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| Plot Summary of The Coroner's Lunch |
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"In 1975 the Pathet Lao takes over Laos incorporating a communist bureaucracy centered from the capitol at Vientiane. Most of the country's intelligentsia fled but septuagenarian Paris trained physician Dr. Siri Paiboun remains behind expecting to gently retire. However, the new government names Siri state coroner. He deduces this was done because his superiors like Magistrate Haeng expect him to make no waves since he is the last breathing medical doctor still in country.
Though Comrade Haeng tortures Siri with his required “burden sharing tutorials” that questions the obvious, the doctor shockingly takes his job seriously seeking the truth even when the brass wants heart attack as cause of death regardless of reality. He upsets the party with his inquires into the death of Comrade Kham's wife which Haeng claims was due to food poisoning. Siri further upsets the communist balance with his deeper look at the accidental deaths of three men who show signs of torture. As Haeng harangues, Siri sets things right.
The story line provides a deep look at Laos as the Communist Party comes to power while Siri applys logic to solve cases that his superior wants buried. His wry comments and asides satirizes his plight as a not so indoctrinated Communist who joined the party five decades ago because of how a woman who became his wife breathed."
Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of The Coroner's Lunch |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Book
descript. of violence and chases - 10%
Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 40%
How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10%
Tone of story
- very humorous
Time/era of story:
- present (2000-2010)
Kind of investigator
- skilled citizen investigator
Kid or adult book?
- Adult or Young Adult Book
Any non-mystery subplot?
- politics
Crime Thriller
Yes
Murder Mystery (killer unknown)
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Male
Profession/status:
- doctor
Age:
- 60's-90's
How much violence does he/she use?
- none
How sensitive is this character?
- middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- government investigator
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- a moderate amount
Motive of antagonist
- power
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Setting
Asia/Pacific
Yes
Asian country:
- Southeast Asia
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
How many deaths?
- 0 (not a murder mystery)
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Click here for more information about this book
Colin Cotterill Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Harriet Klausner
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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