The deaf man

The Deaf Man is a character in the 87th Precinct series of police procedurals by author Ed McBain (pseudonym of Evan Hunter).

The Deaf Man is a criminal mastermind who appears in a number of the novels, usually plotting some spectacular crime while sending clues to the 87th Precinct, as if daring the detectives there to thwart him. In most of the stories, these clues are intended to mislead the police, directing them away from The Deaf Man's real goal.

It is not known whether the Deaf Man is actually deaf, or if this is just another layer of disguise and misdirection. He wears a hearing aid, and uses odd pseudonyms referreing to deafness. Examples include "L. Sordo" ("el sordo" means "the deaf man" in Spanish), "Mort Orrechio" (roughly "dead ear" in Italian) and Herr Taubmann ("dead ear" in German). When he calls the detectives of the 87th, he'll commonly start the conversation with some version of "You'll have to speak up. I'm a little hard of hearing."

The Deaf Man was last seen in "Hark!" (2004). The ending of "Hark!" leaves the Deaf Man still free, and presumably able to plot more mischief for the 87th Precinct at some later time.

The Deaf Man appears in the following 87th Precinct novels:

The Heckler (1960)
Fuzz (1968)
Let's Hear it for the Deaf Man! (1972)
Eight Black Horses (1985)
Mischief (1993)
Hark! (2004)

In other 87th Precinct novels where The Deaf Man does not appear, characters on occasion make reference to him and his crimes.