What do you think?
Rate this book
John Marshall Tanner #13
Strawberry Sunday
While struggling to recuperate from a near-fatal gunshot wound, San Francisco P.I. Tanner befriends fellow hospital patient Rita Lombardi, and when she is brutally murdered after her release, his investigation draws him deep into the violent and corrupt world of migrant farm labor
288 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1999
6 people are currently reading
38 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Greenleaf
32 books27 followersStephen Greenleaf got a B.A. from Carlton College in 1964 and a J.D. from the University of California at Berkely in 1967. Stephen Greenleaf served in the United States Army from 1967 through 1969, and was also admitted to the California Bar during that period, with subsequent numerous legal positions.
Stephen Greenleaf studied creative writing at the University of Iowa in 1978 and 1979, (the Iowa Writers Workshop) with the subsequent publication of his first Tanner novel in 1979. Mr. Greenleaf has written fourteen John Marshall Tanner books to date, with his latest being Ellipse. All the novels are situated in San Fransico, and Stephen Greenleaf also lives in northern California with his wife Ann.
Series:
* John Marshall Tanner Mystery
Stephen Greenleaf studied creative writing at the University of Iowa in 1978 and 1979, (the Iowa Writers Workshop) with the subsequent publication of his first Tanner novel in 1979. Mr. Greenleaf has written fourteen John Marshall Tanner books to date, with his latest being Ellipse. All the novels are situated in San Fransico, and Stephen Greenleaf also lives in northern California with his wife Ann.
Series:
* John Marshall Tanner Mystery
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 22, 2015
Audiobook. I’ve been a huge fan of this series, and I’ve read all, now that I finished this one. Probably not the best one to read last as I found it a bit off. I rarely mind an author who makes it clear where he stands on an issue, and my heart goes out to the strawberry workers who work extremely hard for a ridiculously small amount of money. I get that, but Greenleaf hammers it home a bit too forcefully, I think.
Tanner is in the hospital after being shot in the final scene of the previous book in the series, Past Tense (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). His recovery is paralleled by that of Rita Lombardi. They become friends and Tanner is shocked when he hears of her death in the strawberry country of California. He decides to investigate and find out why she was murdered.
The weakest parts of the book are Tanner’s ruminations on strawberry farming and his relationship with Rita. The characters border on stereotypical: the big bad farm owner who can’t leave the last authoritarian century; his ne'er-do-well children, the small town cops in thrall to the big landowner, etc., etc. And Tanner’s investigation seems to consist mostly of conversations with the principals from which he draws erroneous conclusions, acting on them too swiftly. He stumbles a lot in this book, and not just with the investigation. Too many loose ends, I fear. Still, the better parts outnumber the weaker, so I enjoyed it.
Tanner is in the hospital after being shot in the final scene of the previous book in the series, Past Tense (https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...). His recovery is paralleled by that of Rita Lombardi. They become friends and Tanner is shocked when he hears of her death in the strawberry country of California. He decides to investigate and find out why she was murdered.
The weakest parts of the book are Tanner’s ruminations on strawberry farming and his relationship with Rita. The characters border on stereotypical: the big bad farm owner who can’t leave the last authoritarian century; his ne'er-do-well children, the small town cops in thrall to the big landowner, etc., etc. And Tanner’s investigation seems to consist mostly of conversations with the principals from which he draws erroneous conclusions, acting on them too swiftly. He stumbles a lot in this book, and not just with the investigation. Too many loose ends, I fear. Still, the better parts outnumber the weaker, so I enjoyed it.
September 22, 2019
A pleasant weekend read. The hero is an interesting character and I understand he features in one or more other books by this author. The work is a murder mystery and, being fiction, does not approach the level of realism that this reviewer would enjoy. Like many other similar mystery / detective works the seemingly unavoidable fingerprint of contrivance is all too clear. After leading the reader down a couple blinds alleys, the solution is finally revealed in a less than satisfactory conclusion.
The book is well-written, however, and interesting enough to hold my attention to the end. I learned about the strawberry industry thanks to Mr Greenleaf, but I am still puzzled by the title he chose.
The secondary mystery of the Triad is never resolved, perhaps to be followed up in a subsequent book.
The book is well-written, however, and interesting enough to hold my attention to the end. I learned about the strawberry industry thanks to Mr Greenleaf, but I am still puzzled by the title he chose.
The secondary mystery of the Triad is never resolved, perhaps to be followed up in a subsequent book.
October 2, 2022
Have always loved Greenleaf's John Marshall Tanner series and I'm so sorry he stopped writing and turned to construction. I tracked him down a dozen years ago in Idaho.
Strawberry Sunday tears apart an agricultural dynasty that refuses to protect its workers and oh so reluctantly creeps toward regulation. Some insight into Caesar Chavez's work and later years that I will have to research. And how are those fields and workers in central California's drought? Makes me cautious and makes me anxious.
Strawberry Sunday tears apart an agricultural dynasty that refuses to protect its workers and oh so reluctantly creeps toward regulation. Some insight into Caesar Chavez's work and later years that I will have to research. And how are those fields and workers in central California's drought? Makes me cautious and makes me anxious.
Want to read
November 22, 2019Synopsis: Tanner's in hospital recovering from a gunshot; that's where he meets Rita, strawberry union reformer. Later, she gets murdered.
August 25, 2022
March Tanner meets a woman -- finally!
August 2, 2018
2011 So, after reading this I had to start at the beginning of the series. Finally got tho book 13 and I was going to skip it but decided to reread and get a new take on the angst that Marsh went through. I am glad that I did, the "back story" is just what makes his books so readable. These are real people, with a history that you care about. I am sorry that there is only one to go!
2010 While this is the 13th in the John Marshall Tanner series, this is my first and I must say it was a great crime novel. I chose it for the title (I needed to read a book with the word strawberry) but it was a happy accident in my browsing!
I will not write of spoilers but i will focus on the why of the investigation A young woman has been murdered that was a friend of Tanner's and he wants to find out who and why. He travels to the Salinas Valley of California and into the world of strawberry farming. It's a BIG business! He paint all the various types in the town and know something that they are fearful to discuss - the sheriff, the nurse in the hospital, the dispatcher, a bank clerk, the priest, the mother of the slain girl, her fiance, a teacher and the land owner. Tanner has a tough job on his hands.
When I was much younger, I lived thru the era of Cesar Chavez and his reforms for the farm workers and remember all the controversies well. Many of those changes are now gone and harder times exist. It is shocking. This is a great mystery but also a great social commentary. I will never look at a box of strawberries the same way again!
2010 While this is the 13th in the John Marshall Tanner series, this is my first and I must say it was a great crime novel. I chose it for the title (I needed to read a book with the word strawberry) but it was a happy accident in my browsing!
I will not write of spoilers but i will focus on the why of the investigation A young woman has been murdered that was a friend of Tanner's and he wants to find out who and why. He travels to the Salinas Valley of California and into the world of strawberry farming. It's a BIG business! He paint all the various types in the town and know something that they are fearful to discuss - the sheriff, the nurse in the hospital, the dispatcher, a bank clerk, the priest, the mother of the slain girl, her fiance, a teacher and the land owner. Tanner has a tough job on his hands.
When I was much younger, I lived thru the era of Cesar Chavez and his reforms for the farm workers and remember all the controversies well. Many of those changes are now gone and harder times exist. It is shocking. This is a great mystery but also a great social commentary. I will never look at a box of strawberries the same way again!
September 28, 2020
This is still such a good and relevant story. I love how Stephen Greenleaf wraps important political/social issues into this plot. This one is about migrant workers being treated poorly out in the Central Valley of CA picking crops. Re-reading this in 2020, it's really poignant to be thinking about all the folks working in the intense fire smoke throughout the state, and without masks during the pandemic. Greenleaf is so good about pointing out imbalances of power and corruption.
November 16, 2009
One of Chandler's rightful heirs.
April 16, 2013
I enjoyed it. It is a mystery, but also a piece on workers rights. The ending did not surprise me all that much, but I did enjoy the character of Rita. She was fearless.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews