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Killed at the Whim of a Hat: A Jimm Juree Mystery (Jimm Juree Mysteries) Hardcover – July 19, 2011

4.2 out of 5 stars 631

The launch of a brand new series by the internationally bestselling, critically acclaimed author of The Coroner’s Lunch With worldwide critical acclaim, Colin Cotterill is one of the most highly regarded “cult favorite” crime writers today. Now, with this new series, Cotterill is poised to break into the mainstream. Set in present day rural Thailand, Cotterill is as sharp and witty, yet more engaging and charming, than ever before.

Jimm Juree was a crime reporter for the Chiang Mai Daily Mail with a somewhat eccentric family—a mother who might be drifting mentally; a grandfather—a retired cop—who rarely talks; a younger brother obsessed with body-building, and a transgendered, former beauty pageant queen, former older brother. 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. One of Library Journal's Best Mystery Books of 2011

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Jimm Juree series is off to at least as good a start as the Dr. Siri one was. It has the potential to be even better."
--Janet Maslin,
The New York Times "Excellent ... Cotterill ... combines a wry narrative voice with an appealing picture of a world unfamiliar to most Americans."
--
Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) "An ebullient series kickoff."
--
Kirkus Reviews "Cotterill's fiction has been compared to Alexander McCall Smith's, presumably because it also has a colourful location. It is far more complex and perceptive."
--
The Independent "A procession of memorable local characters.... By coming up with an original and entertaining new formula, this author reaffirms his creativity and versatility."
--
Japan Times

About the Author

Born in London, COLIN COTTERILL has worked as teacher in Israel, Australia, the U.S. and Japan before he started training teachers in Thailand. Cotterill and his wife live in a small fishing village on the Gulf of Siam in Southern Thailand. He’s won the Dilys and a CWA Dagger, and has been a finalist for several other awards.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Minotaur Books; First Edition (July 19, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0312564538
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0312564537
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.25 x 8.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 631

About the author

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Colin Cotterill
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Colin Cotterill is the author of the Dr. Siri series of novels. Born in London, he has taught in Australia, the USA and Japan and lived for many years in Laos where he worked for non-governmental social service organizations. He now writes full-time and lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
631 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2016
Jimm Juree #1: “Killed At The Whim of A Hat” by Colin Cotterill. Jimm Juree is an out of work reporter who has just moved with her family to the village of Maprao, on the coast of southern Thailand. There is a lot happening in this 374-page murder mystery, including skeletons discovered in a VW van buried on a farmer’s property, plus the murder of an abbot at the temple. Jimm’s mother’s dog has been poisoned, and renters have stolen everything out the room they were staying in. Wanting her name back in press, Jimm investigates the mysteries, while trying to stop her mother, Mair, from killing the person that killed her dog. In the first half of the book we not only learn about the two big mysteries, but we get to meet Jimm’s family and the town folks, as well as the local police. Although we don’t see a lot of action, this is more literary than noir, the writing is entertaining, and the characters are fun. Each chapter begins with a quote from President George W. Bush, taken from one of his speeches. Jimm’s dissertation at university was to select a famous speaker, and she was stuck with America’s ex-president (I loved the quotes). The murder of the abbot will take many turns, before the surprising case comes to a close. However, the mystery of the submerged VW van with two skeletons doesn’t truly end till the final pages and it, too, has a few surprises. A fun story, and highly recommended.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2019
Overall, the protagonist is really likeable, the storyline is fun and takes lots of unexpected twists and turns. There's a nice reveal at the end and it wasn't who I thought it was going to be, which is always nice. I visited Thailand when I was 16, and many times since, so it has a special place in my heart, and it was really nice to have the 'oh I've been there' moments when the book talked about certain places.
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2015
I read this because I enjoy Colin Cotteril's other series about Dr. Siri Paiboun, set in Laos. This series is set in rural Thailand, and is full of Cotteril's typical kooky characters - and it just does not work at well. The protaganist, Jimm Juree, is a journalist who moves with her weird family members to rural Thailand from the city, and she gets wrapped up in a local murder of a monk. For a first book in the series, I feel that the characters are not given enough story, and its just not well-developed enough. The characters are more cartoonish/clownish, and they are weird for no obvious reason. The story itself is passable, with some development, but the resolution of "who done it" is preposterous and stupid. To me, its one of the worst tricks when the person who did it is not at all involved in the story or known to the characters. The writing is engaging enough to have kept me reading to the finish, but I probably won't look at the next in the series.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2017
I loved this book! First of all, kudos for the author! I can't think of any other book where a man writes as a first person female character and does a better job than Cotterill did with this book. The characters are well developed and engaging and the story is both entertaining and a little heartbreaking. I rarely find books funny and several of the descriptions and even just statements had me laughing. The main character, a journalist working on her MA has to leaving bustling Chaing Mai for an off the grid resort her somewhat demented mother purchased. The entire family is a refreshing cast of odd and lovable characters. The first chapter was a bit slow but after that it moved along great. I also loved the Dr Siri books but I liked this even better,. Can't wait to read more.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2013
I had not read a book by Colin Cotterill when our book club decided to read this one. I loved this book from the first page. Set in Thailand, Jimm is a fascinating person with a very disfunctional family. Yet through the book, they all are very accepting of each other and find a way to make the family work. The book is full of mystery as she works to solve a murder and 2 deaths. The story is whimsical, funny, yet it has twists that are surprising and a bit brutal. I was pleasantly surprised and think you ought to give it a try.
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2011
I must admit i have never written a review for a book, but I felt compelled to share for others like myself who were worried that Dr. Suri had been left behind. I am a forensic pathologist so when I first picked up The Coroner's Lunch years ago I was highly skeptical. Needless to say I have found the very original nature of the story and the setting told with moment of absolute side splitting humor. i have pre-ordered every book since then and have convinced many of my friends to do the same. I like Alexander McCall's #1 Lady Detective but fell by the wayside a few books back. The Coroner's series is one of my most proud discoveries. When I realized this was a new setting...Southern Thailand and a very young journalist as the main character i was was worried that the things I found so wonderful about the original series - the eccentric and interesting community of characters I grew to adore - could not possibly be replaced. i was wrong. The writing is wonderful, I am laughing out loud even on the airplane and i easily entered the new country. Jimm Juree's family is integral to the story as were the local police, bureaucrats and morgue staff in the coroner's series. These characters can create sudden moments of humor that are so typical for Mr. Cotterill's stories. Jimm's mother is a wonderful piece of work. Jimm speaks with a young person's voice and cynicism which i find refreshing. I have survived my own children's journey through this developmental stage and find reminders of my own life as a parent of youngsters Arney and JImm's age an added element of fun. This is pure reading pleasure at it's best. I look forward to preordering some more. The chapter intro's a knocking me out and I read every one to my office staff as they came up. I was tempted to read them ahead but I have held back to savor. P.S. I just preordered Slash and Burn [so relieved we haven't heard the last from Laos].
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Top reviews from other countries

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WBF
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent condition
Reviewed in Canada on January 16, 2018
Excellent condition, fair price
Noel
5.0 out of 5 stars Title Courtesy of George Wubble-U
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 1, 2013
This is a great start to this new series starring Jimm Juree. If you enjoy Colin Cotterill's Laos series featuring Dr Siri you will enjoy this. This is a witty and entertaining crime story set in Southern Thailand. The first crime discovered is a long-buried VW Camper with the skeletal driver and passenger still sitting upright on the front seats. This is quickly followed by the bloody murder of an abbot in the local Wat which brings the authorities from Bangkok down south with a news blackout.

Jimm Juree is a 30-something crime reporter suddenly relocated from Chiang Mai to deep south Thailand, way off the beaten track. Not by choice but a whim of her dipsy mother who sold out home and business from beneath all the family. That's how Jimm finds herself, like a fish out of water in the new 'family business' - a failed and failing tourist resort on the coast. She lives there with all of her family but her brother/cum sister Sissie who chooses to stay put in the metropolis of Chiang Mai.

The crime(s) are the stage on which Jimm's eccentric family perform. Each is more eccentric than the other. Her mother is a dipsy shopkeeper in the early stage of forgetfulness and confusion. Grandfather, a retired traffic policeman, spends his time silently watching the cars go by; brother is a fanatical body-builder looking for his first girlfriend and to their shock horror he finds her. Only Sissie, one time brother now sister, remains in Chiang Mai. The police force in Lang Suan add to cast of characters. And just to add to the fun and confusion there is a quote from George W Bush to start every chapter. Great fun.
2 people found this helpful
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Fuchs Joan
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious!
Reviewed in Germany on September 23, 2011
Ich fand den Einstieg ja nicht ganz einfach, da ich als Dr Siri Fan aber einiges gewöhnt bin, habe ich mich davon nicht umhauen lassen. Und was für ein Buch, ich habe lang nicht mehr so gelacht. Kaltschnäuzig, witzig, abgebrüht, das ist Jimm Juree, Reporterin. Ihre verquirkste Familie zieht mit ihr unfreiwillig aufs Land, wo so gar nichts los ist. Zumindest nicht auf den ersten Blick. Und dann geht es ab. Bizarr, komplex, einfach nur grandios wie sie einen Fall nach dem anderen löst und dabei auch noch zu sich selber findet. Von dieser Figur, und auch ihren schön bizarrer Familienmitgliedern möchte man gern erfahren. Ein Hit!
9 people found this helpful
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Annie56
4.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable
Reviewed in Canada on December 9, 2014
Here is another very likeable character created by the author of the Dr. Siri series. Jimm and her family are hilarious in this tale of mystery and mayhem. Looking forward to catching up on all their adventures in the books following.
RavingReviewer
4.0 out of 5 stars A crime novel with a comic under-current
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 17, 2012
A crime novel with a comic under-current.

Jimm Juree is an ambitious crime reporter in the city until her mother decides she is going to sell up the family home and move to Southern Thailand with her family, to take on a run down beach resort. Jimm fears this is the end of her writing career, but not for long, as a buried Volkswagen camper van, complete with two Hippy skeletons is discovered when small holder Old Mel is digging a well on his patch. Not only that, but a buddhist monk is then brutally murdered at a local monastery and Jimm turns private detective to get her scoop on both cases.

There is perhaps a little too much reliance on police bribery and the internet hacking wizardy of Jimm's transexual sister to further leads, but on the whole the plot is entertaining and the backdrop of Thailand and its laid back attitude is pleasantly painted. The somewhat charicatured dysfuntional family is where much of the humour in the novel lies and to me, the feel of the novel is somewhat reminiscent of Gerald Durrell's laid back family life in Corfu in My Family and Other Animals etc.

On the whole, an entertaining and pleasant read and I may well read another in the series, if one is released!
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