Advanced
Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.
Title details for The Rat Catchers' Olympics by Colin Cotterill - Available

The Rat Catchers' Olympics

#12 in series

by Colin Cotterill
Clive Chafer
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
1 of 1 copy available
1980: The Democratic People's Republic of Laos is proud to be competing in its first-ever Olympics. Of course, half the world is boycotting the Moscow Summer Olympic Games to protest Russia's recent invasion of Afghanistan, but that has made room for athletes from countries that are usually too small or underfunded to be competitive-countries like Laos. Ex-national coroner of Laos Dr. Siri Paiboun may be retired, but he and his wife, Madame Daeng, would do just about anything to have a chance to visit Moscow, so Siri finagles them the job of medical oversight for the Olympians. Most of the athletes are young and innocent village people who have never worn shoes, never mind imagined anything as marvelous as the Moscow Olympic Village. As the competition heats up, however, Siri begins to suspect that one of the athletes is not who he says he is. Fearing a conspiracy, Siri and his friends investigate, liaising in secret with Inspector Phosy back home in Laos to see if the man might be an assassin. But Siri's progress is derailed when another Lao Olympian is accused of murder. Now in the midst of a murky international incident, Dr. Siri must navigate not one but two paranoid and secretive government machines to make sure justice is done

  • Creators

  • Series

    Dr. Siri Paiboun

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    August 15, 2017

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781501957208
      • File size: 227703 KB
      • Duration: 07:54:22

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 12, 2017
      In Cotterill’s delightful 12th whodunit starring Dr. Siri Paiboun (after 2016’s I Shot the Buddha), Siri manages to become the medical officer for the 1980 Lao Olympic team, led by his best friend, Comrade Civilai. Of course, Siri’s wife, Madame Daeng, has to go, too. An old acquaintance of Civilai’s, Major Lien, is on the Lao shooting team, but Lien disappears between the photo-taking session at Vientiane’s Wattay Airport and the plane carrying the team to Moscow. Siri, Daeng, and Civilai wonder whether the person with a false name who replaces Lien on the team might be an assassin, and, if so, who in Moscow might be his target. Cotterill does a fine job of capturing the spectacle of the Olympic village and games along with the way that the Lao team enthusiastically participates despite being destined to lose every event. He performs marvelous narrative tricks, using red herrings, tangents of all sorts, and a surprise, bonus murder to keep readers guessing. A competition between rat catchers from Laos, Botswana, and Moscow is a highlight. This quirky mystery has heart and humor in equal measure.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      In this twelfth mystery featuring Laotian Doctor Siri Paiboun, narrator Clive Chafers performs his usual magic. This time, "Doctor Sili" (because the "r" sounds like an "l") is team physician for Laos's motley, hastily assembled athletes in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. When one of the athletes secretly replaces another, Dr. Siri and his colleagues set out to avert murder, while dodging Russian and Laotian security. As ever, Chafers's unhurried pace and pleasant, amused tone perfectly channel Dr. Siri's personality. His other portraits, including those of Laotian peasants, Russian officials, and the Laotian forest witch inside Dr. Siri, are subtle--sketches instead of oil paintings--and just right. May Cotterill and Chafers continue forever. A.C.S. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading