1979 - Allie Burns (Paperback)

Praise for 1979 - -

The Queen of Crime has done it again, this time with Allie Burns, a relentless investigative journalist who birddogs crime and terror back in the days of typewriters and smoke-filled newsrooms. Masterfully set in Edinburgh, 1979 transports us from the first page. Val McDermid's latest is more than just a compelling story. It's an irresistible and palpable journey that's especially gratifying in today's remote world - Patricia Cornwell

A brilliant novel by a supremo of the genre at the height of her powers. A cast of engaging new characters promise to make this an unmissable new series and a thrilling addition to the genre - Peter James

A tour-de-force by the amazing McDermid. From the very first pages she effortlessly transports us back in time . . . The plot and characters are remarkable and compelling. Hopefully, we will see the crackerjack Allie Burns back on the pages. The Queen of Crime has delivered another masterpiece - David Baldacci

Val McDermid is the absolute QUEEN. It's great that this is the first of a new series. Allie is a fabulous character, I'll go wherever she takes me and I'm dying to see what she does next - Marian Keyes

Packed full of Val McDermid's trademark brilliance, 1979 is a thrilling snapshot of a fascinating era - Jane Harper

McDermid is at her considerable best here . . . The good news is that this excellent novel marks the start of a new series - Guardian

A brilliant thriller, as well as a perfect snapshot of the social and political issues of the time. If there's a novel that better captures what working on a newspaper was like back in the day, I can't think of it - Linwood Barclay

Unrivalled. Unmissable. Unforgettable. 1979 is Val McDermid at her nail-biting, heart-rending best - Chris Whitaker

While "gripping" is an adjective over-used in book reviews, it's a fitting description of a sensational novel. A surefire bestseller from one of Britain's most accomplished writers - Sunday Express

A new series from Val McDermid promises to be an event - and 1979 delivers. It's full of wit, thrills and incisive social observation, and features, in Allie Burns, a marvellous new character to follow through the years to come - Mick Herron

Absolutely fantastic. I have been reading Val McDermid for twenty-five years, so I am really saying something when I tell you I enjoyed this novel the most. Immersive in its authenticity and pungently atmospheric . . . For someone who remembers the print newsrooms in their heyday, it was a trip into the past so realistic I could smell the fag smoke on my clothes - Chris Brookmyre

McDermid can do edge-of-seat suspense better than most novelists . . . An excellent opener to what promises to be an outstanding series - Spectator

Brilliant characters, masterful plotting and a pitch-perfect evocation of the heyday of newspapers. I loved it - Chris Hammer

A nail-biting new series - Observer

A fast-paced triple whammy of a thriller, with all three plots, each credible, running simultaneously. It uses all the crime-writing skills she has honed over the years, and adds something else - a pin-sharp portrait of tabloid journalism in its messy, misogynistic 1970s heyday. Allie Burns is off to a flying start, and well worth following down the decades - The Scotsman

Val McDermid was a newshound at the time and it shows . . . This is her best book in years - The Times, Book of the Month

Allie is a gratifyingly multi-faceted character, and the sociopolitical elements here add a frisson - Financial Times

The work of a writer at the peak of her powers - Herald

The fast-paced storytelling flows irresistibly, and McDermid marshals a wide-ranging cast of characters with aplomb - Irish Times

Her evocation of the Winter of Discontent is spare and skilful . . . allowing the characters, not the period, to take centre stage - Scotland on Sunday

Captures the bleakness and misery of the era with pitch-perfect accuracy - Irish Independent

A superb evocation of the humiliations and triumphs of being a junior reporter, set against the backdrop of the broken Britain of 1979 . . . Riveting - Daily Express

A novel as touching as it is gripping - Big Issue

There are all sorts of reasons to love this book, from the unvarnished truth about newsrooms in the late 70s, to glimpses into social history . . . Engrossing - The i

An engrossing read - Sunday Post

A delightful throwback . . . McDermid looks back in anger - and with some measure of affection - at the vexed era she lived through that gave rise to her socially engaged mysteries - Washington Post

The Crime Queen has done it again and created a character we will all come to know and love. A masterpiece - Daily Record

A pacey read - Daily Express