When Private Investigator Jim Wolf and reporter Connie Sanchez
did some investigation on a puzzling homicide, their trail of clues
and tips led them to San Benito County.
When Private Investigator Jim Wolf and reporter Connie Sanchez did some investigation on a puzzling homicide, their trail of clues and tips led them to San Benito County.
They’re the lead characters in Bay area author Tim Wohlforth’s new novel “No Time to Mourn.” Wohlforth, a 2003 Pushcart Prize Nominee and Oakland resident said he wanted to include Hollister and San Juan Bautista in his novel because he’s always been fond of the area.
“I do quite a bit of camping so I’ve gone through Hollister a couple times on my way to the Pinnacles,” he said. “I really wanted the contrast of the urban scene and the rural scene and San Benito County was perfect for that.”
The story begins in Oakland when Wolf is investigating an unusual murder. He is tracking a pair of murders. A man was killed and soon after his wife also was murdered. The professionalism of the murder leads Wolf to believe someone was hired to kill the couple. He finds a picture of the murdered woman’s mother standing in front of the San Juan Bautista Mission, which leads them to the county.
Lupe Candelaria, the mission’s office manager, said the mission has been the backdrop in movies and books before.
“This area out here has always been attractive for film makers and writers,” she said. “It has a mysterious feeling to it.”
Sanchez, intrigued with the case and in search of her Latina heritage, follows Wolf down south as well. First stop for the crime solving duo is a newspaper Wohlforth said is based on the Free Lance. Wolhforth said he visited the paper years ago and remembered the large archives of old newspapers.
“The two go to the newspaper and look up old articles and find information about the woman’s mother,” he said.
Their clues lead them to the county offices where they discover the woman’s birth certificate, which states she was born in Hollister.
While driving around town, Wolf and Sanchez also stop by a tomato processing plant. Wohlforth said when he was visiting town he stopped by the cannery and security guards chased him away.
“This added to my experiences for the story,” he said.
Mayor Tony Bruscia said he’s interested in reading the book.
“I’m definitely interested,” he said. “Anything that promotes our town is great.”
