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timinbc's review against another edition
4.0
Not one to start readng this series with, but good.
If you didn't already understand about the weird world Siri lives in, it could be overwhelming.
By the time we get to book 13 of a series, we need some new angles, and this has them.
Phosy gets into a deep hole, and of course this being a Siri book he gets out, but in a way that is believable in this noodle-driven place.
New in this book, I think: Siri can disappear? Geung can talk to animals?
Is Yeh Ming ever coming back?
This one makes interesting use of both Bpoo and Rajid, who were starting to feel a bit in the way but are now very much on the team again in their odd ways.
If you didn't already understand about the weird world Siri lives in, it could be overwhelming.
By the time we get to book 13 of a series, we need some new angles, and this has them.
Phosy gets into a deep hole, and of course this being a Siri book he gets out, but in a way that is believable in this noodle-driven place.
New in this book, I think: Siri can disappear? Geung can talk to animals?
Is Yeh Ming ever coming back?
This one makes interesting use of both Bpoo and Rajid, who were starting to feel a bit in the way but are now very much on the team again in their odd ways.
mellomorissa's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
unicorn_stampede's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
It was good for Phosy to get more of a headlining role for once, but I missed Siri and the others. They took a backseat in this one.
lavoiture's review against another edition
3.0
I love Dr. Siri and his friends. They are among my favorite of all characters of all time, so it's too bad that this instalment in the series was just too convoluted and complicated for me. Plus, too much Phosy and not nearly enough Siri.
elysahenegar's review
4.0
For very personal reasons, this will probably always be one of my favorites in the Dr Siri series. Geung and Tukta's relationship strikes a tender note for me, and I love where the plot takes it in this novel! Dr. Siri and Madam Daeng feature far less in this one by comparison with the others, but the usual colorful cast of characters (even the local villain), still takes center stage, and this time there's even an entertaining court case!
purlewe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
Don't Eat Me by Collin Cotterill. Dr Siri #13, Mystery. Dr. Siri and his old friend Civilai have snuck across the border to buy a movie camera. Their goal is to film a Laotian version of War and Peace. But neither of them know how to work the camera, and suddenly the Ministry of Culture wants to approve and make changes to their script! At the same time a young girl's skeleton is found, recently dead but the bones appear to be completely cleaned off by animals. Newly promoted Inspector Phosy and his wife work together to determine how she died. This takes them into so many other mysteries that all connect. TW for human trafficking (specifically children), and animal tracking and animal abuse (mild descriptions). At the end of the book Cotterill talks about how animal trafficking is actually much worse than it was in 80s Laos and recommends some books to read. I really enjoy these characters so much. So even with the shadowy underworld that was upsetting I still enjoyed this book.
hannahleoni's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sssnoo's review against another edition
4.0
The best Dr. Siri installment yet. Brilliant conclusion and the concluding pargraphs and context were perfection. This is one of the most original mystery series available and would be of interest to anyone with an adventurous, traveler’s spirit. I have learned so much about Laos, the culture, history and regional politics by reading this series and then following up on bits that intrigued me. It is just exceptional,
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
‘Life sped by in Vientiane like a Volkswagen van on blocks.’
Dr Siri Paiboun, the former national coroner of Laos, and his friend Civilai want to make a movie. They have a film camera, which they’ve managed to purchase and smuggle into the country, and they have a plan. But there are two problems: the first is learning how to operate the camera, the second is obtaining script approval from the Ministry of Culture.
‘Every elderly person deserved a period of insanity to combat the boredom of decay.’
But things suddenly get complicated (they always do in a Dr Siri novel). A woman’s skeleton is found in a public place: who put it there, and how did the woman die?
Inspector Phosy investigates. Nurse Dtui helps, and so does Dr Siri. They establish quickly that the woman’s death was comparatively recent, and it seems that small animals have been gnawing at her bones. Their search for more information leads them to uncover illegal animal trafficking and corruption.
‘We only blackmail you if we think you’re wandering off the path of righteousness and into the brambles of evil.’
Everyone gets involved: Madame Daeng, Mr Geung and his girlfriend, and many of those who frequent Madame Daeng’s noodle shop. Dr Siri infrequently (but annoyingly) vanishes when his spirits take over. It takes him a little while to understand the message(s) being delivered, but fortunately he gets there eventually. Just as well, because Inspector Phosy is charged with corruption and he needs all the help he can get.
This is the thirteenth instalment in the Dr Siri Paiboun series, and while I didn’t enjoy this one as much as most of the others, the series is worth reading (in order, because character development and backstory are important).
Mr Cotterill tackles the uncomfortable but important issues of animal and people trafficking in this novel. But the last word really belongs to Mr Geung:
‘… wish this day, is that we all stop comparing the size of our brains and learn to see the size of each other’s hearts.’ (Well said, Mr Geung!)
I now have the fourteenth book in the series to read.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Dr Siri Paiboun, the former national coroner of Laos, and his friend Civilai want to make a movie. They have a film camera, which they’ve managed to purchase and smuggle into the country, and they have a plan. But there are two problems: the first is learning how to operate the camera, the second is obtaining script approval from the Ministry of Culture.
‘Every elderly person deserved a period of insanity to combat the boredom of decay.’
But things suddenly get complicated (they always do in a Dr Siri novel). A woman’s skeleton is found in a public place: who put it there, and how did the woman die?
Inspector Phosy investigates. Nurse Dtui helps, and so does Dr Siri. They establish quickly that the woman’s death was comparatively recent, and it seems that small animals have been gnawing at her bones. Their search for more information leads them to uncover illegal animal trafficking and corruption.
‘We only blackmail you if we think you’re wandering off the path of righteousness and into the brambles of evil.’
Everyone gets involved: Madame Daeng, Mr Geung and his girlfriend, and many of those who frequent Madame Daeng’s noodle shop. Dr Siri infrequently (but annoyingly) vanishes when his spirits take over. It takes him a little while to understand the message(s) being delivered, but fortunately he gets there eventually. Just as well, because Inspector Phosy is charged with corruption and he needs all the help he can get.
This is the thirteenth instalment in the Dr Siri Paiboun series, and while I didn’t enjoy this one as much as most of the others, the series is worth reading (in order, because character development and backstory are important).
Mr Cotterill tackles the uncomfortable but important issues of animal and people trafficking in this novel. But the last word really belongs to Mr Geung:
‘… wish this day, is that we all stop comparing the size of our brains and learn to see the size of each other’s hearts.’ (Well said, Mr Geung!)
I now have the fourteenth book in the series to read.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith