#BookReview ‘1979’ by Val McDermid

About the book…

Hailed as Britain’s Queen of Crime, Val McDermid’s award-winning, internationally bestselling novels have captivated readers for more than thirty years. Now, in ‘1979’, she returns to the past with the story of Allie Burns, an investigative journalist whose stories lead her into world a corruption, terror, and murder.

She’s on the hunt for a killer story . . .

1979. It’s the winter of discontent, and Allie Burns is chasing her first big scoop. One of few women in the newsroom, she needs something explosive for the boys’ club to take her seriously.

Soon Allie and fellow reporter Danny Sullivan are making powerful enemies with their investigations – and Allie won’t stop there. When she discovers a terrorist threat close to home, she devises a dangerous plan to make her name.

But Allie is a woman in a man’s world . . . and putting a foot wrong could be fatal.

The first novel in McDermid’s newest series, 1979 is an atmospheric journey into the past with intriguing insight into the present, and the latest addition to McDermid’s crime pantheon.

A long time fan of Val McDermid-imho, ‘A Place Of Execution’ is one of the finest novels I have ever read-I was thrilled to be offered the chance to read ‘1989’ to celebrate not only its paperback release, but also the recently televised Karen Pirie series based on Val’s novels. Huge thanks to publishers, Sphere, for my gifted copy of 1989, review coming imminently!

Being a particular sort who loves to read series in order, it was a no brainer to pick up a copy of the first Allie Burns novel, 1979, where Val uses her past journalistic experience, combined with her forensic knowledge of crime to create a retro thriller with one foot firmly in the present day reality of Scotland.

By this I mean that the drive and passion for Scottish Independence is firmly established, it is not a new phenomenon, it has its roots in what I now begrudgingly admit to being decades ago….in 1979 I was 4 so have a limited frame of reference, but I related so very much to many of the situations which are raised in casual asides through the book. Val creates this sense of nostalgia which is entirely organic, she does not shove mentions of pop being delivered by the milkman, or winceyette nightwear in order to forcibly remind you when this book is set.

It clearly and firmly is set on a cusp of the progress from the anti establishment 70’s characterised by strikes, punk and rebellion in the form of nationalist actions in Ireland and Scotland, to the Thatcherite 80’s where the illusion that anything was possible was sold wholesale.

The war of the sexes really focuses on how Allie, a rare woman in a male dominated profession has not only to be better than what is expected of her, she has to try and maintain her sense of journalistic integrity and who she is as a woman, whilst juggling her ambition to be a front page writer.

The details are so immersive, from Allie and Danny’s first meeting -and first headline-at the premature arrival of a baby on a train to their combining their efforts to bring down a far reaching web of fraud and corruption.

In the days before the internet and 24 hour rolling headlines, the news as seen in papers and on television was vital in being able to be accurate, representative of the populace and also, most importantly , had to be trustworthy on the issues of the day.

And this extends to the trust between co-workers, knowing who would and who would not steal your stories, your by lines and what could also put you in mortal peril, was vital. Your sources and your supporters were fiercely guarded and as we follow Allie through her journalistic experiences, we see her grow as a person and learn vital lessons in life and love.

She arrives, fully formed as someone with a clear sense of identity and enthusiasm tempered with a lack of experience that quickly becomes hardened without ever losing that motivation to push forward. In other words, she is what could be a considered McDermid protagonist, a strong woman with a moral code who at the start of this series needs a bit of guidance (mostly from new friend Rhona) in order to make herself stand out without compromise.

The issues of trust between colleagues extends to family ties as she and Danny plunge into a dark underbelly of politics and money laundering, that has the potential to make an impossible schism between professional and personal . Danny’s biggest ever scoop could be at an unbearable cost to his family-which side of the fence will he come down on?

With Allie, you get to see the beginning of a character development, given room to grow over forthcoming entries into the series, where even the background characters combine with the principle narrators to create a sweeping sense of people, place and time, that is positively perfect to indulge in, whilst giving us readers so much to look forward to.

About the author…

Val McDermid is a No. 1 bestseller whose novels have been translated into more than thirty languages, and have sold over eleven million copies.

She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009 and was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger for 2010. In 2011 she received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award.

She writes full time and divides her time between Cheshire and Edinburgh.

Links-http://www.valmcdermid.com/

Twitter @valmcdermid @LittleBrownUK @BooksSphere