Shutter

Written by Ramona Emerson

Narrated by Charley Flyte

Rita Todacheene is a forensic photographer working for the Albuquerque police force. Her excellent 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 to the living world 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 2, 2022
• ISBN: 9781705074909

Reviews for Shutter

[Angela Ayers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a little slow and a bit creepy at first. But, it turned out to be an excellent read! The writing was so good I felt immersed in the story!

[Darien Thomas · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fabulous and gripping the entire read! I could not stop listening.

[Karen Bankes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great read! Excellent ghost story interwoven with the tale of growing up different on a reservation. Compelling characters. Vivid descriptions of place & atmosphere. Will probably listen to it again in future.

[Alexis Simmons · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This book is phenomenal, I’m sure. However, the audiobook playback is terrible. On the Scribd side of things, my progress doesn’t save, so I have to manually find where I’m at in the book each time I open the app. On the Recorded Books side, there are several editing mishaps where entire parts of chapters are skipped over. I’ve rewound and re-tried listening to several parts, but they are just not there. This is extremely unfair to the author, as well as the reader. I hope there can be a solution, and soon. It got so frustrating that I can’t finish the book! At least not on this platform :/

[Vimla Gulabani · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved all the characters. Enjoyed every minute of listening to this story set in New Mexico.

[Alexis Clasca · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really loved this book. I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a good job, especially as they “warmed up” and the story progressed. I’m looking forward to the next in this series called Exposure, which will be released later this year.

[muddyboy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rita is a Native American photographer for a forensic department of a New mxxico police force. Her job is primarily to take hundreds of photos of murder scenes. The thing about Rita is she can see and communicate with the murder victims some of which are telling her helpful details of how they were killed. Thnigs become complicated when a lady is killed on a highway and torn into hundreds of pieces. It is ruled a suicide but the spirit is telling her this isn't the case, A barnburner.

[jennybeast · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

There were things I really liked about this -- the life of a forensic photographer is compelling, horrifying, exhausting. Rita's backstory growing up on the Navaho reservation is interesting and complicated. Her voice is great. I'm not sure I would read a second if this turns into a series -- the gore level is high, the visuals are disturbing, and Rita just seems so passive in her own life. It makes sense, with the way the story is told, and she certainly seems to be getting a handle on that as the book progresses, but it's got a core of tragedy that makes the book heavy going at times.

[cassprout · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent but sad.

[leigh fortier · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The narration was terrible. Had to listen on 1.8x to make it bearable.

[Amanda Torr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Despite the narration, the story itself was fantastic! I absolutely loved the marriage of crime and paranormal events. The writing was spectacular and I loved the main character’s experiences as a child and hearing her grandmother’s stories about Navajo history and traditions.

[Cassie Underwood · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What an amazing book! I loved it! Highly recommended. Can’t wait for the next one ?

[Rob Putnam · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book held my attention from the very beginning ..

[streamsong_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rita Todacheene is Diné, a member of the of the Navajo tribe. The Navajo have very strong beliefs about avoiding contact with dead bodies, even the body of a loved one, as an evil chindi is left behind.But, flying in the face of her tribe’s and her own strictly held beliefs, Todacheene has the unusual job of being a crime scene photographer. The first chapter is incredibly horrific. A woman has dropped from an overpass to the interstate below and has been run over multiple times, shredding her body. Police on the scene believe it is a suicide, but the angry ghost latches on to Todacheene who is there to photograph the literally hundreds of pieces of body parts. The ghost tells her the true story and won’t let go of her.More angry ghosts attach themselves to Todacheene over the next weeks as she struggles to use her photography to help solve their murders in a way that brings up the evidence for what the ghosts have told her.Flashback chapters illuminate her childhood on the reservation, her interest in photography, and how she made the unusual career choice.I enjoyed this and hope it will be the beginning of a series. Navajos solving murders in Navajo country isn’t a new idea; but this has unusual twists and the authenticity of being written by a member of a culture instead of a well-researched onlooker.

[quondame · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A somewhat overwrought thriller about a Navajo forensic photographer who sees and can communicate with ghosts. The pacing and story are good throughout, the past scenes giving some relief to the current tension but there is some imbalance keeping the story slightly off true.

[dreesie-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent police thriller that touches on so many timely themes: Navajo (and Natives in general) trying to fit their culture and modern American life together, police misconduct, cartels/gangs, and artists trying to make a living with their skills.Rita is Navajo, a photographer, and works as a civilian crime scene photographer for the Albuquerque PD. And she sees the ghosts of the dead. Her grandmother and family friend have told her how dangerous this can be--she must not let them in. But she has never understood why until now.

[msf59 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Rita Todacheene is a young Navajo woman. She is also a forensic photographer, working for the Albuquerque police department. She is very skilled and since she was a child, had the ability, or the curse, of being able to see and communicate with ghosts. This can help guide her in her work but can terrorize her on a daily basis. Set in New Mexico’s Navajo Nation, this unique crime thriller, follows Rita as she tries to do her job, battling visions, unspeakable crimes and corrupt cops. A solid, debut but not for the faint-hearted.

[mm_jones · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

SHUTTER a wonderful debut by Ramona Emerson. This story features a Navajo photographer that is visited by ghosts and works as a forensic photographer for the Albuquerque police department. Fascinating debut, beautiful writing, great characters.

[edgoldberg · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Rita Todacheene can see ghosts...ever since she was a child. As a police photographer, however, she can see the ghosts of the homicide victims she photographs...and they won't stop haunting her until she figures out who the murders are. It is making her life miserable, no matter how much she denies it.Shutter is well written but unfortunately drags at times...too much of the ghosts. It's an interesting p[remise but the ghosts take over and there is less mystery where there should have been more. I found this book in the NY Times book review and it sounded interesting. However, I wouldn't rush out to get they next book, if there is one.

[dianekeenoy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Hard to describe but hard to put down! This is Ramona Emerson's first novel. It features Rita Todacheene who is a forensic photographer working for the Albuquerque police department. Her pictures capture details that have solved many cases. She is able to see the ghosts of crime victims who can point her toward clues that others miss. As you can imagine, this makes her life very stressful! Alternate chapters outline her childhood on the Navajo reservation where she was raised by her grandmother. A lot going on in this slim book of just under 300 pages!

[junipersun · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book pulled me in, hardly wanted to stop (but I do have a life). The story moves between Rita's work as a police photographer and her early years raised by the Navajo grandmother who first introduced her to a fascination with cameras. She doesn't spare any gritty details of some of the deaths she has to photograph, and you can see how this work eats at her. It isn't only the gruesomeness that bothers her, though, but the spirits of the dead who linger. Mostly she has learned to ignore them, as she was warned about their danger by a Navajo medicine singer, but this latest one is too fierce and wants justice for her murder.This book didn't have too much horror, thankfully, as I'm avoiding taking in more than I can handle of that. As Mr. Bitsilly tells Rita, "If you keep inviting dead things into your life, it could open the door. You never know what path a spirit has taken until they are in your head." There can be an evil in a spirit, "like a cancer, a presence of terminal energy." (p.97)

[cathyskye · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When I read the synopsis of Shutter, I'm positive that I didn't read the whole thing. I remember seeing "forensic photographer", "Navajo Reservation", and "New Mexico", and I jumped at the chance to read it. Using my incredibly focused hindsight, I'm not entirely certain I would have read this book if I'd paid closer attention to the complete synopsis. Shutter is part crime thriller, part supernatural horror, and part coming-of-age story. Which part would have kept me from reading this book? The supernatural horror part. Normally, I don't care to spend time with that particular genre. What kept me reading? The other two parts, that's what. The crime thriller was taut as a bowstring and often shocking. If gruesome depictions of crime scenes bother you, I would suggest you give this book a pass; however, I did not find the descriptions gratuitous-- they served to open wide the window into Rita's nightmarish world. The mystery wasn't easy to solve either. The absolute best part of Shutter-- and the part that kept me glued to Rita's side-- was the coming of age aspect. Readers watch Rita as she grows up on the Navajo Reservation with her grandmother, who is deeply worried about Rita's "gift". The Navajo perspective of death and dealing with the dead is very different from most cultures, and I sincerely appreciated the opportunity to learn more about this. Fortunately, the mystery and the coming of age aspects of Shutter helped keep me from mentally dropkicking Erma the supposed highway overpass suicide into the next world where she belonged-- talk about an annoying character! But... as much as I did enjoy the mystery and learning more about the Navajo culture, I'm not sure I would want to read another book featuring Rita. That indecision has everything to do with my own personal tastes in reading and very little to do with Shutter itself. (Review copy courtesy of the publisher and Net Galley)