Hear No Evil: Shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger 2023

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Imagine being unable to stand up for yourself and to rely on a complete stranger to communicate on your behalf. I do think the last bit dragged a bit and the “climax” didn’t quite hit in the way it could’ve, hence the four stars. The former Labour Home Secretary has written a series of witty memoirs, and he’s regularly regaled Book Festival audiences with colourful tales of life beyond Westminster. Smith explores the life for deaf people then, as societal attitudes, although slowly changing, are overwhelmingly dismissive and cruel or, at best, paternalistic. In the early 19th century they were rather isolated, possibly feared even, but attempts were being made to standardise sign language to improve communication.

Though the body was never found, a witness claimed that the child was alive when Campbell threw it into the water and now, she stands accused of murder.Once they had reached their destination, the clerk relinquished his charge to the keeper of the Castle Street Tolbooth, Thomas Sibbald, and scurried back to his duties. This is the story of a woman marginalised by society, facing a court that could view her as stupid or even insane because they do not know her language.

As Robert treads a fine line between interpreter and investigator, he becomes absolutely determined to clear her name before it is too late. In light of the recent appearance of Rose Ayling- Ellis on 'Strictly Come Dancing' and her raising awareness of the need for more acceptance for both deaf people and the use of BSL (British Sign Language) this novel is both timely and fascinating. The use of Scots words and phrases scattered throughout the text was a great touch that added to the sense of place and time. The author often describes handshapes and signs which is something I find to be very rare in stories that feature deaf people. The novel does follow the trial of Jean Campbell but this is more the story of her interpreter Richard Kinniburgh.Finally, we also meet some characters that will equate deafness with not being of sound mind (and the commonly used term back in the day was “deaf and dumb”, this is repeatedly used in the book by all characters, by the way). Change country: -Select- Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Angola Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Azerbaijan Republic Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil British Virgin Islands Brunei Darussalam Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Cape Verde Islands Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Cook Islands Costa Rica Cyprus Czech Republic Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) Democratic Republic of the Congo Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Fiji Finland French Guiana French Polynesia Gabon Republic Gambia Georgia Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guernsey Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Iraq Israel Jamaica Japan Jersey Jordan Kazakhstan Kenya Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Laos Latvia Lebanon Lesotho Liberia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Mexico Micronesia Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nepal Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Philippines Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Republic of Croatia Republic of the Congo Reunion Romania Rwanda Saint Helena Saint Kitts-Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Pierre and Miquelon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Serbia Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands South Africa South Korea Sri Lanka Suriname Svalbard and Jan Mayen Swaziland Sweden Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Vatican City State Venezuela Vietnam Virgin Islands (U. Buchanan knows Jean well, cares deeply for her welfare and tries to assist Kinniburgh in his attempt to prove Jean’s innocence.