The Second Biggest Nothing is another strong entry in a series that satisfies on so many levels. First and foremost, Cotterill has created one of the best casts of characters in crime fiction. He also gives readers a true sense of what life was like in Communist Laos in the 1970s and 80s-- including just a touch of the mysticism that is a part of the culture. He's also a dab hand at creating intriguing mysteries, and he certainly knows how to make us think, make us empathize, and make us laugh.

There are some very nice twists and turns in the plot of The Second Biggest Nothing. I'd narrowed down the incident at the heart of the death threat against Siri and his loved ones, but my deductive powers failed me at the very end. That's always fun for someone who reads as many mysteries as I do.

But no matter how good the mysteries and the evocation of a time and place are in this series--and this book-- the beating heart of it all is found in that marvelous cast of characters. Cotterill shows us that Communists are pretty much just like us, which is probably something not everyone wants to read (but should). This latest book in the series gives longtime fans a special treat by letting us visit with Siri and Civilai when they are young men in Paris. It's always good to be able to learn some of the backstories in an older character's life.

However-- no matter how good the stories are (and they are)-- it's what Cotterill has to say through his characters that means the most to me. Through the years, Siri and his wife Daeng have created their own tribe, their own family. This family contains doctors, police officers, nurses, politicians, and restauranteurs, but it also has members with psychiatric problems, others with Down syndrome, etc. The philosophy of Siri and Daeng's tribe is that everyone has value and should be treated accordingly. Seeing all these characters live, work, investigate, and laugh together is wonderful.

By all means, read this series. Read it for the mysteries. Read it for the characters. But read it to absorb what it has to say about the human race.

See what I mean about Cotterill's books satisfying on so many levels? ( )

The Second Biggest Nothing is the fourteenth book in the Dr. Siri Paiboun series featuring a Laotian coroner. In this outing, Siri is the target of a revenge plot. He receives a threat, tied to his dog’s tail, in English, which he can’t read, so there is a delay before he reads it. The writer threatens to kill those Siri holds dear before killing Siri.

There is a gathering of journalists to honor the five years of the Laotian government’s existence which Siri calls the second biggest nothing and Siri assumes that the killer might be among them. It becomes even more likely when two journalists are killed in an accident Siri is certain is murder.

Further investigation leads to more than one natural death is actually a murder cleverly managed by this unknown revenge-seeker and Siri and his wife seem rather recklessly insouciant.

I will always remember the thrill of reading “The Coroner’s Lunch.” I had never read anything like it. As the series progresses, the role of magic and spirits became more and more important. The stories became increasingly madcap and comic. Still, the deep moral force that Dr. Siri embodies has always been a strong component. This time, we see that in his stories of the past. Now, though I think he seems, if not tired of life, fully ready for death. I know I would feel much more alarm at the threats than he did.

Sometimes series get tired and become more and more reworking the character’s quirks than presenting a mystery. This release treads on that line. I am not giving up on Dr. Siri, not yet, but I can see the wear and tear starting to show.

The Second Biggest Nothing will be released August 20th. I received an e-galley from the publisher through Edelweiss.

The Second Biggest Nothing
Colin Cotterill author site
“Don’t Eat Me” by Colin Cotterill review

https://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpress.com/2019/08/08/9781641290616/ ( )