Shutter

** spoiler alert ** I liked the worldbuilding but felt the murder plot was pretty weak. the crux of the case hinges on her just happening to be in a perfect spot to photograph a murder? it also felt really weirdly paced. maybe 2.5 stars

Part murder mystery, part supernatural thriller. Shutter is a great autumn read with a Navajo lead trying to solve a police corruption ring. Rita works as a forensic photographer, her ability to see ghosts assisting her job as they usually lead her to clues the detectives miss, while complicating her life when they demand her help with unfinished business. One such case opens this story, when Rita photographs what is written off as a suicide. The horribly mangled body of the victims terrorizes Rita to solve her death. The closer Rita gets, the more the bodies pile up, and the more Rita's life is in danger. I loved the high stakes that continued to build as the story progressed. The plot and mystery never felt convoluted or too high to be believable. The breakdown of the motives was easy to understand despite being a somewhat complicated, multi-layered dive into organized crime and police corruption. I didn't have a lot of available energy while reading this one, and I really appreciated Emerson's gift at unfolding the story. The scene with the murdered family were by far the creepiest and saddest of the whole book, and were definitely the one that stuck with me longest after the end. It chilled me to the bone both from the creepiness but also from the cold bloodedness of the murderer. Horrifying in every regard. The entire book was edge of my seat thrilling, and I can't recommend it enough.