a logging truck on the street in Vientiane just opposite the post office. His body is duly delivered to the morgue of Dr. Siri Paiboun, the official and only coroner of Laos. At the age of seventy-three, Dr. Siri is too old to be in awe of the new Communist bureaucrats for whom he now works. He identifies the corpse, helped by the letter in the man’s pocket. But first he must decipher it; it is written in code and invisible ink. The dentist’s widow explains that 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, and of Nurse Dtui (“Fatty”), Phosy, a police officer, and Aunt Bpoo, a transvestite fortune-teller, Dr. Siri solves the mystery of the note to the blind dentist and foils a plot to overthrow the government of Laos."
"A pogo stick brings a curse down upon a Hmong village . . .
Laos, 1977. Dr. Siri Paiboun, the spry seventy-three-year-old reluctant national coroner of Laos, is on his way back from a Communist party meeting when he is ambushed on a jungle trail and kidnapped by seven female Hmong villagers. His only route to freedom is to exorcise the village of its demon—a task he has no idea how to accomplish—and in doing so he brings to pass the prediction of Auntie Bpoo, a transvestite fortune teller. Meanwhile, back in Vientiane, Nurse Dtui and Dr. Siri’s fiancĂ©e are on their own to track down the assassin who is intent on wiping out the mortuary staff.
Exploding corpses, zombie muggers, and a geriatric gun fight—just another day at the Laos national morgue."
b. Jimm Juree. Jimm Juree is a crime reporter who has moved from Bangkok with her family to help run a run-down motel. Fighting boredom, she gets involved in murders and other crimes. I've read the first book in this one so far and have the next on my bookshelf.
"Killed at the Whim of a Hat is the 1st book in Colin Cotterill's Jimm Juree mystery series. I was introduced to his books with The Coroner's Lunch, the first book in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series. I've enjoyed the first two books in that series very much.
Jimm Juree is a female reporter in Thailand who lives with her quirky family. Her mother announces that she has sold their house and bought a hotel in the south of the country. Her brother and grandfather accompany her and her sister decides to stay in the big city.
It seems on the surface to be a dysfunctional family but we see how they interact and come together as the story progresses. Bored with life at their less than successful hotel and with the seemingly backwardness of the community, Jimm finds herself getting involved with the investigation of two unrelated murders / deaths. First a VW van is discovered buried in the soil of a farm with two bodies in it. It's been there for a long time. At the same time, a monk is found murdered at a local monastery.
The investigation itself is somewhat convoluted but as the story moves along, there are interesting twists and turns and the ultimate resolution is different and surprising.
What is most entertaining is the interactions between Jimm and her other family members. All are interesting; from her mother who seems to be getting a bit senile and hunts for the killer of their dog, to her weight lifting brother, to her sister/ brother who is a computer genius and helps with the case and to her grandfather, an ex traffic cop who displays unique insight. We also meet local characters who flesh out and enrich the story. I wasn't sure I was enjoying the book at first but as it moved along and I got into it, I found it entertaining and quite different from the other series. Cotterill hasn't disappointed yet. (4 stars)"
"In rural Thailand, former crime reporter Jimm Juree must grapple with her quirky family, a mysterious mother and daughter on the lam and the small matter of a head on the beach. When Jimm Juree's mother sold the family house and invested in a rundown 'holiday camp' at the southern end of Thailand on the Gulf of Siam, the family had little choice but to follow. Jimm Juree, who was well on her way to achieving her goal of becoming the primary crime reporter for the major daily newspaper in Chiang Mai, is less than thrilled to have lost her job as a reporter and to be stuck in the middle of nowhere where little of interest happens. So it is with mixed feelings that she greets the news that a head has washed up on the beach. It's tragic, of course, but this could be the sort of sensational murder that would get her a byline in a major daily and keep her toehold on her journalism career. Now all she has to do is find out who was murdered, and why."
The other two books in this series are -
- The Axe Factor (2014)
- The Amok Runners (2016)
So there you go, mysteries from Southeast Asia. All are excellent.
In my last entry featuring mysteries of Asia I'll focus on authors centering their novels in Russia. Something for you to look forward to. :0) Enjoy your week.
No comments:
Post a Comment