I just read Slash and Burn by Colin Cotterill (along with a couple of other books.) A great read. He is an author I haven’t previously read, but the book is not a first novel for him. This is the eighth book in his Dr. Siri series.

The series is set in Laos in the late seventies. Dr. Siri is the official coroner for Laos. A job he never wanted. He’s pushing eighty and keeps trying to retire. I’ve never been to Laos, never wanted to go, and have no clue about the culture or the environment. Yet, I felt right at home there through Cotterill’s writing. He writes great descriptions of the place and of his crazy characters.

The interactions between the locals and a group of Americans on an MIA mission are thoroughly entertaining. The story has a wild plot and lots of good humor.

I always enjoy discovering a good author. Please forgive me if I don’t talk about books I don’t like. I couldn’t do any of them justice since I usually don’t read past the first few chapters. I do almost all of my reading at night for an hour or two or three when I go to bed. I finished Slash and Burn in two late nights.