Dr Siri Paiboun, Laos' reluctant national coroner, confused psychic, and disheartened communist faces exploding corpses, kidnap, demonic possession and, obviously, a cursed pogo stick. Colin Cotteril

As usual, all is abnormal in Dr Siri Paiboun's morgue in downtown Vientiane: the doctor and his team are investigating the case of three women skewered by a sword through the heart. But as his birthd