In the dangerous world of Southeast Asia’s illicit antiquities trade, a curator’s search for a missing colleague uncovers a decades-old conspiracy—and a stolen artifact that could unravel it all.

When art curator Sarah Burroughs glimpses a half-hidden Khmer sculpture in her mentor’s Bangkok apartment, she doesn’t yet realize she’s staring at Uma’s head, a stolen national treasure—and a clue to a dangerous secret. Across the border in Cambodia, fellow curator Sam Heng uncovers a shocking diary written at the start of the Khmer Rouge’s brutal reign—by the father he never knew. Soon after, Heng vanishes without a trace.

Thrust into the criminal underworld of antiquities trafficking, Sarah must join forces with a mysterious government official to find her missing colleague. What begins as a research trip for a museum exhibition spirals into a harrowing rescue mission through Bangkok, Phnom Penh, and Angkor’s ancient temples. Inspired by historical events, Uma’s Head is a gripping mystery that explores the depths of friendship and betrayal, the long and lasting effects of war, and the devastating looting of irreplaceable material heritage.