1979 is the first instalment in the Allie Burns series set against the bustling backdrop of nineteen-seventies Glasgow. The story introduces us to Allie Burns. Allie is a young journalist whose investigative work leads her into a world of murder, corruption and terror. It is January nineteen seventy-nine. The year has brought strikes, blizzards, political unrest and power cuts. However, the bad news is a chance for Allie to move on from the "women's stories" to which the editors at the Scottish daily The Clarion have confined her. She becomes close friends with budding investigative journalist Danny Sullivan. Together, they uncover a story of international tax fraud involving Scots ultranationalists who plan to cause mayhem ahead of a referendum on breaking away from the UK. Danny and Allie's stories quickly get attention and create enemies for the two young reporters. As they get closer to breaking the news, will Allie and Danny find their lives on the line? Read 1979 by Val McDermid to find out.
Drawing on McDermid's experiences as a young journalist, 1979 is redolent of the thundering presses, hammering typewriters, and wreaths of the smoke of the Clarion newsroom. It is the latest suspenseful addition to McDermid's crime pantheon. It is compulsive, enthralling, and atmospheric. It not only looks at crime and the city's gritty underbelly but also touches on the changes in technology, fashion and music. The novel explores class, gender, sexuality, and politics alongside a high-stakes investigation into corruption and unrest in Glasgow in the Seventies. A riveting, captivating, and propulsive start to a series that shows much promise.
I was surprised to read that in Scotland it was still illegal for people to be gay until 1981. I liked the way McDermid dealt with the fact that Danny was gay and how that had an effect on his life.
I listened to the audiobook, which is eleven hours and six minutes long. Sadly the thing I disliked about this audiobook was the fact that the reader, Katie Leung, often mispronounced words. I thought this was because she is Scottish and the book is set in Scotland, but having researched the words, they should be pronounced the same as in England.
I want to give this book 3 out of 5 stars. It is an exciting read, but the ending is disappointing, and the Allie I got to know whilst listening to the audiobook would not have jumped into bed with Rhona after hearing that her best friend Danny had been murdered. I am also taking one star off for the mispronunciation of the reader as this should have been picked up on and is as bad as grammar and spelling errors in a print book!
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