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The sudden and mysterious death of King Ananda Mahidol of Thailand in 1946 has been the subject of much speculation, and because of the Thai laws most books on the subject have been banned. Now there is a new book, which is probably already banned in Thailand, called "Love and Death of King Ananda Mahidol of Thailand" by Pavin Chachavalpongpun and published by Palgrave Macmillan.

In 1946 the official explanation of the young king's death was that he had been assassinated for political motives and three men were executed. In 1964 the South African writer, Rayne Kruger in "The Devil's Discus" used contemporary documents to suggest that he had either committed suicide or killed himself accidently. Kruger suggested that the king wanted to marry a Swiss national, which was forbidden.

Chachavalpongpun has extensively researched the subject and spoken to many relevant Thai people, and has produced an excellently researched and documented work that expands on Kruger's suggestions. He found the family of the lady in question and suggests that the relationship was very serious but both families were against a marriage.

Chachavalpongpun suggests that determination to go against the rules and marry a foreign national might have been motive for murder to protect the integrity of the Thai monarchy, but equally fighting two families over marrying the woman he loved might have been sufficient for him to have committed suicide. Either way, this books produces lots of new information about the mysterious events that followed the sudden death of the promising young king.