A blind retired dentist has been run down by a logging truck on the street in Vientiane and his body is duly delivered to the morgue of Dr. Siri Paiboun, the official and only coroner of Laos. He identifies the corpse and with the help of his old friend, Civilai, now a senior member of the Laos politburo; Nurse Dtui ("Fatty"); Phosy, a police officer; and Aunt Bpoo, a transvestite fortune-teller, Dr. Siri solves the mystery of the note and discovers a plot to overthrow the government of Laos.
While Civilai and Siri head to the source of the note in the south, Dtui and Phosy allow themselves to be transported to a refugee camp in Thailand. None of them know who's to be trusted so the country's future rests firmly in their hands.
"A hero unlike any other." -- The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Magically sublime." -- Entertainment Weekly
Visit Colin Cotterill's website at http://www.colincotterill.com/
