The scintillating follow-up to McDermid's first Allie Burns thriller, 1989 recreates a world of hysteria about HIV and the Iron Curtain as the now-seasoned investigative reporter stumbles upon a deadly new case.
It's 1989 and Allie Burns is back.
Older and maybe wiser, she's running the northern news operation of the Sunday Globe, chafing at losing her role in investigative journalism and at the descent into the gutter of the UK tabloid media.
But there's plenty to keep her occupied. The year begins with the memorial service to the victims of the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, but Allie has barely filed her copy when she stumbles over a story about HIV/AIDS that will shock her into a major change of direction.
The world of newspapers is undergoing a revolution, there's skulduggery in the medical research labs and there are seismic rumblings behind the Iron Curtain. When kidnap and murder are added to this potent mix, Allie is forced to question all her old certainties.
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
ISBN: 9780751583106
Number of pages: 432
Weight: 647 g
Dimensions: 236 x 152 x 40 mm
1989, by reigning queen of UK crime Val McDermid, is a sequel to her change-of-pace 1979 , the memorable beginning to a quintet of books set in a Glaswegian tabloid office . . . This is every bit as accomplished as its predecessor, with the same crisp sense of an increasingly distant era - Financial Times
One of Britain's most successful crime novelists . . . The novel evokes glorious nostalgia for those who recall mobile phones like house bricks and laptops the size of suitcases - Sunday Times
A book of many parts . . . [McDermid is] subverting the crime genre to her own ends. How the remaining three volumes will turn out is anyone's guess - The Times
There is a great deal to enjoy in this novel . . . McDermid remains a masterly setter of a scene and developer of a storyline. There is an agreeable warmth to much of the book, and the evocation of the world of journalism and politics of the late 20th century is convincing . . . [A book] that will be deeply enjoyed - Scotsman
Studded with a wealth of period detail . . . It whips along like bushfire - Herald
McDermid convincingly recreates the grim era of AIDS, Lockerbie and Hillsborough while providing several juicy mysteries for the reader to gnaw on - Daily Mirror
Praise for 1979 - -
The Queen of Crime has done it again . . . Irresistible - Patricia Cornwell
McDermid is at her considerable best here - Guardian
A supremo of the genre at the height of her powers . . . An unmissable new series - Peter James
Allie is a fabulous character, I'll go wherever she takes me and I'm dying to see what she does next - Marian Keyes
McDermid can do edge-of-seat suspense better than most novelists . . . An excellent opener to what promises to be an outstanding series - Spectator
A tour-de-force . . . The Queen of Crime has delivered another masterpiece - David Baldacci
Packed full of Val McDermid's trademark brilliance, 1979 is a thrilling snapshot of a fascinating era - Jane Harper
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 nail-biting new series - Observer
Allie Burns is off to a flying start, and well worth following down the decades - Scotsman
A new series from Val McDermid promises to be an event - and 1979 delivers . . . A marvellous new character to follow through the years to come - Mick Herron
1989 is a hard hitting page turning read that you soon lose yourself in the story.
This book would be an excellent Book Club choice which I am sure we will see.
Allie Burns is back and I cant help but admire her...
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It’s tantalising to read what’s essentially an historical drama-thriller, but set in a time period one actually lived through. Weaving major events, music and technological references throughout the narrative, Val... More
1989 by Val McDermid is a look at life in the 1980’s, the news story covered by journalist, Allie Burns in this storyline are real and did happen; The Lockerbie Memorial, the scandal regarding the AIDS epidemic and... More
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