Shutter by Ramona Emerson

Happy New Year! This is Book #1 of 2023.

A few years ago, I did Book a Day January.  I have been in an absolute FUNK lately, and I've decided to dedicate some time daily to reading for me. I'm not sure I can actually meet that goal, but it's a goal nonetheless. The State of CT has implemented a new Native American Indian history component to U.S. History curricula.  As such, I've really been looking for materials to support my teachers in this endeavor.  I found a $50 Barnes and Noble gift card in my bag, and since it was a total surprise, I decided to spend it on my kids and the WHHS Library! Thus...

Rita is a forensic investigation photographer in Albuquerque.  She is the best in her field.  What her colleagues do not know is the reason she spots things others miss is because she can see the spirits of those who have died.  The victims of crimes often tell her where to find evidence, how they died, or where a murder weapon is stashed. Rita is part Navajo and spent much of her childhood in the care of her grandmother on the reservation.  Navajo do not speak of the dead, so her choice of career is seen as bizarre.  Rumors of her ability follow her whenever she returns home, despite her never charging or using her powers for anything but good; it leads to her being ostracized.  In addition, her location means a intersection of Navajo beliefs and Mexican-American Catholicism meets mysticism.  At work, her heritage is often fodder for "the old boys' club" so called "locker room" jokes, even though she has saved many of their cases.  

This is a whodunit/thriller mystery, so I don't want to spoil too much about the plot, but Rita stumbles onto a dirty cop and drug cartel killing anyone in their way.  

While I liked it, I did struggle sometimes to figure out if a living character or ghost was speaking.  There were definite similarities to Tigers, Not Daughters and movies like The Sixth Sense and Stir of Echoes.

I'll put this out on our new book display when we return to school.

A reminder all opinions expressed on this blog are solely mine.