Hear No Evil: Shortlisted for the Bloody Scotland Debut Prize 2022

Based on a true story, "The Silent Patient" is a novel that follows Jean Campbell, a young Deaf woman who is accused of throwing a child into the River Clyde from the Old Bridge in Glasgow, 1817. She faces death by hanging or incarceration in an asylum, but Robert Kinniburgh, a talented teacher from the Deaf & Dumb Institution, helps her communicate and reveals the truth.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 02 February 2023
Publisher: John Murray Press

Glasgow, 1817: Jean Campbell, a young Deaf woman, is witnessed throwing a child into the River Clyde from the Old Bridge. If found guilty, she faces either death by hanging or incarceration in an asylum. However, Jean's deafness isolates her and renders her unable to defend herself, until the authorities call in Robert Kinniburgh, a talented teacher from the Deaf and Dumb Institution. Through a challenging process of trial and error, Robert and Jean develop a rudimentary form of communication. As Jean grows to trust Robert, she reveals the truth behind the incident on the bridge over the Clyde River. Now deeply involved in this dark case, Robert must act swiftly to ensure justice is served before it's too late.

Based on a real-life case from Scottish legal history, Smith's novel skillfully blends crime fiction with a woman's struggle to speak the truth. The Times praised it as "fascinating," while Sally Magnusson described it as "a powerful and compelling read."

Weight: 244g
Dimension: 196 x 131 x 25 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781529369113