What do you think?
The Acupuncture Murders
1974, Warner Paperback Library Edition, mass market paperback, 174 pages. Sampson Trehune is an appraiser and lover of old books, loves fine food and good Scotch, is middle aged, has an insatiable curiosity, and is totally deaf. He's scheduled as the second patient at a demonstration by Dr. Henri Voisin, acupuncturist. The first patient was successfully treated and minutes later lies dead. Was it murder?
- GenresFiction
183 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1973
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 11, 2021
Whilst book browsing, I can across this little tome and the premise intrigued me - a totally deaf detective. This 1977 book was part of the Penguin Crime series, of which I had a number in my own personal collection, so thought it would make an interesting addition.
I struggled with this one - quite possibly due to the requirements of adding in sign-language and lip-reading into the vocalised narrative (for which I applaud the author) - however, it just added any extra layer to the chore of reading. Putting that aside, I really did not find myself invested in the storyline, or any of the characters, and forced myself to push through to the end. And to be honest, my mind wandered so much that I could not even tell you "whodunnit" as I cared not a jot.
Others may pick this up and enjoy it - for me, it goes into the donation bag for the little neighbourhood street library.
I struggled with this one - quite possibly due to the requirements of adding in sign-language and lip-reading into the vocalised narrative (for which I applaud the author) - however, it just added any extra layer to the chore of reading. Putting that aside, I really did not find myself invested in the storyline, or any of the characters, and forced myself to push through to the end. And to be honest, my mind wandered so much that I could not even tell you "whodunnit" as I cared not a jot.
Others may pick this up and enjoy it - for me, it goes into the donation bag for the little neighbourhood street library.
May 21, 2022
Deaf reader reviewing books with deaf characters. This book is listed on my ranked list of books with deaf characters.
Going into this, I had such low expectations for the story and the representation that I found myself shocked by how well-done it is. What we've got here is basically a deaf Sherlock Holmes, and the deafness aspect is fairly accurate. I can find no information on the author, so I can only assume it is a pen name.
Quick note: the author forewords this by explaining how lipreading works and that although story is deaf POV, Steward chose to prioritize reader comprehension over representing distorted/missing dialog.
Profoundly deaf for more than 30 years due to Ménière’s disease, Sampson recounts a series of treatments for deafness he’s experienced over the years—these discussed in Jaipreet Virdi’s Hearing Happiness, for those interested. Now his doctor friend is urging him to try acupuncture, which he reluctantly does. One of the patients dies after treatment--and Sampson investigates. There is a vibrant deaf community in NYC, where Sampson lives, and he interacts with them and with hearing friends and neighbors. As he investigates, he has to interact with hearing strangers, and he puts on various personas in dealing with them, including disguises. Sampson also enjoys trolling hearing people by putting a button in his ear to trick them into thinking it's a hearing aid, so they will face him while they talk.
Towards the end, Sampson finally undergoes the acupuncture procedure and his hearing briefly returns, though he struggles to classify sounds (train whistle vs dog howling).
Overall, a wonderful story with accurate deaf representation.
Going into this, I had such low expectations for the story and the representation that I found myself shocked by how well-done it is. What we've got here is basically a deaf Sherlock Holmes, and the deafness aspect is fairly accurate. I can find no information on the author, so I can only assume it is a pen name.
Quick note: the author forewords this by explaining how lipreading works and that although story is deaf POV, Steward chose to prioritize reader comprehension over representing distorted/missing dialog.
Profoundly deaf for more than 30 years due to Ménière’s disease, Sampson recounts a series of treatments for deafness he’s experienced over the years—these discussed in Jaipreet Virdi’s Hearing Happiness, for those interested. Now his doctor friend is urging him to try acupuncture, which he reluctantly does. One of the patients dies after treatment--and Sampson investigates. There is a vibrant deaf community in NYC, where Sampson lives, and he interacts with them and with hearing friends and neighbors. As he investigates, he has to interact with hearing strangers, and he puts on various personas in dealing with them, including disguises. Sampson also enjoys trolling hearing people by putting a button in his ear to trick them into thinking it's a hearing aid, so they will face him while they talk.
Towards the end, Sampson finally undergoes the acupuncture procedure and his hearing briefly returns, though he struggles to classify sounds (train whistle vs dog howling).
Overall, a wonderful story with accurate deaf representation.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews