1979

LoveReading Says

A new book by Val McDermid is to be celebrated, this is up there on my list of favourite novels by the queen of crime, so you can party like it’s, well, 1979. Bright and ambitious journalist Allie Burns heads back home to Scotland and teams up with Danny Sullivan, but in breaking one major story and investigating another, they’re also making some serious enemies. There are obviously plenty of Val McDermid fans out there, if by chance you’ve not read any before, then I can recommend starting right here, at the first in the Allie Burns thriller series. One of the highlights for me is most definitely the characters, they are so finely drawn and so very believable. This is a novel that sinks deeply and evocatively into the past, wrapping you in the atmosphere and culture, both social and political. I was a child in the 70’s but even if you weren’t of that time, you’re taken there. The plot focuses on the difficulties of not being a member of the boys club, of struggling that little bit harder to make your mark as it explores the two stories under investigation. Yes, there’s tension, but there’s as much in the office as there is on the street, so at times it’s slow-burn but explosive is waiting just round the corner. If you didn’t know, Val McDermid used to be a journalist working in the era she’s writing about, I couldn’t help feeling that her very essence is stamped into the pages. For me this was a beautifully easy read, and by that I mean it is so well written, you can just let go and explore. 1979 is a cracking novel, provocative and powerful, it heads straight onto our list of LoveReading Star Books.

Liz Robinson

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