Killed At The Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill (Audiobook Review)

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Title: Killed at the Whim of a Hat

Series: Jimm Juree

Author: Colin Cotterill

Narrator: Jeany Park

Copyright: 2011, HighBridge Audio

Duration: 9 hours, 36 minutes

Genres: thriller, murder, mystery

Filed in: Audiobook Reviews

Review copy provided by HighBridge Audio.



PUBLISHER’S SUMMARY: Jimm Juree was a crime reporter for the Chiang Mai Daily Mail with a somewhat eccentric family. When she 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 is inexplicably unearthed in a local farmer’s field, Jimm is thrilled. Shortly thereafter an abbot at a local Buddhist temple is viciously murdered.

Suddenly Jimm’s new life becomes somewhat more promising—and a lot more deadly. And if Jimm is to unravel the inexplicable events, it will take luck, perseverance, and the help of her entire family.

Copyright 2011, HighBridge Audio.



AUDIOBOOK REVIEW: I think Colin Cotterill may be onto something here. Killed at the Whim of a Hat is something of an atypical mystery novel, but the real shining point is Jimm Juree. Jimm is an investigative reporter with a major newspaper, until her family picks up and moves out to the boondocks. She believes that her career is over, until a buried VW microbus with two skeletons inside turns up. Cotterill has created a character that you just can’t help but like, and that you will want to learn more about.

Each chapter of Killed at the Whim of a Hat begins with a quote from President George W Bush. You might ask yourself, “Of all the presidents to quote, why George W? Cotterill explains: In one of her college courses, Jimm and her fellow students were expected to discuss the orations of a famous speaker. Jimm drew George W Bush out of the hat. Here are a few of the chapter lead-ins:

“We must all hear the universal call to like your neighbor, just like you like to be liked yourself.”

“If you don’t stand for anything, you don’t stand for anything. If you don’t stand for something, you don’t stand for anything.”

“I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family.”

And this gem from which Colin Cotterill took the title of this book:

“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.”

That was from a statement President Bush made on terrorism. I don’t typically believe in president bashing, and I’m not repeating these quotes to ridicule President Bush, but you gotta admit, he could be pretty funny sometimes.

At any rate, it’s clear that Cotterill has a lively sense of humor. These Bush quotes are a good example of that, but it also shows in the actions and dialogue of his characters, especially Jimm Juree. She’s an intelligent and intuitive investigator, but she’s also funny and sassy and sarcastic in almost everything she says. Here’s a good example of Juree’s wit, where she is questioning a member of the local police force:

”My name is Jimm Juree, I –“

“You’re the journalist.”

“I know the Sergeant. I just –“

“I always wanted to write.”

Nine months earlier, my reaction to such a straight line would have been, “You should have paid more attention at nursery school,” or “Lucky the police entrance exam is all pictures.” I doubt I would have voiced those smarmy comments, although I would certainly have imagined them, but something was happening to my sarcasm skills, and I didn’t like it.

Cotterill’s sense of humor is really what drives this book and keeps it from bogging down. There were times during the story when I kind of wondered what in the world was going on, but I kept listening simply because I liked the character of Jimm Juree so much.

Jeany Park was a good choice for the narration of Killed at the Whim of a Hat. Her light, satirical tone matches that of the book perfectly. As far as her dialects go, I’m undecided. The story takes place in Thailand so I expected the characters to have some sort of Asian dialect, and some of them actually did, but Jimm sounded more British. I thought that was because Park herself was British, but when she reads the chapter lead-ins, her voice has almost no accent at all. That wasn’t a problem for me, more of a curiosity really. I enjoyed her narration very much.

As far as murder-mysteries go, this one is a bit different, almost to the point of being bizarre. Still, it’s a good story, and cotterill’s wit and humor definitely make it a worthwhile read.



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If you like this audiobook review, you can purchase the audiobook here:

Get “Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill (Unabridged Audiobook) from HighBridge Audio.



This audiobook review is based on the unabridged audiobook.

Audiobook review by Steven Brandt

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