Its a perfect book for what it is - a mystery book with interesting characters, an interesting crime, and fairly easy to read. Ladarat Patalung is a great character, she takes great pride in her role as Nurse Ethicist at a hospital in Chiang Mai and applies to her entire life. When she gets involved in a murder, she applies her ethics to her new role of detective.

While I liked the setting, I found the explanations of the different foods and aspects of Thai culture a bit overdone. This is a book written by a man in the US, for a US audience. While I enjoyed learning about Thai culture, it took away from the story.

As for the ending, it is exactly what you expected, no surprises, and everything gets wrapped up at the end. ( )

Decent, but overly long. 3/4 of the way in, I just skimmed to finish the book. ( )

This novel is a cozy mystery set in the northern Thai city of Chiang Mai. The protagonist, Ladarat, is the nurse ethicist at northern Thailand's best hospital. She is approached by a police detective (Wiriya) known for his honesty for help about a possible murder involving the hospital's emergency room. The author, David Casarett, is an American physician and medical school professor, who has spent a fair amount of time in Thailand working with Thai physicians and nurses.

I enjoyed this contemporary mystery; the setting is different and he offers some gentle humor along with several threads of story. Probably for those who enjoy light fiction with a touch of mystery. I have the second book in the series and I'm looking forward to getting to know Ladarat and Wiriya better. ( )

Olen lukenut paljon turhankin rajuja dekkareita, joten päätin tarttua välillä lempeämpään Kuolema kukko-onnen majatalossa. Tarinan henkilöt olivat sympaattisia ja viihdyin kirjan miljöössä. Kirjan on kirjoittanut amerikkalainen mies ja päähenkilö on thaimaalainen nainen, joka ajattelee kuin amerikkalainen ja myös tiedostaa sen. Tämä asetelma tuntui usein vähintään teennäiseltä. Tuntematta thaimaalaista kulttuuria en edes yritä analysoida ongelmaa perusteellisemmin. Päähenkilö tuntuu myös naivilta. Hän olettaa etsivänsä murhaajaa, joka muuten noudattaa lakia ja on rehellinen. Samalla kuitenkin ollaan maailmassa, jossa ihmiskauppa ja prostituutio ovat todellisuutta. Liian raakoihin dekkareihin kyllästyneelle Kuolema kukko-onnen majatalossa kuitenkin sopii. ( )

Casarett's first installment in the Ethical Chiang Mai Detective Agency Series drew me in from the beginning, and I'm already looking forward to reading the next book in the series. With believable characters, a real immersion in Thai culture/atmosphere, masterful writing, and a plot that pulled me in from the beginning, this book has a lot to offer. It does have the feel of a cozy despite the fact that it takes place in a large city -- so it was a bit lighter and easy-going than what I'd normally search out in mysteries, but it ended up being a nice change of pace. I will say that the subplot was a bit predictable, but considering all of the high notes this book struck and the intrigue of the primary plot, that seems like a small note.

On the whole, I'd absolutely recommend it, and I'll probably be buying a few copies as gifts for light mystery readers I know! ( )