Series ✦ Penny’s Take
The Coroner's Lunch
Colin Cotterill · 2004
88/100
👍 Worth It
A genuinely delightful debut — Dr. Siri is one of the most charming protagonists in modern crime fiction, a 72-year-old reluctant coroner navigating post-revolution Laos with dry wit, ghost dreams, and a refusal to be intimidated. Cotterill earns the Barry Award nomination; this is the rare series opener that makes you want to immediately pick up the next one.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
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Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
safety75
substance88
craft90
originality92
accuracy88
hype80
age-fit78
human-eye90
Penny’s verdict88
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