I found this book to be highly entertaining and I'm so so happy I found it. I love realistic protrayels of journalist and Val has crafted a unique set of characters. If you are looking for a thriller a minute type of novel, this isn't it. If you are looking for a solid, satisfying book with a great ending, then this is for you.

Allie Burns is working as a new reporter on Glasgow's leading newspaper. The male administration believes she should be working on fluff stories from the women's desk but Allie wants to be an investigative reporter. She teams up with another young person at the paper, Danny Sullivan. Together they form a team dedicated to making their way up the hierarchy at the paper, being known as investigative reporters and maybe working on Fleet Street one day.

Danny has a lead about tax fraud. He has heard his brother bragging about how his company knows how one can avoid paying taxes and shield money from the tax man. He and Allie work the story and make a splash but not without costs. Danny's brother loses his job and his parents cut him off from the family. Danny is heartbroken about that but still determined to find the next big story.

Allie goes to a meeting she found out about from a woman's group about Scottish independence. The election to vote on that is coming up and feelings are running high. When Allie hears three men talking about taking stronger action, she follows them to a pub and eavesdrops. They are talking about being more like the IRA and using bombs to make their point about Scottish rights. Danny goes undercover with the group and he and Allie are able to stop the plot and have a huge scoop for the newspaper. When murder follows, can Allie find the culprit?

This is a new character for Val McDermid who is best known for her Tony Hill/Carol Jordan series. Allie is a delightful character, spunky and resourceful, kind but always willing to stick up for herself and her career prospects. I listened to this novel and the narrator had a marvelous Scottish accent that made it all seem even more real. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

A snapshot into the world of journalism in the late 70's - 1979 was a fascinating novel and approached crime from a completely different angle to anything I had read before.

The relationship between Allie and Danny really took me back to the classic pairing of Tony Hill and Carol Jordan (one of my all-time favourite crime partnerships). They were both such realistic and relatable characters, totally believable and I was really able to understand their motivations and the challenges they both faced in their careers at this point in time.

I loved every second of this book and the mystery kept me guessing until the big reveal.

Covid wreaked havoc with my brain, so I haven‘t read many new books since March 2020. This was one of the few I did read and I loved it.
I‘ve been reading Val McDermid for decades now and this book reminded me of her ‚Flash‘ Gordon books. The heroine is a young journalist in 1979 and I kept wondering how much of Val‘s own experiences made it into the book.
I loved the characters in the book, how the story unfolded and especially how real the 1970s felt.
Very strongly recommended.

Val McDermid does it again with this great start to a new series.
Alie Burns is a new journalist and is desperate to get her big break but is finding it hard being a woman in a male surrounded environment.
It may not be a detective story but it certainly grips you as is Val McDermids style.
The characters are great and the story keeps you guessing right up until the end.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley in allowing me to read in return for a review.

I prefer McDermid's Hill/Jordan series but this was fine. Far from pedestrian - McDermid can by-god WRITE - but I found it lacked a certain something I can't place a finger on. I'll keep my eyes peeled for the next book(s) in this series, that's for certain.

First novel I have ever read despite being well aware of the author's fine reputation as a crime writer.

Set in 1979 as the title suggests, Val McDermaid transports the reader back to one of the key moments in Scottish politics. Set against a background of a vote on devolution, reporter Allie Burns breaks her first big story but things soon start to escalate...

Believable main characters and a fascinating look into the heart and soul of a newsroom. A political and historical thriller of the highest order.

A strong start to the trilogy and this reader is off to read more by Val McDermaid whilst waiting for the next book in the series, 1989.

This was a great story for me as I learned so much about this period of time. The Scottish history here was fascinating to me. The main character is trying to find her way in journalism as it is dominated by men. She and her friend uncover some really scary information which puts them both in danger. I would recommend this book.

When a favorite author begins a new series it is both exciting and nerve-wracking. Will the characters and plot be comparable to what has gone before? In the case of 1979, the answer is a definite YES for me. I did find the first quarter of the book moved too slow for me to be enthusiastic about where it was going, but the story rapidly picked up and I finished this in just a couple of days. I had to remind myself that this is the first book with these characters and it takes time for the author to get us familiar with them, so I should not, perhaps, have been impatient. Readers of her other works will not be surprised that the protagonist is a woman, but in this case, she is a reporter, not a policewoman. I think this is a refreshing start for what I hope will become a series. As an aside, I was an American living in England during 1979, and I well remember the events that took place that year. Val McDermid captured the tone of the time so well,, I was happily taken back.

Val Mcdermid does it again! This is the first in a new series following journalist Allie Burns. This is a slow-burn story which begins with insurance fraud and then spirals into a much darker storyline. Strong characters quickly catch your interest and I found myself enjoying the setting of a newspaper in the late 70s instead of the usual police procedural. This was a strong start to a series, introducing a protagonist who I want to read more of. I look forward to the next Allie Burns novel.

to be in the confident hands of a seasoned and adept novelist who knows how to push all the buttons on crime is so elevating - gripping - wow - thoroughly enjoy this new foray - i have not read McDermid as a matter of fact for ages, so I'd wanted to check in on her again - and i've been missing a lot - although maybe the issues are belaboured (I mean that Allie is always assigned female stories) it is not heavy-handed - i actually think that is less obsessive nowadays - or at least I'm dreaming that's true - but although i confess to having skimmed some of the financial bad doings (I just assumed they are wrong in some way - and that his brother's involvement is a tricky one - for Danny), it works anyway . highly recommended and i look forward to more about these two ...

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

1979 by Val McDermid - the Allie Burns series. This book is about Allies role as an investigative journalist in Glasgow. Allies on the look out for the next big story to launch her career into the big leagues. Poor Allie doesn't have it easy especially since its the 70s and equality for women in the workplace wasn't as advanced as it is today. She always lands the small, insignificant stories and lings for a bigger one. Allie starts an alliance with another journalist- Danny Sullivan but the duo start to get enemies crawling out of the woodwork, especially the more they dig up. Danny is found murdered and Allie feels the threat to her own life hanging in the balance. Will she uncover enough for her big break and keep her life in doing so!
I struggled with the pace of this book, it seemed to drag until about 60% of the way through, which was tough going when it's on audio. It's also a very long audio book too. I liked the story line but just couldn't connect to the characters.

I could not finish listening to the audiobook. The heavy Scottish accent of the narrator made it difficult to follow.

A blast from the past!

Val McDermid has given an excellent picture of conveying just how life was like in Scotland in 1979. It was tough with political unrest and strikes. It was certainly different from today’s world in so many ways. For example, in many work environments, men had far more opportunities for promotion, and rising to the top of their game, than most women could ever dream of!

This was certainly true for McDermid’s main character Allie Burns, who wanted to be an investigative journalist, and not just write for the women’s pages. Allie allies with fellow journalist, Danny Sullivan and they become platonic friends.

Their passion for exposing the deep unrest in Glasgow caused them to infiltrate a corruption plot and tax fraud, which took them to some very dark places. Even Danny’s brother appeared to be involved with some undesirable characters, hence putting Danny in a very delicate situation.

I thoroughly enjoyed how the plot was woven, plus Allie’s determination to follow through to the bitter end. After a slow start, the pace rapidly increased to a satisfactory conclusion.

Galadriel.

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

What a fantastic start to a new series! I was in the middle of a horrible reading slump and decided that I needed to switch up genres to see if I could rouse some enjoyment out of reading. I started this book and was immediately hooked.

In this first book of a new series, we meet Allie Burns in 1979. She is a young and hungry reporter, in her first role for a newspaper in Glasgow, trying to make a name for herself. Really she is trying to not be automatically dismissed by her male colleagues, and patriarchal bosses. On a train trip home she happens to see a co-worker and they are pulled into an event that turns into her first breaking story and starts a wonderful partnership with Danny Sullivan, an investigative reporter just a few steps ahead of her on that totem pole. Despite being in such a cut-throat career where trust comes at a premium, they trust each other and help to break two exciting cases that propel them to the front page. In the process, they learn about each other, themselves, and how far they will go to get a story.

The characters were so vividly drawn and slowly unfurled as the book progressed. I knew I was in expert hands and just savored every moment of the reading experience. One of the best first books in a new series that I have read in such a long time. Can't wait to read more.

I would like to thank Grove Atlantic for access to the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Val McDermid but not this foray into a standalone story about journalists and the stories they break. The writing and plot was not as smooth as her series is. Maybe because I don't know these characters well. There is also a lgbtq subplot which does add to the essence of the time period. Not a bad book all around but definitely not her best.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

3 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a good historical fiction mystery thriller set in 1979 Scotland. Allie Burns is an investigative journalist at a newspaper in Glasgow, Scotland. She's living in a "man's world" and struggles to make her way and write the kind of stories she wants to write. Allie teams up with a co-worker to follow the trail of an illegal tax evasion scheme. From there the story escalates to much bigger issues that could cost Allie her life.

I really wanted to like this book more, but I found it dense and difficult to follow at times. Perhaps my aversion to math and all that it entails influenced my feelings about the book. I also think the pace of the book played a part in my frustration with it. I'm used to reading books that move along a lot faster. I understand that some books need to move more slowly and be methodical, but they are not my favorite. So, that's on me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a complimentary copy of the book and the opportunity to read it. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I shamefully admit that this was my first Val McDermid book. It wasn't what I expected. the story was ok and the narrative was well written, but I found it a bit slow, dull and predictable in places. I kept expecting more to happen. Not sure if I will read any more in the Alli Burns series.

1979 review - ***SPOILERS***

Maybe the rest of the series will be good, because the author has some skill, but this book was really dull and predictable.



The plot of this novel moved very slowly. Nothing even remotely suspenseful happened until page 150. The crime in this book is tax fraud, which has to be the most boring crime there is. The fact that much of the exposition was about Scottish politics from the 1970’s didn’t help. The tropes were awful. The “good son” exposed the “evil, adopted son”. The MC thought she was falling for the nice guy until she found out (*gasp!*) he’s gay! Then conveniently, she discovers she’s gay, too! I felt like this novel’s whole purpose was to set up the time and place, and character backstory, for a new series.

I love Val McDermid but this one was so much slower than most of the other books that I struggled with this one. I prefer this author's police procedurals so maybe it was just a matter of it being journalists rather than detectives. I found the story line to be a bit scattered because it was a couple of crimes they were investigating and I just never felt hooked in either. I did really like the setting and the discussion of how homosexuality was treated at the time.