Plant Them Deep

I know this is not considered part of the Ella Clah series, but it does deal with the same beloved characters. I have to say that I haven't enjoyed any book by the Thurlos as much as this one since Blackening Spring, the book in which Ella Clah was introduced. I loved the plant lore and the fresh viewpoint of Ella's mother, Rose Destea. The stealing of Navajo medicinal plants reminded me more than a bit of Wildcrafters by Skye Kathleen Moody, another mystery dealing with endangered plant species. But Plant Them Deep focuses specifically on the plants used by medicine men in ceremonies. There is also the mysterious death of a man who had been a Code Talker in World War II.

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.

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.

She raised her two children to adulthood on the Navaho Reservation in New Mexico and is very proud of them both. Her son Clifford is a traditionalist who is a medicine man, a leader for those who don?t believe in Anglo medicine. Her daughter is a special investigator working for the Navaho police, a woman who is considered a modernist who follows the Anglo way.Instead of relaxing Rose Destea has become a political activist on the reservation, protesting against gambling and the nuclear plant and holding the strip miners accountable for the damage they do to the land. Many of the plants that are used in their herbal medicines and healing ceremonies are becoming difficult, if not impossible to find. Someone is stealing the Plant People and the tribal council asks Rose to investigate what plants are in short supply. A patient who happens to be Rose?s best friend needs a plant for a medicine ceremony that is impossible to find and she is willing herself to die. When a friend who joins Rose in her search in hunting the plant is killed, the staunch traditionalist vows to find the plant thief and killer and find the plant that will save her friend.The Ella Clan mysteries are hard-hitting police procedural that always seem to concentrate on action more than characterizations. PLANT THEM DEEP is very different but just as good. It is a gentle cozy that concentrates as much on the people as on the action. This stand alone book is an anthropologist's delight as it looks very deeply into a culture so that even trained sociologists would enjoy reading this novel. The Thurlos are great storytellers who allow readers to see just how deep their talent runs.Harriet Klausner