The Other Typist

September 2, 2013
Rose Baker is inexperienced and unworldly. She takes and types criminal confessions of every sordid kind for a New York City police precinct, but her life is otherwise unremarkable. Due to the increase of crime resulting from prohibition (the book is set in 1923), a new typist is hired to help with the workload, and Rose is intrigued. Odalie is beautiful, provocative, and more than a little unscrupulous. Rose gets swept into Odalieâs world of fashion trends and speakeasies, and finds it exhilarating. As she relates her growing involvement with Odalie, Rose becomes as uncertain of Odalieâs motives as she is infatuated. Gretchen Mol is effective in narrating Rindellâs novel. She sounds young, reserved, and thoughtful. And the voices Molâwho turns in an earnest and capable performanceâlends the other characters are appropriate. An Amy Einhorn/Putnam hardcover.

April 29, 2013
With prohibition picking up steam, the New York precinct where Rose Baker works typing confessions is busy enough to need a new girl. Enter the beautiful, disturbing, and enviable Odalie. Soon Rose, a convent-raised orphan who presents herself as old-fashioned and dowdy, is ensconced in Odalie's expensive apartment, sharing her clothes, and going with her to speakeasies. Even as she's drawn in by Odalie's seductive charm and comfortable life, Rose is aware of Odalie's flexible relationship with the truth and the way she uses her position to help confederates on the wrong side of the law. But though this awareness gives Rose pause, the lure of having a friend and the thrill of living life instead of watching it pass seem to be enough to make her ignore her doubts. But then a figure from Odalie's mysterious past shows up and raises questions even Rose can't ignore, and her curiosity leads her to challenge Odalie, with explosive results. Though the final twistâthe one that should make readers gasp and look back for the clues they missedâis hinted at too often ("this latter discovery lay like a bear trap waiting to spring on me," as Rose tells us) to snap smartly when sprung, Rindell's debut is a cinematic page-turner. Agent: Emily Forland, the Wendy Weil Agency.

Rindell's poignant psychological suspense chills with its plausibility. Narrator Gretchen Mol is well matched to the story of New York City police stenographer Rose Baker, which takes place during 1920s Prohibition. Mol lulls the listener with Rose's old-fashioned, prudish air and subtly provides contrast with the appearance of Odalie, the new typist, who has a glamorous manner and luxurious lifestyle. Mol easily shifts her voice to dramatize the differences between the two women as they move through speakeasies and other areas of crime. The mystery of Odalie's origins and devious intentions, along with Rose's ensuing obsession, is carried seamlessly to the story's conclusion. A.W. (c) AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine