The Delightful Life of a Suicide Pilot

The fifteenth (and final?) Dr. Siri Paiboun Mystery set in 1980s Laos.

Laos, 1981: When a postal carrier drops off a strange diary from the 1930s and '40s, Dr. Siri is intrigued. Frankly, he could use a distraction from the dull days of his wife's noodle shop and the recent death of a close friend. He decides to read the journal cover to cover, often out loud--to the complaints and grumblings of those around him. Though the journal was apparently written by a kamikaze pilot, it is surprisingly dull. Twenty pages in, no one has even died, and the pilot never seems to mention any combat or encounter any conflicts at all. Plus, half of the journal is written in Japanese. Despite these shortcomings, Siri begins to obsess over the outcome of the kamikaze pilot . . . and the riddle of why the journal ended up in his hands. Meanwhile, Inspector Phosy is busy with a high-stakes investigation. The son of one of the richest men in Vietnam has died under suspicious circumstances while vacationing in Laos.

Did the wealthy heir really fall from a ledge as suspected? Did the kamikaze pilot ever manage to get off the ground? We'll find out in what is--quite possibly--the final Dr. Siri investigation. (Or is it?)