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
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
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
bibliophilecats's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
This 13th installment of the Dr. Siri mysteries is again a showcase of Colin Cotterill’s easy yet engaging writing style and crafting of mysteries. I laughed at all the shenanigans with the movie screenplay and the whole courtroom section was really gripping. However, due to the nature of the topic - trafficking of animals with a side dish of child trafficking - I had to skim over a lot of paragraphs because I cannot stomach these types of stories. But I wanted to continue the series nonetheless. I was a little disappointed in the main antagonist (it felt like a neverending story) and was glad that it was finally resolved. And the message at the end was a little too heavy handed for my liking. Overall, a good mystery but not my favourite book in the series (The Merry Mysogynist remains the the worst, though).
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty and Animal death
the story is about trafficking of animals, with a little side story about trafficking of children and womanplantbirdwoman's review
3.0
I did not enjoy reading this book. It was not that the writing was bad; it was more than adequate, up to Colin Cotterill's usual standards. It was not that I didn't like the characters; Dr. Siri Paiboun and his merry band of disrupters in mid-1970s Laos are among my favorite characters in today's fiction and they were all present here, although Dr. Siri was much less prominent than he is in many of the books in the series. No, my problem with the book was its subject matter.
I don't have many rules about what I will or won't read. I tend to be pretty eclectic in my choice of reading materials. But there are a few things that I try to avoid, simply because reading about them is so painful for me. Chief among these subjects are the torture, murder, and trafficking of animals and children. It is such crimes that are at the heart of Don't Eat Me.
You can't say I wasn't forewarned. The prologue features a young woman locked in a crate with starving civets with predictable results. When all that is left of the woman - essentially her skeleton - is later found propped up next to a monument in Vientiane, that is the starting point of the mystery that Siri and his coterie must solve.
The investigation, commanded by the new head of police Inspector Phosy, leads rather quickly to discovery of a major operation of trafficking in exotic animals, animals that are brutalized in captivity, a large percentage of them ending up dead before they reach their supposed destinations. There's also a side operation in the trafficking of young children for the sex trade. They are treated no better than the animals.
Phosy, in his new job, has been hard at work trying to root out corruption in the police force. He's fired people, put some in prison, and is hiring new people whom he can trust (he hopes) as quickly as he can. Now he has this huge investigation to conduct with a force that is, at most, half reliable.
Of course, he also has his volunteer force, the Siriacs. They save the day, as they always do.
A parallel plot line has Siri and his old friend Civilai coming into possession of a modern movie camera, which neither knows how to operate, and planning to film a Laotian version of War and Peace, which will, of course, win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
I read this series for the humor and there are usually plenty of laughs or at least smiles and chuckles engendered by the plots. Not so much this time. Indeed, with such a serious main subject, the usual humor might have seemed a bit offputting. In a heartfelt afterword, the author offers more perspective on animal and human trafficking in Southeast Asia. It's a topic that he is obviously passionate about and is trying to do his bit to bring to the world's attention. I salute him for that. Still, I could not find this book as enjoyable a read as the Siri books usually are. Truth is, I rushed through it as fast as I could.
I don't have many rules about what I will or won't read. I tend to be pretty eclectic in my choice of reading materials. But there are a few things that I try to avoid, simply because reading about them is so painful for me. Chief among these subjects are the torture, murder, and trafficking of animals and children. It is such crimes that are at the heart of Don't Eat Me.
You can't say I wasn't forewarned. The prologue features a young woman locked in a crate with starving civets with predictable results. When all that is left of the woman - essentially her skeleton - is later found propped up next to a monument in Vientiane, that is the starting point of the mystery that Siri and his coterie must solve.
The investigation, commanded by the new head of police Inspector Phosy, leads rather quickly to discovery of a major operation of trafficking in exotic animals, animals that are brutalized in captivity, a large percentage of them ending up dead before they reach their supposed destinations. There's also a side operation in the trafficking of young children for the sex trade. They are treated no better than the animals.
Phosy, in his new job, has been hard at work trying to root out corruption in the police force. He's fired people, put some in prison, and is hiring new people whom he can trust (he hopes) as quickly as he can. Now he has this huge investigation to conduct with a force that is, at most, half reliable.
Of course, he also has his volunteer force, the Siriacs. They save the day, as they always do.
A parallel plot line has Siri and his old friend Civilai coming into possession of a modern movie camera, which neither knows how to operate, and planning to film a Laotian version of War and Peace, which will, of course, win the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival.
I read this series for the humor and there are usually plenty of laughs or at least smiles and chuckles engendered by the plots. Not so much this time. Indeed, with such a serious main subject, the usual humor might have seemed a bit offputting. In a heartfelt afterword, the author offers more perspective on animal and human trafficking in Southeast Asia. It's a topic that he is obviously passionate about and is trying to do his bit to bring to the world's attention. I salute him for that. Still, I could not find this book as enjoyable a read as the Siri books usually are. Truth is, I rushed through it as fast as I could.
kiwiknitter's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
tonstantweader's review against another edition
3.0
Don’t Eat Me opens with a harrowing scene, a woman going in and out of consciousness counting the eyes of the starving animals caged with her, waiting for her to weaken so they can devour her. Investigating her death, Chief Inspector Phosy discovers animal trafficking and judicial corruption. With the assistance of Dr. Siri and friends, her murder investigation brings them all into serious jeopardy, including a trial charging Inspector Phosy of corruption. It’s a complex, full plot with many twists and turns.
Don’t Eat Me is the thirteenth in the Dr. Siri series, one of my favorite mystery series of all time. I seldom go to book readings or author meet and greets. I went to listen to Tess Gerritson read from “Harvest” at Powell’s Books, but mainly because we were in an AOL book group together and she asked for moral support as it was her first book. Colin Cotterill is the first and only author I went to listen read purely because I am such a fan…and it was way out in Beaverton, too! This is just to let you know how much I love this series and love his books because sadly, this book was a disappointment.
So, for me, I enjoyed Don’t Eat Me but then, I was happy to catch up on what’s happening to these characters I have come to love. I loved catching up with Siri and Civilaii’s friendship, Phosy and Dtui’s marriage and their daughter Malee, Geung’s romance and of course, Daeng’s noodle shop. All the beloved characters were there and we got caught up over several meals at the noodle shop.
However, as I read this, I realized the book would be incoherent to anyone who had not read the rest of the series. So much of what happened is dependent on knowing the characters’ history and character. This was also one of the more unlikely of the Dr. Siri books, and yes, that includes the ones with ghosts helping to solve the mysteries. So, all I can say is if you love Dr. Siri you will like Don’t Eat Me. If you are new to Dr. Siri, read “The Coroner’s Lunch” and the rest of the series. They are a revelation of wit and humor and reveal a whole new world and worldview. They are wonderful and having read the other books, Don’t Eat Me will make perfect sense.
I also must say, I value Colin Cotterill’s commitment to justice for not just the people of Laos, but for animals. This book tackles the issue of animal and people trafficking. Colin Cotterill also is bringing books to Laos and funding a teacher training program.
Don’t Eat Me at Soho Press
Colin Cotterill author site
★★★
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2018/08/31/dont-eat-me-by-colin-cotterill/
Don’t Eat Me is the thirteenth in the Dr. Siri series, one of my favorite mystery series of all time. I seldom go to book readings or author meet and greets. I went to listen to Tess Gerritson read from “Harvest” at Powell’s Books, but mainly because we were in an AOL book group together and she asked for moral support as it was her first book. Colin Cotterill is the first and only author I went to listen read purely because I am such a fan…and it was way out in Beaverton, too! This is just to let you know how much I love this series and love his books because sadly, this book was a disappointment.
So, for me, I enjoyed Don’t Eat Me but then, I was happy to catch up on what’s happening to these characters I have come to love. I loved catching up with Siri and Civilaii’s friendship, Phosy and Dtui’s marriage and their daughter Malee, Geung’s romance and of course, Daeng’s noodle shop. All the beloved characters were there and we got caught up over several meals at the noodle shop.
However, as I read this, I realized the book would be incoherent to anyone who had not read the rest of the series. So much of what happened is dependent on knowing the characters’ history and character. This was also one of the more unlikely of the Dr. Siri books, and yes, that includes the ones with ghosts helping to solve the mysteries. So, all I can say is if you love Dr. Siri you will like Don’t Eat Me. If you are new to Dr. Siri, read “The Coroner’s Lunch” and the rest of the series. They are a revelation of wit and humor and reveal a whole new world and worldview. They are wonderful and having read the other books, Don’t Eat Me will make perfect sense.
I also must say, I value Colin Cotterill’s commitment to justice for not just the people of Laos, but for animals. This book tackles the issue of animal and people trafficking. Colin Cotterill also is bringing books to Laos and funding a teacher training program.
Don’t Eat Me at Soho Press
Colin Cotterill author site
★★★
https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2018/08/31/dont-eat-me-by-colin-cotterill/
cspiwak's review against another edition
4.0
Good entry in the series, featuring all the usual favorites. Can’t help feeling that cotterill keeps trying to shift the focus to phony and duties, but I still love the old folks. This one has a strong anti-zoo message. I volunteer on a zoo mobile and certainly object to the practices he describes .
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