![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVGQO2yz_eur9HULKX3heNsZMN92RmY53rZFfEQpbkwe_N98TmQGYBDNGh5S4eBn93aRV91rUcU_4buQkk7jKGbX4FWvSlZB9pCPVloMRxBI3RgsL2_5_a2MUpY_4prMqkEQzSv1JyHwN7/w131-h200/pattison.jpg)
At CrimeReads she tagged five crime and mystery novels in which the authors refuse to use deafness as a narrative device. One title on the list:
Resurrection Bay, by Emma ViskicRead about the other entries on the list.
Insurance investigator Caleb Zelic was deafened at the age of five by meningitis, and clearly carries a lot of anger at the barriers this has placed in his way. As he becomes embroiled in the investigation into the death of a friend, he is forced to face his own issues surrounding his deafness, aswell as some pretty violent criminals. His pride leads to a reluctance to ask for help when he needs it, and this feels really genuine, highlighting the insecurity that he feels, and Viskic has done a great job at portraying the different modes of communication he uses with different people, depending on their relationship. He has a colleague whose poor attempts at sign language add some comic relief to the darkness of the plot, a brother whose moods can be read depending on whether he will sign, and an ex-wife who knows him intimately enough to blend speech and sign in the most effective combination for him.
--Marshal Zeringue