The Tumbleweed Murders

Claire Sharples #4

by Rebecca Rothenberg, Taffy Cannon

Passion, greed, deceit, and murder surface when plant pathologist Claire Sharples discovers a skeleton buried beside the Kern River and finds herself drawn into events of a half-century earlier. Set in California's Central Valley, this evocative mystery moves between past and present, exploring the worlds of oil, cotton, and country music. With the help of enigmatic Ramon Covarrubias and his eccentric journalist cousin Yolanda, Claire follows the mystery: Who was singer Cherokee Rose's lost love? Why is it a secret someone will kill to keep? This is a story dictated as much by the nature of the land as by the character of its inhabitants.

Genres: Mystery

237 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2001

About the author

Rebecca Rothenberg (1948-1998) was a writer, musician, epidemiologist, amateur botanist, president of the San Gabriel chapter of the California Native Plants Society, and the author of the Claire Sharples Botanical Mystery series. The first, The Bulrush Murders, was nominated for the Anthony and Agatha Awards, and was named as one of the Top Ten Mysteries of 1992 by the Los Angeles Times. After her untimely death in 1998, her friend and colleague, Taffy Cannon (author of the Nan Robinson series and the Agatha and Macavity Award-nominated Guns and Roses) completed the manuscript of The Tumbleweed Murders.

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set in Bakersfield California, this mystery follows a cold case accidentally discovered by an agricultural extension agent investigating peach diseases in the San Joaquin valley.

Interesting local color, but uneven (possibly due to that fact that the author died before completing it and the manuscript was finished by another) with perhaps too much coincidence and "soap opera" to rate 3 stars. Still, I enjoyed it enough to finish it, and look for more of Rebecca Rothenberg's mysteries.

[Barbra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though Taffy Cannon had to finish this book due to the authors death, she seems to have been able to tie up all the loose ends. I very much enjoyed this story as I live not too far from the Kern River Valley and Bakersfield, and could visualize the places that were in this book.

[Sarah Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a pretty decent mystery set in California's Central Valley, started by someone who worked in epidemiology programming, public data health analysis, economic research and public relations, who knew a lot about county agricultural extention programs. Perseverance Press: Santa Barbara, CA is a small press which apparently specializes in mysteries, so it is worth looking out for. Tumbleweed do NOT care for mycorrhizal symbiosis at the roots, while it does most other plants good, so it is a good way of getting rid of tumbleweed, otherwise an invasive weed. Also tumbleweed invasion is a sign that the ground has been disturbed.

[Don · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire Sharples is a plant pathologist, working in the San Juaquin Valley. She discovers old bones buried in next to the Kern River. Claire meets Jewell Scroggins who used to sing in a country western band who may have a connection with whoever was buried. When Claire returns to Jewell's trailer, Jewell is dead. Rothenberg's writing style is well crafted, breezy and she is a compelling story teller. Recommended.

[Regan · Rating 3 out of 5]

The genesis of this book was Ms. Rothenberg sadly passed before finishing it and Taffy Cannon finished it. The writing was seamless between the two authors -- sad that Ms. Rothenberg is no longer with us and Ms. Cannon is apparently no longer writing. This was a good cold case mystery and I sure didn't see the ending coming.

[Sara Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll try to read others by both authors.

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good read for botanists or ecologists and indeed for intelligent people in general. We get to explore California and find out what grows there, crops or wildflowers, and there's a murder mystery to go along with it. My favourite of the series is The Shy Tulip Murders.
Sadly Rebecca died while writing this book and it was completed by a country singer Taffy Cannon. This is my least favourite of the series but Taffy managed to bring it to a satisfying close.