Death by Effigy

A traditional Burmese puppetry troupe is more than meets the eye: these puppets hold living spirits. Disaster strikes on the eve of a performance for a royal wedding, when one of their puppets is murdered—his neck broken, his spirit gone. They cannot perform without him, but failure to perform could cost them their livelihoods, or worse, their lives. Aung, the troupe's elderly singer, must navigate the labyrinth of court intrigues to solve the mystery and appease the angry spirits: goals which might be at odds. Assisting him—or is that hindering?—is the troupe's enthusiastic but youngest puppet.