Dr. Siri Paiboun, the 73 year old national coroner of Laos once again finds himself dealing with odd situations and people. While on his way back from a national conference with his boss, Judge Haeng, they are ambushed and Siri is taken prisoner by seven Hmong women. Siri, who is the "vessel" for the spirit of the dead shaman Yeh Ming is captured because the Hmong villagers want him to perform an exorcism. The chief's daughter is possessed by a demon and pregnant with the demon's child all because of the curse of the pogo stick kept on a sacred altar. Judge Haeng, who ran away from the ambush spends days wandering in the woods before being found by the villagers, bruised, dehydrated, and confused. Meanwhile, back at the morgue, Siri's assistant, Nurse Dtui and her husband, Police Officer Phosy, along with Siri's fiancee Madam Daeng, owner of the best noodle shop in town, are investigating a booby trapped body. The "Lizard," an elderly Royalist assassin, has targeted Dtui and Phosy for foiling plot to overthrow the communists detailed in the previous book Anarchy and Old Dogs. In the process, government auditors become the unintended victim when poisoned cashew cakes are delivered to the morgue. Morgue assistant Geung gives the cakes to the auditor because "Cashew cakes make me fart!" Of course, all ends well and Dr. Siri and Madam Daeng become husband and wife. While the plots in this series aren't anything special, Cotterill's characters make these stories fun and engaging.
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