The Coroner's Lunch - (Laos)

As I am trying to read detective books set in foreign lands, it seemed natural that I would get around

Started: June 26, 2018

Finished: June 30, 2018

Setting: Laos 

Pages: 287 (epub)

Publication Date: April 7, 2015

to reading a book by Colin Cotterill, with his main character being Dr. Siri Paiboun living in Laos.  Siri is a wise-cracking coroner who happens to have mystical powers which enable him to talk to dead people. And it's this talent that helps him solve crimes perpetrated by the living. It's pretty good premise for a detective series of books. Unfortunately, I'm not sure I liked it as well as the numerous other readers on Goodreads. While I appreciated the humor in the book, at times I though the story lines were too complicated and as a result I got lost. I did appreciate the way the author wove in tidbits of history regarding Laos, Vietnam and American activity in that area during the 1960-1970s. And he did it in such a way that I realized I was learning without feeling like I was being taught.

But, at times I felt too lost in the book and where it was going. There is chapter or two where Dr. Siri is visiting a Hmong village, and while I found that interesting, it was too filled with the mysticism that seems to be central to Dr. Siri's character, and (unfortunately) I floundered there. I appreciate that he exposed me to elements of that part of Asia which I would otherwise never know about about, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Not sure that I would read another in his series, but if I did, it might been of the later books, if only to see how Siri has developed as a character, and how Cotterill has developed as a writer.

Kirkus review

The Good Son (South Korea)

I think I first learned of this book from a crime book blog I recently started following - Crime By The Book. What attracted me to reading the book was probably the fact that it was a translation of a book originally written in Korean. There are tons of translated crime books from Nordic writers (Jo Nesbo and Yrsa Sigurdardottir, to name two) but I had never run across a book from a South Korean author and a female to boot. The author, You-jeoung Jeong has been described as a South Korea's version of Stephen King - high praise indeed. So while I am not by any stretch of the imagination a Stephen King expert, though I do recall reading many of his books in high school (Cujo, The Stand, It) I will do my best to provide by review.

Started: June 17, 2018

Finished: June 24, 2018

Setting: South Korea

Pages: 320 (epub)

Publication Date: May 3, 2018

The Good Son tells the story of You-jin, a 25-year old living with his mother in Seoul, South Korea. He wakes up one morning to discover his mother dead at the bottom of the stairs. She has been stabbed and her throat cut. You-jin has no recollection of what could have happened. He does not remember hearing any disturbances during the night. How could something this horrendous happen? And who did this? As the story unfolds we learn that You-jin has had a few "episodes" - seizures really, where he cannot recall blocks of time. Could this have happened here? And if so, what could have led up to this event?

Over the course of three days, in flashbacks we learn about You-jin, his family and events that unfold themselves in You-jin's mind and we start to have a better understanding of things. How there are two sides to every memory.

I originally gave this 3-stars in Goodreads, because I thought it better than "OK" but not "Great" as many reviewers have pegged it. But on reflection I start to wonder if my 3-star rating should not be upgraded to 4-star? I'm still not sure that it is worth a 5-star rating (at least for me) but as I reflect on the book and the ending, perhaps I have not been as generous with the rating as I should have been. I did like the ending, especially because I did not see it coming (I actually thought it would have another ending) and because it provided a great "twist." This may be one of those books that needs to sit with the reader a bit after you finish it in order to fully digest the story and how well the author was able to tell the story.

So, would I recommend this book? Yes, if for no other reason than the ability to read what many have labelled a psychological thriller from a talented female writer from South Korea. Would I be interested in reading more books from her? Definitely. OK - I think I just convinced my self to upgrade it to 4-stars.