A Life’s Work’s handling of the death of King Ananda Mahidol, Bhumibol’s elder brother, in 1946 is particularly distasteful. Officially, Ananda’s death was blamed on a communist conspiracy masterminded by Siam’s senior statesman, Pridi Banomyong, who was forced to flee the country and died in exile in 1983. It is understandable that this book would avoid confronting the true story, but it contains disgraceful innuendos reviving the discredited claim Pridi was responsible. On page 86 it states: