The Interpreter

In this stellar debut thriller from playwright Robinson, London-based interpreter Revelle Lee considers the consequences of sabotaging a murder investigation. Revelle, who speaks several languages, has made a career translating for trials and criminal investigations. One afternoon, six-year-old Elliott—whom Revelle is fostering and planning to adopt—is sent home sick from school, and she leaves him in the care of a security guard outside the Old Bailey while she finishes interpreting for a murder trial. When she goes to collect Elliott, she learns the guard has passed him off to Sandra Ramos, a servant of the accused, and Revelle strikes up a conversation with Ramos before taking Elliott home. A short time later, Ramos is murdered, and Revelle is assigned to her case. Invested in taking down the prime suspect, Revelle deliberately mistranslates his alibi to make him look guilty, and he’s arrested. Then she starts receiving threatening messages from someone who claims to know not only what she did, but also a secret from her past that could jeopardize her chances of adopting Elliott. Robinson is marvelous at mining the moral murk of Revelle’s choices, and chapters from the perspective of her stalker ratchet up the suspense. Minnette Walters fans will be delighted. Agent: Katie Greenstreet, Paper Literary. (Sept.)