Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

The Other Typist

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
One of the most fascinating, unreliable narrators you’ll read this year, for fans of The Talented Mr. Ripley and Rules of Civility.

It is 1923. Rose Baker is a typist in the New York City Police Department on the lower east side. Confessions are her job. The criminals admit to their crimes, and like a high priestess, Rose records their every word. Often she is the only woman present. And while she may hear about shootings, knifings, and crimes of passion, as soon as she leaves that room she is once again the weaker sex, best suited for making coffee.

It is a new era for women, and New York City is a confusing time for Rose. Gone are the Victorian standards of what is acceptable. Now women bob their hair short like men, they smoke, they go to speakeasies. But prudish Rose is stuck in the fading light of yesteryear, searching for the nurturing companionship that eluded her childhood and clinging to the Victorian ideal of sisterhood.

But when glamorous Odalie, a new girl, joins the typing pool, despite her best intentions Rose falls under Odalie’s spell. As the two women navigate between the sparkling underworld of speakeasies by night, and their work at the station by day, Rose is drawn fully into Odalie’s high stakes world and her fascination with Odalie turns into an obsession from which she may never recover.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      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
    • Publisher's Weekly

      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.

    • Publisher's Weekly

      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.

    • Library Journal

      Starred review from August 1, 2013

      In this crisp psychological thriller, debut novelist Rindell transports listeners to 1920s New York City during the height of Prohibition. Rose, a stenographer at a Lower East Side police department, excels at her job, taking great pride in her typing skills and work ethic. The conservative, somewhat prudish Rose, who was raised at a Catholic orphanage, becomes fascinated with the new typist, the glamorous Odalie, a charismatic woman with stylish clothes and bobbed hair who would have been right at home at one of Gatsby's parties. As Rose and Odalie strike up a friendship and venture into the dangerous underworld of the speakeasies, Rose struggles to reconcile her job with her new social life. Gretchen Mol, who appears on HBO's 1920s-set series Boardwalk Empire, delivers the perfect pacing and tone for this menacing thriller. VERDICT Highly recommended for all suspense fans. ["Fans of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley are sure to love Rindell's debut novel, which parallels Ripley in its examination of our fascination with wealth and the potential consequences of keeping the wrong company," read the review of the Putnam hc, LJ Xpress Reviews, 5/3/13.--Ed.]--Beth Farrell, Cleveland State Univ. Law Lib.

      Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

Languages

  • English

Loading