The Suspense Builds in Suzanne Rindell's Debut, The Other Typist

You have probably noticed a trend here at the Readers' Corner that I gravitate towards debut novels.  I love to see new authors trying new things.  More importantly, I love connecting readers to new authors they may enjoy.  Granted, not all of them are gold, but there has been so many great debuts over the past three years or so.  Suzanne Rindell's debut, The Other Typist, is one of those solid works. This is a terrific debut for those who love a good suspense story with well developed characters.

Rose Baker works as a typist for the New York City Police Dept. in the 1920s.  She is certainly old-fashioned and, in her own opinion, quite dull, especially during the roaring '20s.  That changes when her department hires Odalie, a woman who is everything that Rose is not.  Odalie smokes, bobs her hair, wears the new fashions, and even goes to local speakeasies.  Talk about oil and water.  But Rose finds herself fascinated by Odalie and even does everything she can to win her favor.  But this involves entering Odalie's world, which is totally foreign territory.  Is Rose willing to give up who she is and, more importantly, pay the consequences?

Odalie and Rose are very well developed characters.  The reader gets a real sense of why Rose is so old fashioned, but also why she is trying to win over Odalie.  Rindell also does a fantastic job of creating 1920s New York and all that goes with it.  But the feeling that Rose is getting in way over her head is the real reason this book is a winner.  The feeling of suspense as she finds herself deeper and deeper into Odalie's world is very well done.

Chris May- Manager of Adult Services