The Interpreter: A Novel

by Brooke Robinson, Nathalie Buscombe (Read by), Ayesha Antoine (Read by)

Overview

"In this stellar debut thriller from playwright Robinson, London-based interpreter Revelle Lee considers the consequences of sabotaging a murder investigation." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

With the taut psychological drama of The Silent Patient and the propulsive storytelling of The Club, a chilling debut thriller about a London-based interpreter with dark secrets—and the enemy determined to take her down.

Innocent or guilty: it all hinges on a single word . . .

Thanks to a nomadic childhood, Revelle Lee is fluent in ten languages, which she puts to use at crime scenes and in courtrooms across London. Being a court interpreter is a stressful job, one that makes her privy to the most personal and often dark details of others’ lives.

In the meantime, she’s close to adopting a six-year-old boy named Elliot from foster care. Revelle is determined to be the mother she never had, and to make up for a terrible mistake she made years ago. Though the sweet, loving little boy is learning to trust her, she’s begun receiving disturbing messages which she suspects are from his birth family.

When one of her cases involves a murder victim she knew slightly, Revelle fears she’s seeing a miscarriage of justice play out. Putting both the adoption and her career at risk, she deliberately mistranslates a Polish man’s alibi to put his accused friend behind bars, even though he insists he’s innocent.

Revelle thinks she’s gotten away with it free and clear. But someone seems to know what she’s done—and about her long-ago error and its terrible consequences. And they intend to destroy Revelle’s life, piece by piece. . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798212695947
Publisher:	HarperCollins Publishers
Publication date:	09/19/2023
Product dimensions:	5.30(w) x 7.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Brooke Robinson is professional playwright who has had her work produced at London’s Vault Festival and the Old Vic, among others. She grew up in Sydney, Australia, and has worked as a bookseller, university administrator, and playwright there and in the UK. She started writing The Interpreter, her first novel, when the pandemic ground the theatre world to a halt, and is currently working on her second novel.

Ayesha Antoine is an English actress best known for playing Poppy Silver in Grange Hill. She has several other television credits, including a husband-beating shoplifter in The Bill,
and Dee Dee Blasco in an episode of Doctor
Who.

Nathalie Buscombe has worked extensively on stage and in radio, film, and television. Her theater credits include Alice in Underground, The Breadwinner, and The Man Who Pays the Piper, and her screen credits include RED 2, Father Brown, Eastenders, and Holby City. She has performed in radio plays and narrated numerous audiobooks.

Editorial Reviews

★ 07/31/2023

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.)

Publishers Weekly

In this stellar debut thriller from playwright Robinson, London-based interpreter Revelle Lee considers the consequences of sabotaging a murder investigation. . . . Robinson is marvelous at mining the moral murk of Revelle’s choices, and chapters from the perspective of her stalker ratchet up the suspense. Minette Walters fans will be delighted.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Robinson’s thought-provoking debut provides a unique spin on the courtroom drama. . . . By blurring the lines between lies and truth, this book will make readers question whether justice is served.” — Booklist

“Brilliantly crafted and deliciously dark, The Interpreter forces us to question how far is too far when it comes to serving justice and protecting our loved ones, and whether the best of intentions can excuse cataclysmic outcomes. A propulsive and heartfelt page-turner.” — Erica Katz, author of The Boys’ Club and Fake 

“An ingenious premise, cleverly executed, THE INTERPRETER is multi-layered and intriguing, gripping from beginning to end.” — Sabine Durrant, author of Sun Damage

“Clever, atmospheric, and utterly absorbing—I loved it.” — Alice Clark-Platts, author of The Cove

From the Publisher

Clever, atmospheric, and utterly absorbing—I loved it.”

author of The Cove Alice Clark-Platts

Nathalie Buscombe and Ayesha Antoine narrate this debut thriller. Revelle, who speaks 10 languages, is a meticulous courtroom translator. But when she fears an alleged killer will go free, she deliberately mistranslates his alibi and gets him convicted. Someone finds out, and now Revelle's job and the pending adoption of a child she wants very much are endangered--along with her life. Buscombe puts listeners firmly in Revelle's shoes, depicting every appropriate emotion. She transports listeners into the mind of a protective mother and powerful professional. Antoine voices a fearsome, bitter person from the past who is bent on retribution. Her emotions swing from sorrow arising out of a great loss to vengeance that is limitless. L.M.G. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2023 -- AudioFile