Plant Them Deep [Paperback]

Aimee Thurlo (Author), David Thurlo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 16, 2005

Medicine men and members of the Plant Watchers society report that sacred healing plants are disappearing from the Rez. In an effort to locate and protect the rare plants, the tribal council asks Rose for help. She faces strong opposition both from healers reluctant to reveal their secret herb-gathering spots and from people who think the Rez should be cultivated with genetically-engineered plants instead of native species.
Rose is shocked to discover that many plants appear to have been stolen, perhaps for the lucrative market for alternative and natural medications. Soon after her notes and maps are stolen, a Navajo man is found dead near a gathering site. Rose is convinced that he was murdered by the plant thief.

Rose has picked up a trick or two from Ella Clah, her police officer daughter; she begins an independent investigation that soon has her up to her neck in trouble.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Nothing is planted deep in this disappointing entry (after 2002's Tracking Bear) in the Thurlos' popular series starring Navajo Special Investigator Ella Clah. Here Ella's mom, Rose Destea, takes center stage. When the tribe's medicinal and ceremonial plants start vanishing from the reservation, the tribal council appoints Rose, a Plant Watcher, to investigate the problem, and she soon confirms that someone is indeed stealing these invaluable resources. Rose requests that the medicine men who use the plants assist by revealing only to her their ancestral plant-gathering locations. Little does she realize that acquiring this information will jeopardize her safety. After a chance meeting, Rose enlists the aid of old friend Charlie Dodge, whose appearance finally changes the tone of this otherwise placid tale of botany to something more menacing. Ella appears in a tense conclusion, but all in all, this is the coziest of cozies, long on horticultural detail and short on mystery.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The Thurlo team has produced eight evocative mysteries centering on contemporary Navajo culture in the Four Corners area, starring Ella Clah, special investigator with the Navajo Police. Part of the tension in these novels has been the spiky relationship Ella has with her mother, Rose, a traditionalist, who is often loudly horrified at Ella's policing and private life. This novel shines the spotlight on Rose, making Ella the horrified onlooker as her mother plunges into her own investigation. Rose is a Plant Watcher, a guardian of the Plant People, the Navajo term for plant life. When the tribe asks her to conduct an official plant survey for the Navajo Nation, Rose discovers that many plants have been either stolen or destroyed by the land, which is slowly dying from uranium mines' waste chemicals. Her cataloging segues into an investigation that puts her at odds with people inside and outside the reservation. Although sometimes Rose's adventures beggar belief, she remains a fascinating character, and focusing on her life makes a nice twist in a popular series. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Forge Books; First Edition edition (June 16, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0765314134
• ISBN-13: 978-0765314130
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #778,191 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars DEEP-ROOTED CONFLICTS, December 28, 2003

By 

charles falk (Novato, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Plant Them Deep (Rose Destea a Rose Novel) (Hardcover)

This is the best Thurlo book I've read. I disagree with those who call it "cozy". It shows the intractable conflicts that cleave Navajo society today: tradition vs. science, development vs. conservation, spiritual well-being vs. material comfort. PLANT THEM DEEP is a dramatic shift from the Thurlo's police procedurals, in which Navajo detective Ella Clah is the protagonist, or their hokey vampire series. It is told from the perspective of Rose Destea, Ella's feisty, traditionalist mother. Ella and her brother Clifford, a hataalii, play supporting roles this time. The story has plenty of crime and suspense, even as it focuses on the traditionalist side of Navajo culture -- its manners, herbalist lore, and healing ceremonies.

The Tribal Council hires Rose, a long-time "plant watcher" to conduct a survey of endangered native plants, especially those used by traditional herbalists, to assist them in evaluating the restoriation plans of mining and utility companies. She immediately runs into determined opposition from a young Navajo plant biologist and other modernists, both tribal and Anglo. Rose discovers that scarce medicinal herbs are being systematically dug up all over the reservation. Suspense builds when another plant watcher dies under mysterious circumstances and her best friend falls grieviously ill. In short order Rose must find a rare herb to help cure her friend, solve a murder, and catch a plant thief.

PLANT THEM DEEP may not be full of mayhem and bloodshed, but it is full of the clash of competing values. Rose Destea is clear on where she stands, but readers must draw their own conclusions.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars stands alone, December 28, 2003

By 

"sisboomba" (West Lafayette, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Plant Them Deep (Rose Destea a Rose Novel) (Hardcover)

This title is not included in the Ella Clah series. As such I found it very interesting and informative. Not only does the author tell about medicinal plants and their uses,she reveals more about tribal hierarchy. Ella appears in the book but only plays the part of a worried loved one,the same as Rose appears in the Ella Clah books.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Ever, January 15, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Plant Them Deep (Rose Destea a Rose Novel) (Hardcover)

This book is the best work by the Thurlos. It is great to get to know Ella's mother Rose so much better. The book wonderfully illustrates the plight of indigenous peoples when dealing with the outside world's pressure to take their land's natural resources, and brings the plant people to the forefront of the story.