Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill
In Killed at the Whim of a Hat, the first novel in the Jimm Juree series, Jimm and her kooky family have recently moved from the big city of Chiang Mai to a dismal and all but deserted coastal resort town in southern Thailand.
Having given up her career as a crime reporter for the Chiang Mai Daily Mail, Jimm is decidedly unhappy with her new job gutting mackerel and watching the squid boats. And her mentally addled mother, body building obsessed brother and laconic grandad are more annoying than stimulating companions.
After several months of tedium, two skeletons are found buried in a palm oil plantation. This exciting development is followed by the death of an abbot at a nearby Buddhist Temple.
Soon Jimm is not only back in the crime reporting game but the crime solving game as well. With help from her transgendered older brother, who wisely chose to stay in Chiang Mai, and a surprisingly sympathetic policeman, Jimm solves the crimes while cooking, cleaning, and containing (barely) her unconventional family.
Next in the series is Grandad There is a Head on the Beach, which based on the title alone promises to be just as much fun. If you like Stephanie Plum, you’ll enjoy Jimm Juree too.