Mystery in Laos

By the time the Communists took over Laos in the 1970s, most of the doctors in the country had already left. Among the few who remain is Siri Pailboun, who loves his country even if he has his doubts about Communism. Despite being in his 70s, he becomes the national coroner. This is the background of Colin Cotterill's series of mystery novels featuring Siri.

The second of these is Thirty-Three Teeth (2005), in which a series of deaths seem to have been caused by a bear. Or perhaps a tiger. Or perhaps a weretiger? Siri investigates.

The strange title — and strange titles are a Cotterill speciality, including Curse of the Pogo Stick and The Rat Catchers' Olympics — refers to Siri's discovery that unlike most people, he has 33 teeth. The Buddha supposedly had 33 teeth, and this is said to be a sign of a bridge to the spirit world. Siri's unusual powers occasionally show up in this and other novels in the series.

The novel's mystery, although leading to a breathless conclusion, tends to be less interesting than Cotterill's characters and the details he provides about Lao history and life under the Communists. For example, he tells us that Laos children are frequently given ugly nicknames "to ward off baby-hungry spirits." Siri's brilliant nurse, Chundee Chantavongheuan, is called Dtui, meaning Fatty. In her case, unfortunately, the nickname fits. It is Dtui's peril that brings Siri to the rescue and leads to that exciting climax.