The Coroner's Lunch by Colin Cotterill

Dr. Siri is the chief coroner in mid-1970's communist Laos. At 72, he's given the job in Vientiane because most educated people have left the country. Siri tries to perform his tasks with outdated equipment under the watchful eye of party leaders, but he has two indispensible employees, Nurse Dtui and Mr Geung, who has down's syndrome. In this mystery, Siri's cases range from Mrs Nitnoy (the wife of the powerful Comrade Kham) to three Vietnamese men whose deaths might cause political problems between Laos and Vietnam. In addition, the novel is full of descriptions of the hardships regularly faced by Laotians at the time. That said, Siri is a main character who can find humor in even the grimmest situations.