Killed at the Whim of a Hat

Jimm Juree #1

by Colin Cotterill

When crime reporter Jimm Juree is forced to follow her family from Chiang Mai to a fishing village on the Gulf of Siam, she's convinced her career is over. Her journalism will surely dwindle to reports on the annual monsoon-induced floods, for what crimes could possibly happen in such an out-of-the-way place? A local palm oil plantation owner and his worker are excavating a well. They dig down six feet and hit metal. It turns out to be the roof of an old Volkswagen combi, which, once unearthed, is found to contain two skeletons - one of them wearing a hat. A monk is murdered in Lang Suan, the nearest town. There is apparently no motive for the killing and no suspects are found. But there are odd connections between this killing and several others. Suddenly Jimm's new life becomes somewhat more promising - and a great deal more dangerous.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Asia, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Humor

384 pages, Paperback

First published March 3, 2011

About the author

Colin Cotterill was born in London and trained as a teacher and set off on a world tour that didn't ever come to an end. He worked as a Physical Education instructor in Israel, a primary school teacher in Australia, a counselor for educationally handicapped adults in the US, and a university lecturer in Japan. But the greater part of his latter years has been spent in Southeast Asia. Colin has taught and trained teachers in Thailand and on the Burmese border. He spent several years in Laos, initially with UNESCO and wrote and produced a forty-programme language teaching series; English By Accident, for Thai national television.

Ten years ago, Colin became involved in child protection in the region and set up an NGO in Phuket which he ran for the first two years. After two more years of study in child abuse issues, and one more stint in Phuket, he moved on to ECPAT, an international organization combating child prostitution and pornography. He established their training program for caregivers.

All the while, Colin continued with his two other passions; cartooning and writing. He contributed regular columns for the Bangkok Post but had little time to write. It wasn't until his work with trafficked children that he found himself sufficiently stimulated to put together his first novel, The Night Bastard (Suk's Editions. 2000).

The reaction to that first attempt was so positive that Colin decided to take time off and write full-time. Since October 2001 he has written nine more novels. Two of these are child-protection based: Evil in the Land Without (Asia Books December 03), and Pool and Its Role in Asian Communism (Asia Books, Dec 05). These were followed by The Coroner’s Lunch (Soho Press. Dec 04), Thirty Three Teeth (Aug 05), Disco for the Departed (Aug 06), Anarchy and Old Dogs (Aug 07), and Curse of the Pogo Stick (Aug 08), The Merry Misogynist (Aug 09), Love Songs from a Shallow Grave (Aug 10) these last seven are set in Laos in the 1970’s.

On June 15, 2009 Colin Cotterill received the Crime Writers' Association Dagger in the Library award for being "the author of crime fiction whose work is currently giving the greatest enjoyment to library users".

When the Lao books gained in popularity, Cotterill set up a project to send books to Lao children and sponsor trainee teachers. The Books for Laos programme elicits support from fans of the books and is administered purely on a voluntary basis.

Since 1990, Colin has been a regular cartoonist for national publications. A Thai language translation of his cartoon scrapbook, Ethel and Joan Go to Phuket (Matichon May 04) and weekly social cartoons in the Nation newspaper, set him back onto the cartoon trail in 2004. On 4 April 2004, an illustrated bilingual column ‘cycle logical’ was launched in Matichon’s popular weekly news magazine. These have been published in book form.

Colin is married and lives in a fishing community on the Gulf of Siam with his wife, Kyoko, and ever-expanding pack of very annoying dogs.

Reviews

[carol. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been a fan of the Dr. Siri series by Cotterill, but gradually separated over his decision to incorporate more sensationalist killers into his historical Thailand tales, a take I strongly dislike in modern writing. I began this one hoping for a return to a gentler take, along with a peek into a more contemporary Thailand.

Jimm has left her job as a big-city reporter and has followed her family to rural Thailand> In a move reminescent of Jack and the Beanstalk, her mother sold their place in the city to finance the purchase of a decrepit beach resort and store. Jimm remains resentful: "I still hadn’t forgiven her for what she’d done to us and I’d planned a full year of social disobedience, but as always it occurred to me that my acidity didn’t get through her leaden mother casing."

Jimm's sister--biological brother--is the only one who has refused to make the move, choosing to remain in the city where she can more easily deploy her tech skills to separate the unwitting from their coin. Sissi will be called to help with at least one of the mysteries:

“Sissi?”
“Yeah?”
“I’ve got people dying down here.”
“Boredom?”
“No. Murder. Do you think you can help?”
“Bloody oath.”


Sissi may have become my favorite character, but alas, her appearances are few (but priceless!). More than once she made me laugh out loud.

“I tell you from experience, religious sites are so easy to hack I know monkeys that could get into their inner sanctums. They all believe they don’t need security ’cause they’re protected by a Higher firewall. So, it’s all an agnostic’s playground. You want me to leave any mystic symbols to screw their minds up?”


It ends up feeling sort of like a Harriet the Spy for adults, with the main character, Jimm, biking hither and fro through the countryside in pursuit of a newspaper story after a two dead bodies have been unearthed in a VW bus. Her pursuit of a story leads her to a partnership with Lieutenant Chompu. "The door was open and inside the room sat Constable Ma Yai and another officer with the stripes of a police lieutenant but the mannerisms of a fairy."

I paused here. Was I ready to continue? I don't think I have heard 'fairy' as an epithet since I was thirteen. But Jimm has been completely neutral about her trans sister, so perhaps this is a localism? We will see. The investigation into the bodies is sidelined when a local head monk is found dead. Could it be suicide?

I think it's the matter-of-fact commentary that kept me going, with delicious throw-away lines like:

As an almost award-winning journalist I had to remain impartial and talk to him as if he’d been born of human parents rather than eels."


I wasn't sure how I felt about this one, truly. The dual mysteries are moderately curious, almost bucolic, while the family's dysfunction provides a bitter but potentially hopeful note. I was unable to tell if the gender issues surrounding the identity of Jimm's sister and Chompu's sexuality are done culturally appropriately or were a more American imposition, which made me uncomfortable. Cultural imposition + -isms is not good, but was it? I don't know. Cotterill seems aware of this when Jimm notes: "I looked myself up in one of whose old 'Understanding Thailand' books for foreigners. Why was it, I wondered, that these books were always written by Western men, usually British, who professed to know us better than we knew ourselves?" I mean, if that wasn't a forth-wall breaking commentary, I don't know what is.

Eventually, the whole family plays a role in solving the dual puzzles of the buried strangers and the dead monk. The humor and tentative reconciliation that kept me interested. One of the eventual joys is how they eventually work out healthier ways of relating to each other. In this, it reminds me of Lisa Lutz's dysfunctional The Spellman Files.

On Stephen's scale of buy/borrow/skip, I think it is a solid 'borrow.' And yes, I'll head on to book 2, as I was able to pick it up for $2.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for book 1 in the engaging Jimm Juree series. I already read book 2 in this series Grandad, There's A Head On The Beach and enjoyed it. My library does not have this book 1 in the series and I had to get it on inter library loan.
There are eccentric characters in this book:
Jimm, an aspiring free lance journalist who wants to report on murders.
Arny, Jimm's brother, who is a huge man into weight lifting and looks intimidating, but is actually a gentle giant.
Mair, Jimm's mother. One quote by Mair: "It was Monday the seventeenth of June, 1978," Mair began. "The second time I lost my virginity."
Sissi, Jimm's transgender brother, now a woman and a computer expert.
Mair's father, a retired policeman.
Mair has upset the family by selling their house to a developer who is going top tear it down and build a condo. She has used the money to buy a resort hotel in Southern Thailand, far from their home in Chang Mai. It turns out to be a shabby, run down hotel that very few people stay at.
Jimm hears about a strange case. Two people have been found buried in a VW van by a farmer who was having a well dug on his farm.
Jimm decides that this is her chance to break into the big time. What follows is an engaging story that held my interest as another death takes place and Jimm investigates both cases.
I read this book in 3 days.

[Christmas Carol ꧁꧂ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5★

Our local library became sick of members vandalising books to record what they thought about the read, so they now stick a sheet of paper at the front of the book & members can put their mark there. Quite often they place one line reviews - especially if they hate the book! Yes, I know they could join Goodreads & record that way instead, but they don't.

I was sick, so my husband picked up my book list for me.

If I had been on my feet this and the tepid reviews from most of my friends might have made me put this particular book back on the shelf.

I was pretty unenthusiastic about The Coroner's Lunch but I found enough to like that I thought I might like a different series by Cotterill better.

Cotterill captured the slightly off kilter feeling I have had both times I was in Thailand and there were some genuinely funny lines. Sometimes the story was really interesting and sometimes I didn't have any trouble putting this book aside for days on end.

For most of the book I was enjoying it more than The Coroner's Lunch. But a terrible ending meant that only one of the mysteries was resolved. I felt disappointed to be honest.

I have not finished reading series by Vanda Symon, Rex Stout, Erle Stanley Gardner, Dorothy L. Sayers and Keigo Higashino Other than the latter, this authors have all been a bit uneven for me (yes,even Sayers!) but even their weakest offerings have been better than the mild liking I feel for Cotterill's writing.

[Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thailand where values are turned upside down



The plot...
"I can tell you that this was either an accident, murder or an act of nature.” The captain was not, however, prepared to rule out suicide. They always did that, Thai police. Cover all the bases. Shot four times in the face over a period of twenty minutes? Don’t rule out suicide. They’d recently found a head in a plastic bag suspended on a rope from a bridge in Bangkok and they hadn’t dismissed the possibility of suicide."

How to send email in rural Thailand...
In my bag I had the bulk of my report written at the scene. After lunch I would make a few phone calls, type it up on my laptop and send it off from the computer game shop. Being a Saturday I could be sure of a skirmish with the teenagers but I had my first real story in a year and a few bruised children was a small price to pay.

No queue at Post Office...
The concept of queuing, introduced to the rest of Thailand in the mid-1980s, has yet to make it to the Pak Nam P.O. Elderly ladies in floppy sun hats assume you're standing behind another customer because you're fascinated by the curvature of their shoulder blades. They smile at you, these old biddies, and step up to the counter in front of you. And they get served.

Jimm's crazy family...
I hadn’t seen Granddad this animated since the great diarrhea onslaught of 2005. I liked him like this – without the diarrhea, naturally.

The Plot thickens...
The newspaper reporter Ms Jimm Juree collects more clues of a killing than both the local and national police.
It's as though a giant jigsaw puzzle was slowly being completed before your very eyes.

Plus the bonus of George W Bush quotes....
“Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat.”—GEORGE W. BUSH, WASHINGTON, D.C., SEPTEMBER 17, 2004
(This quote was the basis for the story's title.)

“For a century and a half now, America and Japan have formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times.”—GEORGE W. BUSH, TOKYO, FEBRUARY 18, 2002
(Except for that misunderstanding between 1941 to 1945.)

“Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?”—GEORGE W. BUSH, FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA, JANUARY II, 2000
(I'm sure our children is learning)



One of the best Jimm Juree novels.

Enjoy!

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like many other GR readers, I was drawn into the Laotian world of Siri Paiboun and have stayed with that series for several enjoyable reads. So, it wasn’t a hard decision to cross the Mekong River with Cotterill into Thailand for a slightly different type of story involving Jimm Juree, a crime reporter “in exile” from the big city beat.

If you like the Dr. Siri stories you will like:
• The descriptions of customs and culture
• The “country mouse” vs. “city mouse” motif
• The humorous cynicism about the police and the government and religion
• The conflicts between the Thai people and the wealthy Chinese residents and tourists
You may not like:
• How weird Juree’s family is
• How impossible it is for the reader to guess the ending
• The fact that hardly any single character in the book appears “normal” by Western expectations

I enjoyed Cotterill’s journey into Thailand life and I am inclined to not judge it as harshly as some others have. I may also have been influenced by the delightful voices created by Jeany Park in the audiobook. 3.5*

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first of three full-length novels featuring crime reporter Jim Juree. There are also approximately a dozen novellas based on her love for crime investigation and reporting. She reluctantly moved from her work with a city newspaper in Chiangmai when her addled mother bought a run-down resort in a rural area of southern Thailand. The beach resort is in a state of neglect and with almost no customers. It is further neglected by Jim’s family. Jimm is very bored, having been accustomed to city life. Soon her spirits are lifted by several strange deaths which are a source of excitement for her.

Her family is eccentric which adds to the wit and humour of the book. Parts are hilarious aside from the unusual deaths which Jimm is diligently trying to solve. The crimes are very complicated, but that does not deter Jimm Juree. She works alongside her elderly grandfather who rarely speaks, an honest policeman, and her brother who is a competitive weight lifter but is often crying. She also has a reclusive transgendered sister who remained behind in the city, and who helps Jim’s detective work as she is a genius at computer hacking. The police are mostly corrupted by bribes. They like to keep all their options open. When finding a body dead under suspicious circumstances, they conclude it either murder, an accident, an act of nature, or suicide.

Although I enjoyed the hilarious parts, I found the criminal investigations slow-paced, disorganized, and confusing. The chapters are headed with garbled quotations attributed to George W. Bush which were collected by Jimm during one of her University courses. -“ Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against those hateful few who have no conscience, and kill at the whim of a hat.”

[Melki · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I can't exactly pinpoint why, this one was only an okay read for me. No bells and whistles went off, though dogs were rescued, so that made me smile. I doubt I'll continue with this series, though the next book - Grandad, There's A Head On The Beach - has to be one of the best titles ever.

[Richard Derus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Real Rating: 3.5* of five

The Publisher Says: A former crime reporter stuck in rural Thailand discovers a grizzly cold case in this "ebullient series kickoff" by the author of The Coroner's Lunch (Kirkus).

A former crime reporter with the Chiang Mai Daily Mail, Jimm Juree has moved with her eccentric family to a small fishing village on the Gulf of Siam. Stuck in this provincial backwater, she's convinced her days as a journalist are over—until a local palm oil farmer uncovers a long-buried Volkswagen on his property.

Two human skeletons, one wearing a hat, are found inside the van. Jimm is thrilled. Then a Buddhist monk is murdered at a nearby temple, and she finds herself facing a baffling and dangerous mystery. There are no suspects and no apparent motive—but plenty of odd connections to other brutal killings.

Suddenly, Jimm's new life is somewhat more promising and a lot more deadly. To unravel these inexplicable events, she'll need all of her skills, a lot of luck, and the help of her entire family.

I RECEIVED AN ARC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

My Review: Jimm Juree, female crime reporter/editrix in waiting, leaves heavily urban and crime-ridden Chiang Mai, Thailand (ideal for her chosen trade, eh?), when her scatty, pre-dementia-sufferer mother (called "Mair" which means Mama throughout the book) decides to sell the family home and family shop and buy a ghastly little hole-in-the-wall "resort" in Thailand's Deep South...with all the freight that phrase implies in English fully intact here. With Mair and Jimm go Arny, the youngest of the family, a cliff of muscle and a mass of insecurities, as well as Granddad Jah, father of Mair and forty-year veteran of the Thai police whose inability to take bribes stalled his career at the level of Corporal.

Gettin' the set-up here? Mass of misfits go to be, collectively, fish out of water on the hot, humid Gulf of Siam coast. And what happens? As soon as the family gets there, Jimm gets involved in a weird discovery: Two skeletons in an ancient VW Kombi discovered at the bottom of a well-pit. What gives? We follow Jimm as she makes friends (sort of) with the local constabulary in pursuit of information on the who, what, when, how, and why of this utterly strange killing...murder...accidental death...suicide...? Who knows? But the editor Jimm so wanted to replace as soon as he dies buys the story.

Yay, right? Well...then comes a grisly horrible scary murder of an abbot sent from Buddhist HQ to investigate the possible salacious goins-on of the local abbot and his resident nun. Turns out they knew each other well in former lives...and someone is sure they're doin' the nasty even now, many many years later. When the HQ abbot turns up hideously slain, there is a curious radio silence...no news leaks...but Jimm, being steps away from the crime scene, hears all and sees much. She, with help from flaming queen Lieutenant Chompu, Granddad Jah, and a selection of interviewees at varying levels of helpfulness and relevance, puts all the pieces together. The guilty are, well, guilty, and known to be so; the ending is a bit of a let-down on some points. But end it does, and no one can not know justice is meant to be served.

This book and I have A History. The first copy I got was *shudder* bug-infested *shudder*, and was summarily heaved into the trash for the crime. Then a dear and warm-hearted fellow reader took pity on me and sent me her copy of the ARC. Now how kind is that? And when does the book arrive? Just as I'm beginning a nasty nasty bout of flu. So was I willing to cut the beginning of the book, which contains some unpleasant slights to the transgendered community, any slack? Why no! I was not! And then we are treated to some snark, a little sarcasm, and heaps of condescenscion. Oh, my, were we on the way to a flame-fest! I had my own vituperative darts and righteous flaming arrows all lined up, I did. I was even ready to give up and just not review it, since I hate to be nasty to authors who have spent blood, sweat, and tears on creating something to amuse thee and me. Seems churlish somehow.

Then came p349. I won't tell you what happens there. Suffice to know that the whole reason I was reading the book, ill temper and all, snapped into focus for me. I was left a little hollow by that stuffing-knocking-out. I was so very glad I'd kept going. It made a lot of things that ticked me off fall into perspective. It could for you, too...but, in the end, it's the characters that will make or break this book for readers, not necessarily the mystery. In this way, the book merits comparison to Mma Ramotswe's adventures retailed by Alexander McCall Smith. The setting of rural Thailand is certainly fresh and new to my jaded American eyes!

So. To recommend or not to recommend? I choose recommend, with one strong caveat: Open up *first* or the experience of change might slip past you. I'd hate to know that was the case.

[Rob Kitchin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m a fan of Cotterill’s Dr Siri series set in Laos in the 1970s. Although the characters are all a bit eccentric, they are all believable, warm and sit together comfortably, and there is a lovely sense of place and time. Killed at the Whim of a Hat had none of those things. The characters are a ragbag of caricature and are largely one-dimensional. They seemed forced and false. Moreover, told in the first person, the voice of Jimm Juree just didn’t click for me. The real let down of the book, however, is the plot. Neither of the two plotlines are well resolved, though the two unearthed bodies was more plausible than the death of the abbot, which really made little sense and relied on coincidence and Juree having a sister with way more resources and skills than the police could ever dream of. Just about the whole storyline was nonsense and didn’t stand up to a casual read, let alone scrutiny. Cotterill is a skilled writer and he can write with great warmth and wit, this whole story, however, felt forced and flat. I’ll persist with the Dr Siri novels and will maybe return to this if reviews of future books suggests a return to form.

[Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cotterill, author of the unique Dr. Siri series set in Laos and beginning with The Coroner’s Lunch, writes a new series for us. This time he features a youngish Thai female reporter, scouring the southern countryside for crime stories to place in the national newspaper she had to leave behind. She has kept her distance from predatory men by declaring herself lesbian, but she is no such thing. In a country where sex and sex changes are advertised, declaring herself homosexual elicits from her family no more than a sigh of regret for the children she will not have.

Cotterill seems to be trying a little harder in this series to channel a young, hip newspaper reporter, but it does make this reader wonder again how he managed to create the incomparable Dr. Siri, who must have been at least as distant in age and background. Two mysteries intertwine in this first book of the new series and both are satisfactorily resolved in the end, though both are so unlikely that they are probably drawn from life. More importantly, Cotterill gives us a group of characters so rich, varied, and full of life that we long to see them again soon.

I listened to the audio of this book, produced by HighBridge audio and read by Jeany Park. Ms. Park’s over-the-top reading gives each of her characters distinctive voices, including one that sent me reaching back in time. If you’ve ever seen the television production of Brideshead Revisited, you will remember a character with an unforgettable speaking voice: Joseph Beattie played the flaming homosexual Anthony Blanche. Ms. Park manages to resurrect that voice for the gay policeman so completely, one is charmed. Add to that our main character’s transvestite sister, a mother with Alzheimer’s, a body-building brother, and a set of Buddhists. But my favorite character might still be the wily old granddad. He barely had a speaking part, yet managed to see around corners and several steps ahead on resolving a difficult case.

Cotterill has such a deep understanding of Southeast Asia that one is always interested to see which thread he will pick to weave his story. Whichever it is, each story is so infused with the life and culture of his subject country that one feels positively transported. I will always want to read what he comes up with next.

[Amy Corwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had no idea what to expect when I got this book. I'd never read any of Cotterill's books before, but I'm glad I got this one. It was a load of fun.

First point, though, I was torn about the mystery aspect because that part was almost a subplot. First and foremost this is a hilarious story about crime-reporter Jimm Juree and her completely insane family. Out of a family consisting of her whacky mother, her glum grandfather, a brother-turned-beauty-queen, and another brother who is a body builder, Jimm is the "normal" one. Or at least the one with the most marbles.

So...the first chapter starts out with the discovery of a van with the two dead bodies of a pair of hippies inside.

But then we move to Jimm, who is clinging to a crime reporter job in Chiang Mai (northern Thailand). Her mother, in a fit of something-not-quite-sensible, decides to buy a ramshackle hotel at Chumphon (a beach resort area across the Gulf of Thailand from Vietnam) and Jimm is forced to go "freelance" assuming she can find some crimes to write about in Chumphon when she's not acting as maid and chef at their hotel.

Then, another crime occurs. This time, a monk is murdered and Jimm is soon in the thick of things, figuring out this crime and the odd links that may exist between it and the dead hippies.

I don't want to give too much of the convoluted storyline away, but it's a riot. I will say, though, if you read for the straight "mystery" aspect, the book may not be your cup of tea. But if you're ready for some truly quirky characters with a brilliant, dry wit, then you'll love this. I know I did.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marketing works! I saw this book on a shelf next to the latest Number One Ladies Detective Agency novel. The cover has the same style of border and a central image reminiscent of earlier books in the series. The label on the shelf said “If you like… then you will enjoy…” So my husband bought the book for me for Mothers’ Day.

Colin Cotterill is not Alexander McCall Smith, and Killed at the Whim of a Hat has a very different feel to the Number One Ladies Detective Agency Novels. It’s much sharper and more harshly critical of the society where it’s set. The protagonist, Jimm Juree, is much more antagonistic. The writing has a harder edge and more biting tone. And the storyline makes you read faster—though the novel’s just as long and there are really only two mysteries to be solved. Vivid words and descriptions sweat as the bike-pedals turn in the heat of a less gentle land.

But things change. Both author and character soften their tone as the story progresses. Jimm Juree learns to value her family for themselves rather than just for duty. She warms to the out-of-the-way locale as the reader warms to her determined rebellion. And the end result is the beginning of what looks like a pleasing, and pleasingly different, mystery series.

Edgy characters include an oddly effeminate cop, a sister who used to be a brother, a sensitive giant, and, of course, a suitable handful of villains out to make money from everyone. This is Thailand, with all its big-city corruption and small-town graft, with history and future… and with headline quotes from George W Bush? But, of course, it’s Bush who first said “at the whim of a hat,” and every quote is perfectly suited to the chapter it introduces—even to the tale when questions are asked and Jimm learns to use that “sincere countenance and confident stance” to best effect.

I’m not entirely sure what I expected in this book, and the beginning felt slow, or overly angry. But I’m hooked by the end and hoping my husband might be tempted to buy me more.

Disclosure: I got this book as a gift for Mothers’ Day.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a 3.5 -- but what's to be done? Until goodreads modifies its rating system, we need to be content with full stars.

Once again, this is Cotterill having lots of fun, and it spills over to the reader, thank goodness. This is Murder Light, of course; murder so light that you wonder if you're even in a murder mystery, because you are having so much fun exploring the characters. Yes, there are bodies; yes, there are nasty characters, but all these things seem merely secondary to the cynical witticisms of Jimm Juree and her wisecracking cohorts. But these are not flat characters by any stretch of the imagination: they are full bodied, if slightly sour, with a keen edge that keeps you awake and interested in what they're going to come up with next.

The setting is Thailand, a slight geographic turn from Dr. Siri's Laos. The people and the landscape are captured just as authentically as Laos is in the previous series, like a study in still life. The main character is Jimm, a thirty-something "big city" journalist who finds herself thrown into the dark ages of Thailand when her mother, on a whim, decides to move the entire family to a dirty little backwater village in nowheresville-Thailand. (This, according to Jimm.) She is left wondering how many gods she has offended to be relegated to such a bilge-water existence. (Take note: water plays an important role in this, right up to the last revelatory paragraph.)

Each chapter sets the tone with one of George "Dubya's" ... witticisms?? stupid-isms?? (I'm not sure what to term them.) In any case, I didn't realize what a prolific comedian Dubya was, until reading this book. It makes me want to search out more, to store against a rainy day when I'm feeling really sad. They are such a good laugh.

In due course, the reader learns all about "at the whim of a hat" and why it is so à propos as the title of this great read!

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Description: When Jimm is forced to follow her family to a rural village on the coast of Southern Thailand, she’s convinced her career—maybe her life—is over. So when a van containing the skeletal remains of two hippies, one of them wearing a hat, is inexplicably unearthed in a local farmer’s field, Jimm is thrilled. Shortly thereafter an abbot at a local Buddhist temple is viciously murdered, with the temple’s monk and nun the only suspects. Suddenly Jimm’s new life becomes somewhat more promising—and a lot more deadly. And if Jimm is to make the most of this opportunity, and unravel the mysteries that underlie these inexplicable events, it will take luck, perseverance, and the help of her entire family.

Opening: Old Mel hired one of Da's nephews - the slow-witted one with the dent in his forehead - to sink a well in his back acre.

Not hard to understand that this was mainly purchased because of that quirky title. I found the flippancy became palling after a while so do not envisage going further in this series. 3*

Hand dug well - no steel toe-capped work shoes in evidence.

Pak Nam

[LJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Sentence: Old Mel hired one of Da’s nephews—the slow-witted one with the dent in his forehead—to sink a well in his back acre.

Jimm Juree is a crime reporter with aspirations for greatness until her mother announces the family is moving to rural Southern Thailand and she fears her reporting days are over. Not when a 1972 VW camper is found buried with the driver and passenger still in place and no apparent cause of death immediately evident. Additionally, a Buddhist monk, inexplicably wearing an orange hat, is brutally murdered. Life in the south isn’t nearly as dull as Jimm feared it would be.

The first book in a new series by Cotterill greets you with a fascinating and effective opening which catches you off-guard when it changes gears. The author’s trademark wry humor is very much in evidence…”Shot four times in the face over a period of twenty minutes? Don’t rule out suicide.”…”Like Scotch whiskies, bougainvilleas were at their happiest without water.” Cotterill has such a wonderful way with language—wonderful similes--one finds oneself going back and re-reading passages; not due to lack of understanding, but for the pure pleasure of re-reading the line or contemplating the concept created by it.

His very visual use of language makes every sentence a pleasure to read. For that, however, there is a surprising lack of sense of place. It all felt quite Westernized and, what description was provided, would not inspire one to want to visit there.

Jimm and her family may take awhile for one to warm to, but there are layers there not apparent at first glance. They are not, by any means, your average family, but they are well developed and sincere on their own and in their relationship to each other. By the end of the book, one can’t help wanting to visit them again and know them better.

There are references to Western culture offset against Buddhist philosophy. Cotterill opens every chapter with a quote (gaffe) from George W. Bush. While some might be offended by these, they are actual quotes and do have a tie-in to the story, particularly the title.

At the beginning, one could mistake the plot as being quite cozy. However, halfway through the story becomes much darker and shows a side of human we would prefer not to acknowledge. The plot was the weak spot of the book. It did seem to take a back seat to the characters; it wandered and bogged down at times. The resolution of both cases was not, perhaps, what die-hard mystery fans would have preferred but it did suit the characters and the book.

It’s impossible not to compare this book to Cotterill’s other series with Dr. Siri. There, you felt Cotterill has real affection for his characters; that feeling is not conveyed here. This seems more an exercise in seeing how unusual and dysfunctional one can make characters and still have readers read them.

“Killed at the Whim of a Hat” is an interesting new direction for Mr. Cotterill but lacks the charm, thoughtfulness or gentle philosophy of his other series. It was readable, but not completely enjoyable.

KILLED AT THE WHIM OF A HAT (Lic Inv/Jour-Jimm Juree-Thailand-1980/Cont) - Good
Cotterill, Colin – 1st of new series
Minotaur Books, ©2011, US Hardcover – ISBN: 9780312564537

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first Cotterill book I have read. I enjoyed his quirky characters and the Thai experience. Will have to check out more of his books.

"Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat."
George W. Bush,
washington DC, September 17, 2004

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another 3 1/2 This book had one of the funniest crime scene discoveries I've read in a long time. The book in infused with subtle humor throughput, it is more a character based mystery but it got kind of confusing with all the characters and places with unfamiliar names.

[Eden · Rating 5 out of 5]

2019 bk 300. I loved Cotterill's Dr. Siri series and when I chanced upon the start of this new series I was excited. Cotterill continues to work his magic, using the bits and pieces from the languages of southeast Asia, mostly Thai, to enhance his telling of Jimm Juree's story. The intrepid, and bored, reporter's family has moved to south Thailand to run a 'resort'. while drilling a new well, a nearby farmer finds a vw van buried deep in the earth. Inside the van - two bodies, some tools, and ganja. Then a visiting abbot at a nearby Buddhist temple is gruesomely murdered. Jimm Juree is back in her element, nosing out clues with the help of her father, her techie sister, and others. This was an well-crafted mystery that kept me reading until the early hours of the day.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Thailand, this one took me a little bit to get into. But once I did, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The reader was excellent (I was a little slow getting into the rhythm of the speech, but was completely hooked when I did).

Jimm Juree is a crime reporter who moves with her family to a remote area of Thailand to operate a resort. Her family is very, very quirky, but they all fit well into the story. The characters are priceless (the gay policeman is one of the best characters I've encountered in a while). Jimm's mother is also a hoot.

And each chapter begins with a 'famous' saying of George W. Bush. So you get a little giggle when you start each one.

Not long after the family has (mostly) settled into the area, there are 2 odd events. First, a VW bus is found buried on a plantation--with 2 occupants dead inside. Second, someone is murdered at a monastery. Of course, Jimm can't resist a good story, so she gets thoroughly involved in both investigations.

I am not sure if I would have enjoyed reading this myself, as my mind may have tripped over the correct way to pronounce the names of the characters as well as the place names.

The backstory involving Jimm's family is also interesting, and there is a minor mystery involving Jimm's mother (this minor mystery has quite the amusing outcome!).

Recommended for mystery fans who like settings which include other cultures.

[Shirley Schwartz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book both confusing and annoying. I was recommended this book by GoodReads, and I thought that it would be funny with a tricky little mystery. The setting is southern Thailand and the main character is an investigative journalist named Jimm Jurree. There are lots of eccentric and enjoyable characters in the book. Jimm's mother and grandfather, her transgender older sister, her younger body building brother and best of all a gay policeman named Chompu who becomes a friend and aly of Jimm's. Unfortunately, I liked all of these secondary characters much more than Jimm herself. Her sarcasm and distrust of most people is a bit hard to take after awhile. The mystery was ok, but I found that we were skipping all over the place whilst following Jimm and Lieutenant Chompu try to solve two unrelated murders - one may or not have been a murder, but it was from decades earlier and the other a recent murder of an abbot at a monastery close to Jimm's home. I have given the book three stars because of the secondary characters. They are very well done indeed.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Life is full for Jimm, a crime reporter who just moved to the south in Thailand.
Two skeletons of dead hippies are found in a VW buried in a pit, a Buddhist abbot is stabbed to death and found wearing an orange hat ( Buddhist Abbots are not allowed to where hats!) , and Jimm's mother is looking for revenge on the person who poisoned her dog. These are the mysteries Jimm is trying to solve with the help of a gay policeman and her grandpa who's pretty good at getting information. Jimm, who has more than she can handle on her plate also must deal with her transgender brother who is a computer hacker and con artist, and Arny her body building brother who's found his true love with a woman older than Jimm's mother. This is a funny and wonderful mystery that is like a roller coaster ride. I loved it!

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 2 out of 5]

What a disappointment.
I really enjoyed the Siri Paiboun novels, so I was curious about this series. Laos is now Thailand, and instead of a male coroner we have a female crime reporter transported from the city to the boondocks. But it just doesn't work for me.

In the first place, Cotterill's choice of a female main character. He doesn't write her like any of the women I've ever known--and I am one myself, so I know; in fact, as MCs go, she's pretty flat. We don't even know what she looks like till someone mentions her bad haircut.
Then he brings in one trans male and one gay male, though their sexuality plays absolutely no part in forwarding the plot or narration; both of them could have been run of the mill people of either sex and it would have all been the same. Do I smell a burning issue, or is it just let us be PC or diiieee?

The tale itself is full of asides pretending to be red herrings and tangled plot threads. Obfuscation is not suspense. The shoehorning in of quotes from George Bush and the "explanation" therefore made me wonder if the author was recycling something he himself had written in university. Otherwise, he has fallen into the cosy author's trap of finding a cute title and writing a book around it--which never works well.

A couple of the Siri Paiboun novels were pretty bad, too, but this is not a good augury of things to come for "Jimm" Juree. The series was written after the excellent novels of the Laos series, but this feels like something written much earlier, before he polished his craft.

Two and a half stars.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable intro to Thailand with an interesting mix of George W. Bush quotes thrown in. It seemed random and odd until we finally see what those are all about. I liked the interesting characters and I can see a lot of development continuing as this series progresses. I love Sticky Rice! The dogs always bring me joy. A great mystery alongside a truly fascinating bunch of characters. I will certainly be reading more.

[Deanna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This lacks the magical charm of the Dr Siri series. The characters and situations didn't seem fresh and intriguing as with the other series. This was just ok.

[Debbi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like it but it was rather boring and the ending was disappointing.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

First Line: Old Mel hired one of Da's nephews-- the slow-witted one with the dent in his forehead-- to sink a well in his back acre.

Young Jimm Juree has the life she wants as a crime reporter for the Chiang Mai Daily Mail, but when her mother suddenly sells the family business, familial obligation means that Jimm follows her mother, grandfather and brother to rural southern Thailand to run a decrepit resort on the coast. How in the world is she ever going to become the first female senior crime reporter in the Chiang Mai Daily Mail's history when she lives all the way out in the sticks?

Running the resort takes up a good portion of her day. Let's face it: she's not getting much help from her family. Her mother, who's showing signs of dementia, spends most of her time either restacking cans in the small giftshop or taking in stray dogs. Her grandfather, a retired traffic cop, scarcely says a word and disappears for long periods of time. Jimm's brother's life revolves around body-building and trying to find a decent gym out in the back of beyond. Only Sissi, Jimm's transgendered, former beauty pageant queen, computer hacker, former older brother had the good sense to stay in the city.

It's only when a van containing the skeletal remains of two hippies is unearthed in a local farmer's field that Jimm knows this is her chance to get back to the city and the life she wants. Then when an abbot at a nearby Buddhist temple is murdered, Jimm knows she's got to solve both crimes.

I love Colin Cotterill's Dr. Siri mystery series, which is set in 1970s Laos and features a spry and wily septuagenarian national coroner and a marvelous cast of secondary characters. When I learned that this book was the start of a contemporary series set in Thailand, I thought that Christmas had come early. I still do.

I've read other books set in Thailand. John Burdett's series features a Thai policeman with rather traditional cultural beliefs and values. Timothy Hallinan's Poke Rafferty series has an Anglo writer who's fallen in love with the Thai culture and wants to become a part of it. In Cotterill's book, we get to see Thailand from yet another perspective: that of a young, thoroughly Westernized Thai woman. Each series gives readers a different view of a fascinating country.

Both the crimes in Killed at the Whim of a Hat are puzzlers. Cotterill undoubtedly planted clues throughout the book, but I didn't pick many of them up. Jimm Juree may be an amateur sleuth, but this is not what's usually termed a "cozy" mystery. In particular, the killer of the Buddhist abbot is very depraved and vicious.

But this book is not just about solving mysteries. It's about a young woman coming to grips with what she really wants in life. It's about a young woman who is finally in a situation that makes her really get to know the members of her family. As a mystery, as a glimpse into life in rural Thailand, as a study of human behavior, this is an enjoyable, strong work of fiction-- even though it's not always for the faint-hearted.

It's also not always for those who are easily offended. The book title and chapter headings are all quotes from our former President, George W. Bush. If you're a fan of our 43rd President's eloquence, or if you find it offensive when people in other countries poke some gentle fun at the United States, you may want to pass on this book. All the quotes do tie into the plot, the characters, and the motivations, however.

Of course the immediate comparison for this book is going to be Alexander McCall Smith's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series set in Botswana. The only things they really have in common are a light tone, excellent casts of characters, and exotic locations. There is more depth and a more fully developed mystery in Cotterill's book.

I am one very happy reader now that I have both Dr. Siri and Jimm Juree to look forward to.

[Julie Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This review first appeared on my blog: http://www.knittingandsundries.com/20...

The origin of the title comes from her school studies of oratory skills, where Jimm was picked to study George W. Bush:

George was in Washington DC and he'd fallen off the edge of the teleprompter again and he was caught somewhere between "on a whim" and "at the drop of a hat" and ended up with terrorists killing one another "at the whim of a hat."

This also explains the less-than-phenomenal Bush quotes that head each chapter.

I would definitely describe this as a "cozy Thai mystery". When Jimm's mother, who is apparently suffering from senility, sells their family business and moves to a little-known backwater, Jimm, as well as her shy, body-building brother Arny and the normally taciturn Grandad Jah, who used to be a police detective, move with her, leaving her older brother-turned sister Sissi in Chiang Mai.

While Sissi practices her computer con games online, Jimm is forced to deal with an "inn" that gets no guests, and a store that has no customers. When two bodies are unearthed in a van buried underground, Jimm quickly rides her bike to the scene and exaggerates her press credentials to get the scoop.

While undertaking her investigation of the two bodies, Jimm also manages to get caught up in the murder of an abbot. As she works the cases, she's assisted by Grandad Jah, as well as the computer sleuthing skills of Sissi.

This was an entertaining read. I enjoyed my dive into the culture of Thailand, and there was much dry wit scattered throughout. The mysteries are engaging, and the relationships Jimm cultivates with the local police officers are fun as well.

If you like cozies, and want to try a different take on them, pick this one up!

QUOTES (from an ARC; may be different in final copy):

I didn't want to sound ungrateful for the opportunity to move to the backwoods marshes of Maprao but, purely for my own entertainment, I'd put together a list of my top unfavorite things about my new home:
1. Power cuts
2. The constant smell fo drying squid
3. Neighbors with nothing intelligent to discuss
4. The thud of coconuts falling from trees in dearch of ahead
5. A shallow sea so warm it breeds Jurassic life forms
6. The drone of passing fishing boats at three a.m.
7. The close proximity of reptiles
8. No telephone line so no internet
9. No nightlife (no daylife either)
10. Garbage from all the so-called high class resorts being washed up on our beach


I was starting to see myself as this Maprao-based Agatha Christie character pedalling off to solve crimes on her two-gear shopping bicycle and modeling in her spare time.


"And what if we're right and they throw us in a cellar and cut us up into little pieces?"
"Then that's proof that they're p to no good. I'll be able to wear my captain's stripes to your funeral and shoot real bullets in the air. Can you believe I've never fired live rounds outside the shooting range? Such a shame. I'm a terribly good shot."

Writing: 4 out of 5 stars
Plot: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Characters: 3 out of 5 stars
Reading Immersion: 3.5 out 5 stars

BOOK RATING: 3.5 out of 5 stars

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘People who connect the past and the future may know the present.’

This is the first instalment in Colin Cotterill’s new series about the ‘almost award-winning’ female crime reporter Jimm Juree. The novel is set in southern Thailand.

Jimm and her relatives move from northern Thailand to the south to run the Gulf Bay Lovely Resort and Restaurant. There’s Jimm, her mother Mair, her bodybuilding brother Arny and her Grandad Jah. Her sister, Sissi, who used to be her older brother Somkiet, stays in the north. Jimm isn’t at all keen on living in the south, and when she hears of the discovery of a buried Volkswagen Kombi -complete with two skeletal passengers (one of whom is wearing a hat) - Jimm is off to the scene on a bicycle. Marching up to the police, she announces: ‘Officers, my name is Jimm Juree, deputy crime editor at the Chiang Mai Mail (I deliberately omitted tense) and I’m here to report on this case.’

One official invites her to lunch, which she accepts, and another, Lieutenant Chompu befriends her. ‘Lieutenant Chompu really was a policeman. You couldn’t let those minute traces of nail polish fool you. He knew his job.’

Soon after, a monk is murdered in the nearby town of Lang Suan. Jimm’s out of the way location, which she was convinced would see the end of her career as a crime writer, is suddenly a very busy place.
Each chapter features a George W Bush malapropism, and some way into the story we learn that Jimm undertook a course at University called ‘Public Oration and Oral Improvisation’ (Pooi for short), and studied the speaking style of President George W Bush. One particular malapropism becomes relevant to the story:
‘Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat.’ (George W Bush 17/9/2004)

Because there is so much information contained in the opening chapters of the novel, it takes a little while for the story to progress. But progress it does, with the kind of wit that will be familiar to those of us who enjoyed the Dr Siri series. There are a number of twists and turns, and hats are important.

Jimm is an interesting character, and her family is full of surprises. So is the local police force. Between them, they manage to solve one mystery and work out the most likely explanation for the other.

I’m looking forward to the next book in this series. Jimm Juree isn’t Dr Siri, and Thailand as depicted by Mr Cotterill is largely free from the political undertones of the stories set in Laos. But that’s okay: change can be good. Additionally, there’s another Dr Siri novel due shortly.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think I've ever started a review this way, but I think I've just found a new author to search out previous books and a new series to follow.

Colin Cotterill has introduced me to a great group of characters in Killed at the Whim of a Hat. There's crime reporter (actually more wanna-be than by-line type) Jimm Juree, who has moved from the big city, with her mother (who might be losing her marbles), her grandfather (an ex-cop who never made it beyond traffic cop because he wouldn't take bribes) and her body-building baby brother, to a small coastal town in the boonies of Southern Thailand. Left behind in the city is her transgendered, ex-beauty queen, now internet hacker brother-turned-sister.

Jimm is quite bored and condescending about her new life, unsuccessfully running a ramshackle resort with her quirky family, walking the dogs, avoiding the locals and being thoroughly disgusted with the general state of things, until her interest is piqued by the discovery of a vintage VW bus with two skeletons found buried at a nearby palm oil plantation and the hushed up murder of a Buddhist abbot at a nearby monastery. Our crack reporter begins to investigate, teams up with a lovely gay local police detective, and begins to really meet the locals.

An added bonus for me reading this book were the chapter header quotes, all taken word, by sweet little word, from actual speeches of George W. Bush. They were hilarious (and only moderately embarrassing in hindsite) but actually tied were into the story. (While working on her masters, Jimm was assigned the analysis of George Bush's oratory style, and learned that a 'sincere countenance and a confident stance were sufficient to distract your audience from the fact that you were talking rubbish'.) In fact, the title of the book springs from a GWB quote, but plays into the story as well.



Received this AR copy via the kindness of LibraryThing and the Minotaur Books. This has been one of my favorite reads this year.

[Ed · Rating 3 out of 5]

Having read and enjoyed Colin Cotterill's series featuring Dr. Siri Paiboun, the eighty year old national coroner of Laos I thought his new series would be worth a try. It is and I am looking forward to the next book with Thai crime reporter Jimm Juree. She and her family are in a southern province of the Land of Smiles although not one of those close to Malaysia that are experiencing armed clashes between minority Muslims and the Thai police.

Cotterill has to cover a lot of ground since "Killed at the Whim of a Hat" introduces many of the characters, conflicts and themes that (one assumes) will be part of the next few books. Jimm Juree is the center of the action and of our interest. Her family includes her mother who slips in and out of dementia, her irascible but loveable grandfather, retired from the Thai police after 40 years of directing traffic and her brother, a very muscular but painfully shy bodybuilder. The four of them live in a ramshackle resort that Mom bought after selling the family home in Chiang Mai, a resort that attracts few paying customers. Jimm's sister, formerly her brother, lives in Bangkok and is a skilled hacker which comes in very handy for our heroine. The local police force includes a lieutenant who is easy to get along with and a major who is not.

There is plenty of what used to be called local color--Buddhist monasteries, saffron robed monks and nuns, even the unrest in the capital that the army had to put down in 2010 although that is introduced and then dismissed as something happening a long way off.

Cotterill's style is full of puns, word play and satirical asides. The plot whips along although the way things end was a bit too fantastic for me. Whether he is accurate in describing Thailand, its people and the way they think and act is less important than creating a believable story with sympathetic characters which is what you will find in this book.