Having been hooked on the Siri Paiboun series since reading "Disco for the Departed", it's a pleasure to follow these quirky characters and the unique murders they solve in the late 70's/early 80's in the Lao PDR. Disappointed that Siri, his wife Daeng, and Civilai were (again) were written as supporting characters (paving the groundwork to hand the baton to Inspector Phosy and Nurse Dtui). The message that animal trafficking victims deserve the same compassion as their human counterparts got a bit preachy at the end, but overall was one well made. The trial was long-winded, and I've a hard time believing that high-ranking bureaucrats would be flexible to consider evidence against one of their own . In spite of this, it was an enjoyable read, and am already looking forward to the next book in this series.