Anarchy and Old Dogs

Anarchy and Old Dogs, by Colin Cotterill

Anarchy and Old Dogs is a great find for dedicated mystery readers. It is the fourth in Colin Cotterill's series featuring the exploits of a truly different detective character - Dr. Siri Paiboun, the sole coroner in the country of Laos. Paiboun is confronted with solving the mysterious death of a blind dentist, who was killed by a bus as he crossed the street. He was carrying a seemingly blank piece of mail he had just received at the local post office. After discovering an invisible code on the letter, Paiboun must find the true meaning of the coded message. Cotterill has placed his story in the Laos of 1977 and one of the book's true strengths is the skill with which Cotterill makes that setting come alive. Adding very colorful characters who are key to helping Paiboun solve this mystery is another delightful aspect of Cotterill's writing. Cotterill resides in Chiang Mai and, clearly, he has a terrifically effective ability to write very absorbingly of Laos and the surrounding area.
-Roy