In Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, the killer demon Azazello has a wonderful talent. He can shoot someone in a named part of their heart - an auricle, say, or a ventricle. He puts a bullet hole through a marked spot on a seven of spades even though the card is covered by a pillow. His skill arouses Margarita, who has 'a passion for all people who do anything to perfection'.

Lee Goff's peculiar skill evokes the same delight and horror as that of the perfect assassin, though he is dealing with the effects of other people's murders, and not doing any killing himself (except of pigs and rabbits). It is a fine thing, rare in fiction and not so common even in non-fiction, to read an account of how an expert applies his talent. It is the nearest thing to magic in the real world, and not to be despised merely because Goff's skill lies in a place where people prefer not to look: where maggots feed on the flesh of dead people.

LRB 20 July 2000 | PDF Download