Hear No Evil
Longlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger
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Get 3 months for £0.99/mo
Hear No Evil
Buy Now for £12.99
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Narrated by:
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Helen McAlpine
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By:
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Sarah Smith
About this listen
In the burgeoning industrial city of Glasgow in 1817 Jean Campbell - a young, deaf woman - is witnessed throwing a child into the River Clyde from the Old Bridge.
No evidence is yielded from the river. Unable to communicate with their silent prisoner, the authorities move Jean to the decaying Edinburgh Tolbooth in order to prise the story from her. The High Court calls in Robert Kinniburgh, a talented teacher from the Deaf & Dumb Institution, in the hope that he will interpret for them and determine if Jean is fit for trial. If found guilty she faces one of two fates: death by hanging or incarceration in an insane asylum.
Through a process of trial and error, Robert and Jean manage to find a rudimentary way of communicating with each other. As Robert gains her trust, Jean confides in him, and Robert begins to uncover the truth, moving uneasily from interpreter to investigator, determined to clear her name before it is too late.
Based on a landmark case in Scottish legal history Hear No Evil is a richly atmospheric exploration of 19th-century Edinburgh and Glasgow at a time when progress was only on the horizon. A time that for some who were silenced could mean paying the greatest price.
©2022 Sarah Smith (P)2022 Hodder & Stoughton LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"Beautifully written and a real page turner - a wonderful insight into the early quest to understand and give a voice to people who cannot hear." (Elisabeth Gifford)
"A fascinating exploration of deafness and human value amid the sights, sounds of smells of 1817 urban Scotland." (Sally Magnusson)
"A striking and stylish literary page-turner that breathes life into the past." (Zoë Strachan)
Refreshingly different
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It is a colourful drama based on a true story about a deaf woman in 1817.
Robert Kinninburgh, who is a hearing man, works as a teacher in a school for the deaf, and he volunteers to be an interpreter for Jean Campbell, a deaf woman who is accused of murder. I really admire Robert for his work with deaf people.
This story is sad, it made me laugh, and is an adventure. It has lots of good information about language and communication.
10/10, I would definitely recommend this book. I feel well represented as a deaf person, and I am happy that stories about deaf people are being told well.
A very good book
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Sarah Smith has created a richly detailed novel with a compelling story that keeps you interested right up to the end, as good historical fiction should. A fantastic debut - I look forward to more from her.
I also enjoyed the reading of the story itself - Helen McAlpine did a great job of bringing it to life, with distinct voices and consistency.
Richly detailed novel
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Format of diary visits unfolded the plot well.
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Fantastic Scottish historical fiction
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