Intrigue and mystery
Two books worth reading and sharing with friends

I was all excited to bring you “The Interpreter,” an exciting, nail-biting debut by Australian playwright Brooke Robinson. “The Interpreter” is realistic, tense and high on the suspense chart about Revelle, a single woman and licensed interpreter of eight languages.

Revelle is slowly developing trust working through an agency primarily on court trials and corporations and organizations working with foreign companies. In court proceedings especially, interpreting the words of, say, an accused murderer will likely determine the jury or judge’s verdict.

From page 1, Revelle appeared to display headstrong tendencies and poor judgement by adopting a 6-year-old foster child, Elliott, and going through an extraordinary vetting process by social services. All the while, she was figuring out how to stash Elliott while she’s in court and then stressing over calls about Elliott’s behavior from the day care she luckily found. 

Revelle builds tension as she juggles needy Elliott, assures her caseworker of her reliability in a borrowed, uptown apartment, and proves her dependability to her booking agency. One day in court, and then again and again, Revelle brings her stress and edginess to the corrupt stage of substituting pivotal words to assure guilty verdicts against people she’s convinced are blameworthy. 

She is overheard one day reversing testimony and gets menacing phone calls, feels she is being followed and then finds her babysitter murdered. 

Revelle steps up her trickery to the extent of luring another interpreter to a trial an airline flight away, so she could impersonate her. Such a good, cliffhanging story eventually becomes overfed and beyond fascinating. I became angry approaching the end of “The Interpreter” for being so enthralled and then exposed to such gluttony.

I’d advise trying “The Interpreter,” nonetheless. It’s a paperback original costing less than $20, and it is written well.

Now, the catch of the month is yet another gem of a thriller by Michael Koryta, who is unquestionably one of the top, if not the best, thriller writers in the business.

“An Honest Man” is a 384-page, sophisticated story set on companion islands off the coast of Maine where Israel Pike has come home from 15 years in prison. He was charged with murdering his father by haphazardly throwing a lobster trap from the dock onto his father’s fishing boat and accidentally killing him.

Israel’s uncle, Sterling, had been the lone sheriff on the islands for some 20 years. He hated everyone who didn’t yield to his meager authority, especially Israel, who inherited his grandfather Pike’s boatyard, land, home and boats. 

One day soon after Israel comes home, a large luxury yacht appears in the harbor between the two islands, obviously adrift. Israel takes his father’s dory and rows out to investigate. What he finds on this 100-foot Ferretti yacht is the most sumptuous glass, mahogany, chrome and white carpeted interior he has ever laid eyes on – and seven bodies shot dead at close range.

Th intrigue on the islands and over the dead men is all presented before page 8. What happens over the next 376 pages is perhaps the smartest crime drama I’ve ever read. I can’t say any more about “An Honest Man” without spoiling something you will want to learn for yourself.

Get either of these titles at Maria’s Bookshop, and don’t forget to ask for your 15% Murder Ink discount.