A review by booksrockcal
1979 by Val McDermid

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I bought this book when i visited Scotland in 2022 and I’m sorry it took me so long to read it. oh my gosh what an amazing and compelling story - a propulsive mystery with amazing character development.  The book focuses on Allie Burns, a reporter at a Glasgow tabloid- like newspaper. She and her newsroom partner Danny Sullivan work to uncover corruption in a company which implicates Danny’s brother and causes issues in his family. Allie and Danny then stumble upon an even bigger story related to plotting to use explosives to attain Scottish independence in concert with the IRA. This leads to some plot twists and exploration of the protagonists’ character and connection. the story is compelling but the back story related to Allie attempting to make her way in a sexist newsroom and society and one of the reporters having to hide his sexuality due to the macho environment makes a compelling read- a character driven mystery I won’t soon forget. i will definitely read more from this author.