Shutter

Books | Fiction / Indigenous

3.9

(54)

Ramona Emerson

Longlisted for the National Book Award This blood-chilling debut set in New Mexico’s Navajo Nation is equal parts gripping crime thriller, supernatural horror, and poignant portrayal of coming of age on the reservation. "A haunting thriller, written with exquisite suspense . . . This is a story that won't let you go long after you finish, and you won't want it to end even as you can't stop reading to find out how it does." —Tommy Orange, author of There There Rita Todacheene is a forensic photographer working for the Albuquerque police force. Her excellent photography skills have cracked many cases—she is almost supernaturally good at capturing details. In fact, Rita has been hiding a secret: she sees the ghosts of crime victims who point her toward the clues that other investigators overlook. As a lone portal back to the living for traumatized spirits, Rita is terrorized by nagging ghosts who won’t let her sleep and who sabotage her personal life. Her taboo and psychologically harrowing ability was what drove her away from the Navajo reservation, where she was raised by her grandmother. It has isolated her from friends and gotten her in trouble with the law.And now it might be what gets her killed.When Rita is sent to photograph the scene of a supposed suicide on a highway overpass, the furious, discombobulated ghost of the victim—who insists she was murdered—latches onto Rita, forcing her on a quest for revenge against her killers, and Rita finds herself in the crosshairs of one of Albuquerque’s most dangerous cartels. Written in sparkling, gruesome prose, Shutter is an explosive debut from one of crime fiction's most powerful new voices.

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More Details:

Author

Ramona Emerson

Pages

312

Publisher

Soho Press

Published Date

2022-08-02

ISBN

1641293349 9781641293341

Ratings

Google: 5

Community ReviewsSee all

"⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/4. Mystical and moving. I thoroughly enjoyed it. "

Sher Free✌️

"Cool book. Native American Rita makes her living as a forensic photographer for Albuquerque police department, snapping hundreds and hundreds of photos at every crime scene. More interesting, she sees ghosts — that is, the men, women and children whose deaths are unsolved, lazily solved or misattributed to suicide, murder-suicide or natural causes. Rita’s character is steeped in the tribal beliefs and spirits of her Navajo grandmother. In this book, Rita’s photography ensnares her in a web of lies, murder and drugs while ghosts badger her to find their killer(s). The story was strongest when Rita flashes back to her life as a young child with her grandmother on the Navajo reservation."

Diane Morello

"New Mexico"

Rachel Joy

"This was a decent and entertaining thriller. I liked the idea of the MC seeing ghosts and being a forensic photographer, but for the most part this book felt like a lot of fluff and not much that actually contributed to the established plot line. The other characters were better fleshed out than the MC I felt. Overall was a quick and effective read but it lacked a gripping and cohesive narrative for me. Would still recommend to others for a nice spooky read! "

Shell

"Absolutely loved this book 💕 this book alternates between Rita’s childhood on the reservation and present day. Rita, a Navajo women who is a police crime lab photographer who works for the Alberquerque Police Department can see ghosts and could since she was a child. While Rita is taking photos of a grisly scene, the ghost of the victim realizes Rita can see her and demands Rita to help her solve her case and get justice causing Rita to get caught up in the middle of a Mexican cartel ring. I thought this was a great crime/thriller/paranormal debut novel and would love for the series to continue."

Leanne K

"Despite the horrifically gruesome nature of this book, I really enjoyed it! As may be evident from my recent reading, I’ve been exploring a lot of Indigenous dark fiction, and this was a natural extension to the stories that have intrigued me as of late. I liked the premise (a crime scene photographer that can see ghosts) and despite the paranormal lean, I felt it was extremely realistic! The ghosts in this are not friendly Caspers; they are ****** off former humans who retain all of the nastiness of human nature in death. I believed it, more so than tales of benevolence beyond the grave.<br/><br/>I also liked the framing (photography pun!) on the story, with alternating chapters of Rita’s life and the current day. I’m really excited this is a series and I’m excited to read the next one."

A P

Allie Peduto

"I could not put this book down. I felt like I was right next to the main character on every crime scene. I felt like I was watching a horror movie with how vivid this book read. "