Shutter by Ramona Emerson

 

Rita Todacheene was raised on the Navajo reservation by her grandmother.  Her mother had left for the wider world knowing her daughter would be safe with her mother.  That's where Rita learned to take pictures; both her grandmother and mother were photographers.  Rita left the reservation to live with her mother when she got older but her grandmother's house was always home.  Only her grandmother and the medicine man know Rita's secret.  Rita can see the dead and they talk to her.  

Grown, Rita is now a forensic investigator for the Albuquerque police department.  She is known as the best photographer but the work is dragging her down.  The hours are brutal and she is surrounded by death every day.  She solves cases no one else can because the dead talk and she gets clues about what really happened when they died.

But this death seems different.  A woman is found on the highway, apparently a suicide who jumped from the bridge above.  The detective in charge of the case is a man Rita tries to stay away from, a racist man who despises women as well.  He is lazy about his cases and declares the death a suicide with no investigation.  But Rita sees that the woman was thrown from above by a man.  The ghost of this woman is not like the others.  She is furious, demanding that Rita get her case designation solved so that her daughter won't go to social services and her murderer will be punished.  She lets in other ghosts all demanding that Rita do their bidding.  Her gift has become the thing that could kill her.

This is a debut novel but one that was listed for the National Book Award longlist and the Edgar Award for best debut novel.  Emerson is from the Dine tribe and is a videographer, writer and editor.  She uses her talent to write stories of her people in modern times, outlining the issues they continue to face and highlighting their triumphs.  This novel grabs the reader immediately with an opening scene that gives a peek into Rita's life and difficulties.  It describes her culture while giving the reader a look into the cartels that are in New Mexico and the police corruption that allows that.  Rita is a sympathetic character and the reader will be cheering for her.  This book is recommended for mystery readers and those interested in multicultural reads.