Killed at the Whim of Hat / Colin Cotterill / 374 pages / R. T. Reviewer's Choice Award

You might not laugh out loud, but you will definitely chuckle throughout this story.  Jimm Juree is an ambitious crime reporter with a most eccentric family - trust me!!  When her mother sells the family home, Jimm is forced to move to a rural village on the south coast of Thailand.  She has purchased a rundown resort and needs all her family members to help run it.  Jimm is afraid her career is over until a VW van containing the skeletal remains of two vintage-era hippies is unearthed on a farmer's field.  Shortly after this discovery, an abbot at a local Buddhist temple is found viciously murdered.  The only suspects are the temple's monk and nun - who may or may not be romantically involved.  With luck, perseverance, and the help of her entire family - especially her ex-traffic cop grandfather and her brother/sister, Jimm unravels the mysteries that underlie these peculiar events.  As part of her masters in English studies, Jimm was assigned the writings/speeches of George W. Bush to analyze and evaluate.  Quotes from George W. Bush are sprinkled throughout the story.  Did he really say all those things?!