Fiction. Translated by Nirmal Rajagopalan. When intrepid young journalist Rajendran first arrives in Aayakudi to investigate a curious tip about a ghost, the place seems like an ordinary, traditional farming village. Enlisting the help of a police inspector and a retired Tamil teacher, he sets out to catch an escaped convict who's using local superstitions as a cover for criminal activity. Soon, though, Rajendran finds himself entangled in a head-spinning mystery involving ancient treasure, spirit possession, and a series of grisly killings. There's also the beautiful, troubled daughter of the village panchayat president... and the notorious evil sorcerer who wants her dead.
