"Monsters are real and ghosts are real. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." (Stephen King)

Ramona Emerson goes deep in Exposure. If you've read the first book in this series, Shutter, you know there's a lot of WooWoo going on. Exposure does read as a standalone, but it's best to get your bearings straight in Shutter. This one sends a current of intensity from the first pages on.

Rita Todacheene is a forensic photo specialist for the Albuquerque Police. She's seen it all and the all follows her home at night. Rita has visions of the victims long after the crime scene is wrapped up. As a Navajo, she respects the dead. The ones that she deals with have had tragic endings and they wish for their voices, once silenced, to be heard.

A teenage boy has been accused of murdering his entire family. Rita is not so sure that he's guilty. The crime scene says otherwise. But the visions tell a different story.

Because of her unusual visions, Rita has been ridiculed by her fellow officers. The strain wears on her especially after she was severely injured previously and now walks with a cane. Dr. Cassler doesn't want to release Rita back into the force. But the need is great for her talent. This is more evident when officers from Gallup call for her help.

It appears that a serial killer is in their midst when the body count turns into multiples. The stress is beginning to take its toll on Rita and she returns to Tohachi to heal under her grandmother's care. But murder doesn't take a holiday and Rita is pulled back once again.

Ramona Emerson creates a dual storyline here. We'll be introduced to this killer early on in his youth. His life experiences will curl your toes. Emerson sees to that. Exposure allows us to walk around inside his head. Believe me, it jangles with all the bells and whistles of the wheels coming off of a human soul. Creepy to the max. But in regard to Rita, just you wait and see.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to Soho Press and to Ramona Emerson for the opportunity.

Emerson's created another edge of your seat tale with corrupt police, creepy serial killers, and ghosties galore. I sometimes had to stop and remind myself how minor characters from her previous novel fit it, but it didn't detract from the experience. I was pleased to see that she's finally getting a bit of support base. Go Rita!

Thanks to NetGalley and Soho Crime for making an advance copy of this title available for an honest review.

Like the first book, Exposure hits the ground running from the first scene. It made me think about forensic photographers and the images they forever carry with them. We feel the toll that it takes on Rita. The combination of paranormal and forensics works so well.
I hope there's more Rita Todacheene to come.

Note- The novel depicts graphic violence and abuse including that done to women and children. Readers triggered by such topics should be aware before continuing to read this book.

Exposure is a solid follow up to Shutter. As a reader, I enjoy the unique exploration of Navajo culture paired with the supernatural and horror genre elements explored in Emerson's writing. Rita does show character development. I do hope there are more books in this series that continue to provide answers for both Rita and readers. I did feel like the ending was a bit rushed but overall a great read.

I was a huge fan of Ramona Emerson's "Shutter" which was a delightful blend of supernatural and hard boiled crime writing. Unfortunately this second entry in the planned trilogy falls a bit flat for me. While I'm still impressed with Emerson's incredibly gift for scene setting and the depth of her protoganist, forensic photographer Rita Todacheene's character the supernatural side of things, Rita's ability to see ghosts, is getting out of control. The world building around it just isn't solid enough. Why can she see these spirits? Why doesn't everyone become a ghost? I also have issues with the way she's treated by everyone around her. Her colleagues, rightly, are concerned about her mental well being but her beloved grandmother's strange, and aggressive insistence that she just stop seeing ghosts over and over again strains credulity. Becuase Rita's relationships are such a central component of the story everything else gets a bit lost. The mystery in this case, murders of indigenous homeless by a missionary killer who's story is told in tandem with Rita's, never quite takes off. The killer is refreshingly sympathetic but partly because no one is even aware that he's comitting crimes there's a lack of narrative tension to offset all the family drama. I fully intend to finish out the series but this doesn't pack the same punch as Emerson's truly excellent debut.

Rita Todacheene, a member of the Navajo nation and a forensic photographer lives in Albuquerque. She is struggling on the force after a recent case where she unmasked a corrupt fellow cop and, well, she discovered that she could see the ghosts of murder victims. So she’s got a lot going on. Perhaps it’s time she returns to Tohatchi, on the reservation to care for her grandmother.

First, though, there’s a case in crime-ridden Gallup where a serial killer is targeting homeless Native people. The deaths look like exposure on the cold winter streets. Todacheene is called in to assist.

The story is told in dual points of view between Rita and the killer, and I know there must be books where I’ve empathized with the killers before, this is definitely one of them. He honestly didn’t seem that bad til the very end, or maybe I’m just a horrible human being my own self. This appears to be the second Rita Todacheene novel; I didn’t read the first and did just fine. I liked the character, her grandmother and some of the secondary characters and could see myself reading more of these. Nice one.