Genre: Detective/Mystery
Subgenre(s): Amateur Sleuth
Reviewer: Susan Anderson
Reviewed: 7/28/2001
It’s been a long wait for this, the final entry in Rebecca Rothernberg’s critically-acclaimed Claire Sharples mystery series. It is thanks to the generosity and persistence of many people, including Rothenberg’s family and agent, publisher Meredith Phillips of Perseverance Press, and Rothenberg’s friend and colleague Taffy Cannon, that the unfinished manuscript Rothenberg left behind at her death in 1998 has been completed and made available.
And what a blessing that is. THE TUMBLEWEED MURDERS is an absolutely beautiful book--beautifully written and beautifully plotted. Botanist Claire Sharples is starting to feel at home in California’s San Joaquin Valley, so different from her native New England. Her life revolves around her job at the Citrus Cove Agricultural Field Research Station; she has no love life, few friends, and nothing for family but a brother back East.
When Claire meets former country singer jewell Scoggins Bonebrake, aka The Cherokee Rose, she is instantly fascinated by the old woman and her memories of Bakersfield in the ‘50s. This chance encounter, this opportunity for Claire to step outside herself, to take in someone else’s stories, not just dwell on her own, soon leads to more than Claire ever anticipated. From Claire’s changing relationship with Ramon, the County Small Farm Advisor, to her encounters with denizens of every level of local society, Jewell’s effect on Claire’s life is inestimable. The story never flags and every detail rings true. Ramon’s cousin Yolie, in particular, is one of the most memorable characters you’ll ever find.
THE TUMBLEWEED MURDERS perfectly captures life in the Valley, then and now. The sense of place is so powerful that the landscape could be another of the perfectly limned characters. Fascinating botanical esoterica are woven seamlessly throughout the story. Best and most touching of all is the inclusion of lyrics from songs written by Rothenberg herself.
This is a book that stands well and proudly on its own; knowing the story behind its completion only adds to its impact. Taffy Cannon undertook a difficult, no doubt intimidating, project. She succeeded impressively. Together and yet separately, she and Rebecca Rothenberg have given us a lovely coda to a beloved series.
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