Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Thai fun - with thanks to George W. Bush, June 12, 2011
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
The very witty and original mystery writer, Colin Cotterill, has changed literary geography slightly and time period significantly with his new book, "Killed at the Whim of a Hat". His great Dr. Suri series is set in post-civil war Laos (1970s); his new book (to become a series?) is based in contemporary southern Thailand. The new context has an interesting new protagonist--a very hip, sometime crime reporter, Jimm Juree--who comes accompanied by a family and growing group of friends and animals who run the gamut of extremes from a transexual brother/sister with shady Internet businesses, to a second brother with few social skills but a devotion to bodybuilding that has made him a contender for the Thai version of Mr. Universe, to a pre-Alzheimers mother who has more irons in the fire than a blacksmith at a rodeo, and to an ex-traffic cop grandfather with the morals of a nun and a cynicism about human kind that would put him in the same league with Lady Gaga. "Killed..." opens with a forced move of the family from northern Thailand to the deep south of country--a provincial area that it is well removed from the popular Thai beach resorts of the region and therefore not a great place to own the tourist camp that the family matriarch has invested in. A page or two later, and a double killing of considerable vintage turns up on Jimm Juree's beach doorstep. A 1970s VW Kombi camper with two 1970s hippie skeletons has been uncovered by a well-digger closeby, and the bored-to-death Jimm is off to the races. Soon after, a second killing occurs in the otherwise moribund neighborhood. This time it's a Buddhist Abbott who has been stabbed to death for no apparent reason. Jimm adds the murder to her plate and begins turning over rocks and severely disturbing the local establishment types who aren't really looking for answers to old or new crimes. Author Cotterill gets high marks for his new collection of very over-the-top characters. As strange as this bunch is, there's a certain plausibility to their relationships and protagonist Jimm Juree comes across as a thoroughly likable and entertaining lead from the first few pages of the book. The story line is interesting enough, but the resolutions to the murders push the envelope a bit far maybe. George W. Bush? Well, he is thrown in as a kind of conceit by the author who you would have to conclude, was not a great fan of Dubya. Quotes from the former prez provide the title of the book (really), introduce each chapter, and eventually the reader finds out what their relevance is to the story. It will be a distraction for some and heartburn for others, but it does add to the whole black comedy effect that comes through here. A good read, full of razor sharp, but playful humor throughout.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful book somewhat marred by bad taste, June 16, 2011
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
Jimm Juree is enjoying a promising career as a crime reporter in the bustling northern Thai city of Chiang Mai when her mother suddenly buys a small resort in a rural area of southern Thailand and moves her thoroughly unenthusiastic family to Maprao, where Jimm's senses are assaulted by the "constant smell of drying squid", the "thud of coconuts falling from trees in search of a head", and "a shallow sea so warm it breeds Jurassic life forms". After eight months of this idyll, Jimm's life picks up significantly when a VW van containing the skeletons of two hippies from the 70s is unearthed on a local farm and a Buddhist abbot is brutally murdered wearing an orange hat with a flower. Sensing a reportorial scoop, Jimm enthusiastically pursues both of these cases with help from her retired-traffic-cop Granddad Jah and gay police Lieutenant Chompu.
This is simply a delightful book. As Jimm puts together the solution to both these mysteries, the reader is introduced to many aspects of Thai society. Cotterill lives in Thailand, so I am confident the atmosphere is authentic, allowing for some literary license. The clever writing and situations gave me plenty of laugh-out-loud moments (I even laughed at the Acknowledgments!), and the plot kept moving. The colorful, well-developed characters are one of the big strengths of the book, but the quirkiness of the cast does not preclude some real warmth and moments of genuine emotion. I was especially moved by Jimm's grief over the death of a family dog and both amused and heartened by Jimm's mother's actions in response to the death.
I agree with others that comparing Killed at the Whim of a Hat to the Botswana books of Alexander McCall Smith is not apt. Both series feature an exotic setting, light tone, and colorful characters, but Coterill's book has more depth and a more fully developed mystery plot. Actually, Jimm Juree reminds me more of Stephanie Plum, complete with a grandparent sidekick, than of Precious Ramotswe.
Books like Killed at the Whim of a Hat are by their nature somewhat outrageous, and knowing where to draw the line is a matter of skill and taste. Colorful characters are great, but Jimm's former brother Sissi, a trans-gender beauty queen who makes his living via illegal internet activities, is too much for me. Worse, the depravity shown by one of the murderers truly disgusted me. The book's title and quotes at the beginning of each chapter are all mixed metaphors, malapropisms, and just plain slips of the tongue by former president George W Bush, and these could be offensive , especially from a non-American, but there is a plausible connection within the book that assuaged my annoyance.
The excesses were sufficient that I almost stopped reading about 40 pages into the book, but a friend's enthusiasm for Cotterill's Dr Siri series kept me going, and I now have a new author and two new series to enjoy and to recommend.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A delightful surprise - wonderful start to a new series!, June 15, 2011
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I wasn't sure if I would like this book, but it was such a delightful surprise! This novel is the first in a new mystery series set in Southern Thailand. Even though it takes place in modern day, you won't find a lot of graphic violence or sex, which I always appreciate.
Jimm Juree is a female crime reporter whose blossoming career is put on hold when her mother sells their place and buys a run down hotel in the south of Thailand - far away from civilization. But when buried skeletons are found nearby and a monk is brutally murdered, Jimm has a purpose again. She attempts to track down the murderer(s) with the help of her lovably crazy family and one eccentric policeman.
The title of the book, and a quote at the beginning of each chapter, are taken from the words of George W. Bush. The reader doesn't understand why at first, but everything is this book is revealed in layers until all is clear. Some GWB supporters were offended by this, but I thought it was handled in a fair way.
Many have compared this to the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency books. I haven't read those books, so I can't give my opinion on that. I think if you took Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series, mixed it with Louise Penny's Three Pines series, and put everyone down in southern Thailand, you might end up with something like this. There is a lot of humor here - lots of dry sarcastic wit from Jimm as the narrator. Too much snark would have turned me off, but I soon realized she has a big heart and isn't as tough as she seems. The characters here are very unique and memorable - but they also come across as real, not just caricatures. The plot has depth and the mystery is complex. Clues are revealed gradually to hold interest until the end.
I will definitely be reading the next book in this series. I want to 'see' these people again. Highly recommended.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
