Some of you have asked how I choose what to read. I tend to look at book reviews from various sources like NPR, the Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine, The Economist or best seller lists and sometimes I look at books that are being considered for various awards. That is how I found this book. Shutter was long listed for the National Book Award, which given the fact that it was a crime/ detective novel seemed unusual. So I took a chance and I am really glad I did!

Rita Todacheene can see and hear the dead. In fact it was because of this ability and the tragic death of a relative that caused her to leave her grandmother and the Navajo Reservation, and move to Albuquerque where she now works as a forensic photographer for the the police. Her gift is considered taboo by the Navajo and disturbing by white culture, so Rita keeps her ability a secret, isolating her from her friends and causes suspicion at work when she passes on critical information she receives from the ghosts to investigators. However, Rita cannot ignore them because once the ghosts know that she can hear them, they are unceasing in their efforts to get justice.

Rita was tired when she got to the highway overpass to photograph a supposed suicide. So when the angry ghost of the deceased begins her tirade, insisting that she was killed, Rita’s defenses were already low and mistakenly acknowledged that she could hear what the ghost was saying. Relieved to find an audience, the ghost clings to Rita in an effort to help her get revenge against her killers. But Rita finds out shortly that her investigation is drawing the attention of Albuquerque’s largest drug cartel and now Rita herself is in mortal danger.

Emerson balances the macabre and graphic nature of her premise with scintillating prose and detailed descriptions of Rita’s life on the reservations with her grandmother and her work as a photographer. Although Rita begins as a somewhat one-dimensional character, she becomes more vibrant and real as we learn more about her. This is Emerson’s first book and I hope that we will hear more from her and from Rita!

Brenda’s Rating: *****(5 Out of 5 Stars)

Recommend this book to: Marian, Sharon and Keith.

Book Study Worthy? Yes

Read in ebook format.