1979

I’m due to see the author in conversation later this month in Warwick. She’ll be promoting her book ‘1989’ and since I’d already picked this up when it was on sale, I thought it appropriate that I read this first as a ‘set up’ for that. I’m glad I did as it neatly introduces the reader to her new heroine - Allie Burns, Investigative Reporter.The start of this was slower than usual for a McDermid book, with two news stories interlinking and involving Allie and her colleague Danny. One story is a tax evasion scheme involving Danny’s brother and the other is a potential bomb plot by a small group of radical Scottish nationalists. Given the 1979 setting, Allie suffers severe misogyny and is often belittled and overlooked at work. Danny however treats her with respect and becomes a friend over time.Whist I felt at first that this didn’t have the excitement factor I’m used to from McDermid, it gradually drew me in and when there’s a murder, the thriller element ratcheted up hugely as Allie tries to uncover the truth…the last quarter of this easily lifted my rating from an ‘OK’ 3 star review to a much more satisfying 4 star one. I’m also glad that I read this first given the relationship that slowly but surely develops between Allie and another work colleague. I’ll be very happy to move on to 1989 next!

I'd recently finished all the Karen Pirie books (the first 6 anyway and was eagerly waiting for the 7th to be in paperback). They've been great and it had reminded me what a great author Val McDermid is. When I came across this books - the first in a new series with a journalist as the protagonist - I was keen to give it a go.The book is 446 pages split into 56 chapters - standard structure for VM books.Setting a story in the 1970s gives the author capacity to have some fun with the period. She never uses blatant nostalgia for it's own sake but there are plenty of references to the practicalities of life more than 40 years ago. Some things haven't changed at all (snow drifts delaying trains??) but the idea of typewriters with multiple sheets separated by carbon paper is almost funny.Regardless of the period though this is an interesting insight into the world of newspaper journalism - desperate for the next story and prepared to set aside morals and social niceties to progress careers.Of course, the writing is very good - VM is always engaging, exciting and intriguing. The big appeal about this book is the step away from the usual police crime thriller. Allie Burns is investigating a fraud case - there are no bodies for a long time, but this is 1970s Glasgow so there is always an expectation of murders somewhere along the way.The focus is around the newsroom which gives space to explore it's culture, reflecting and amplifying society. The police are relegated to a supporting role (a minor supporting role!!) which is brave in a crime thriller but works really well.I think the portrayal of women's treatment in the 1970s is accurate - which provokes the consideration of how much has changed since - certainly women should now expect to be treated equally but many aspects of society are the same, particularly in the world of investigative journalism.There are 2 stories that lead the plot and I wasn't sure both were necessary even when they merged - it did make for an exciting plot but one story might have been enough.

One problem with thrillers based on crime-busting journalists is they feel a bit cliched. You know the journalist is going to get the story, and you know they will find themselves in big trouble as a result. That's what happens in 1979 - a well-written and exciting novel for sure - but you can see lots of the plot coming. Young, ambitious Glasgow Clarion journo Allie Burns looks for the big stories to progress her career. Joining forces with an equally ambitious colleague, they break two big stories pretty much simultaneously: a tax avoidance scam, and a potential terrorist plot linked to an extremist group working for Scottish Independence. Uncovering both stories has huge implications for the central characters. Running alongside this, McDermid explores social themes of the times: the appalling way in which female journalists were often treated in the macho world of late seventies pressrooms by male counterparts; and sensitive issues around sexual identity and preferences - and the consequences of not being considered part of the social norm.It's pacey, a bit predictable, and overall the mood of the late 1970s doesn't come over as well as it might. The scale of technological change in journalism since that time is conveyed well - rather like it is in the film The Post - but elsewhere a few howlers have avoided the research. The book is set in the early part of 1979 and McDermid mentions the BBC detective series Shoestring. This didn't air until September 1979, some months after this story is set. Small things like this spoil the realism that the author seems to be aiming for in what, presumably, will be a series of stories set across different decades.

Enjoyable read, but felt like a Val McDermid joyride down memory lane, drawing on her memories of the ‘print’. Storyline a little simplistic, lacking in subtlety. Nonetheless, looking forward to ‘1989’ having enjoyed the well-drawn lead character.

Good condition