This was another one where I felt kinda bad that I didn't like it as much as I was hoping I would. I think most of the other reviewers have hit the nail on the head, in that it's excessively gory, repetitive, and has a rather simplistic plot. Not that the latter is always a bad thing, but it was pretty one-dimensional, as were the characters more than I was hoping, because this really did have potential.
The premise is at least creative: Rita works for the Albuquerque Police Department as a crime scene forensic photographer, building a career on a hobby she has indulged in since childhood, as had her mother, before the latter's premature death. It seems that Rita also has another ability, which she has harbored since childhood: she can see and talk to dead people, some of whom are far more malevolent than others. This is an ability she has previously been able to turn on and off, but one case, the one we encounter at the outset of the novel, has changed that.
An insistent murder victim, Erma, has been making Rita's life miserable, as she threatens and incessantly badgers Rita into looking into her murder which has been ruled a suicide by the police department. Erma has also somehow been able to open a portal to the World Beyond, allowing even more ghosts to assail Rita seeking for help. This unfortunate victim was dropped from a highway overpass into oncoming traffic... but there's a lot more to this story than it seems, and uncovering the truth may likewise put Rita in mortal danger.
The one constant in Rita's life has been her grandmother, a traditional Navajo who lives on the reservation and who helped raise her when her mother was unable to care for her as a young child. Grandma has long sought the help of a Navajo traditional healer to keep the ghosts at bay, but it seems that his ability to repel them has become ineffective.
It also appears that there is more going on at Rita's job than meets the eye, which puts her at odds with both the living and the dead, especially after her supervisors become aware that something isn't right, even if they don't believe that she can actually see and communicate with spirits.
I won't include the spoilers at the end, but this was a decent first novel, if somewhat mediocre. I love mystery and even horror, but the descriptions of the gore were excessively graphic for my taste. I get that the author is attempting to describe in words the photos Rita takes as part of her job, providing mental images and allowing the reader to see what she sees, which is horrific, but I think it was generally overwrought and sensationalistic.
I did enjoy the vignettes from Rita's early life and her experiences as a native woman, as her grandmother, caught between two worlds, in a way, the same as the spirits who are desperately trying to communicate with her. It's a decent read, but be prepared for some scenes of graphic violence throughout.
The premise is at least creative: Rita works for the Albuquerque Police Department as a crime scene forensic photographer, building a career on a hobby she has indulged in since childhood, as had her mother, before the latter's premature death. It seems that Rita also has another ability, which she has harbored since childhood: she can see and talk to dead people, some of whom are far more malevolent than others. This is an ability she has previously been able to turn on and off, but one case, the one we encounter at the outset of the novel, has changed that.
An insistent murder victim, Erma, has been making Rita's life miserable, as she threatens and incessantly badgers Rita into looking into her murder which has been ruled a suicide by the police department. Erma has also somehow been able to open a portal to the World Beyond, allowing even more ghosts to assail Rita seeking for help. This unfortunate victim was dropped from a highway overpass into oncoming traffic... but there's a lot more to this story than it seems, and uncovering the truth may likewise put Rita in mortal danger.
The one constant in Rita's life has been her grandmother, a traditional Navajo who lives on the reservation and who helped raise her when her mother was unable to care for her as a young child. Grandma has long sought the help of a Navajo traditional healer to keep the ghosts at bay, but it seems that his ability to repel them has become ineffective.
It also appears that there is more going on at Rita's job than meets the eye, which puts her at odds with both the living and the dead, especially after her supervisors become aware that something isn't right, even if they don't believe that she can actually see and communicate with spirits.
I won't include the spoilers at the end, but this was a decent first novel, if somewhat mediocre. I love mystery and even horror, but the descriptions of the gore were excessively graphic for my taste. I get that the author is attempting to describe in words the photos Rita takes as part of her job, providing mental images and allowing the reader to see what she sees, which is horrific, but I think it was generally overwrought and sensationalistic.
I did enjoy the vignettes from Rita's early life and her experiences as a native woman, as her grandmother, caught between two worlds, in a way, the same as the spirits who are desperately trying to communicate with her. It's a decent read, but be prepared for some scenes of graphic violence throughout.
