is a slow burn of simmering tensions that finally explode as two reporters investigate insurance fraud on a massive scale and want to be terrorists planning their first round of bombing. Allie Burns is sitting at the bottom of the barrel in her newsroom, both because of her short time on the job but also because she's a women. It looks to be impossible to get past the barriers of being a woman but she is still determined to make her mark and make it impossible for the big guys to ignore her. She trusts almost no one in the newsroom because of the competitiveness and because of the way men treat women, on and off the job. She fumes every time she's told to get the coffee during a meeting or is sent out on the fluff stories while important ones, even those she may dig up herself, get taken away from her. The series started very slow for me and struggled to really get into the story. I have enjoyed plenty of books by this author and would not write it off just yet because there were signs of hope for future books. As yet I don’t love the characters or feel any connection and also would have preferred series being modern day rather than 1979. Although I lived through the 70’s and understand the mood at the time I feel that many younger readers will fail to connect or simply prefer a more modern timeframe. Ferguson, Brian (29 August 2022). "Val McDermid reveals 'Queen of Crime' legal threat from Agatha Christie estate". Edinburgh Evening News . Retrieved 29 September 2022.

A pair of cub reporters find their way into trouble with investigative stories that they hope will make their careers. I have both attributes. It’s the base level you start from as a Fifer: you have to be a wee bit gallus to get away with being thrawn. I did like all the era-setting details - the first mobile phones, dial-up internet, the early clubbing scene, and having to go to a library when you wanted to know something, and the playlist at the end is superb - gosh I love 80s music, but for overall enjoyment I can stretch to 3 stars, no more, and doubt I’ll be continuing this series - I’m just hanging out for more Karen Pirie, & Tony and Carol books. Thanks to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC; I am posting this honest review voluntarily. Karen implies in the book that lesbianism is now mainstream in Scotland. You live in Edinburgh, but isn’t acceptance more patchy than she suggests?In her college, she was the first student coming from a state school in Scotland as she did her schooling from the Kirkcaldy High School. Because of her sincerity in the studies, she was made the President of the common room for the juniors. McDermid went on to complete her graduation and began working as a journalist. There on the wall above the table in the bed recess was a family photograph. Danny, his parents and his brother Joseph. The man most likely to have a flash car with Paragon folders on the front seat. Allie reached up and lifted it from the hook. She was about to put it in her bag when she heard a sound that turned her guts to water. is a slow burn, made even slower for me by my constant need to look up various events that occurred. But it is an interesting read with great depth and perception.

I soon realised that you had to be as good as, if not better, than everybody else just to stay in the job. As 1978 makes its cold snowy way for 1979 will the Winter of Discontent make way for better times? Widespread strikes and industrial action, galloping inflation, pay curbs, high unemployment, demonstrations, waste piling up in streets, bodies unburied ..... terrible news for the public but sadly great copy for journalists like Allie and Danny Sullivan of The Daily Clarion in Glasgow. The two team up to investigate a story Danny has sniffed out through his brother Joseph with a potential insurance scam which evades the 83% higher rate band of tax for the wealthy. The second is highly topical as it looks at the way forward for Scotland and devolution with a highly dangerous conspiracy. A significant portion of the book discusses the HIV/AIDs crisis that was happening at the time. I'm a queer reader myself, although granted not one who was alive during this time, however I thought the topic was handled well whilst remaining relevant to the story being told. While Allie’s personal life has changed for the good, her career has taken a turn for the worse, as she is now under the power of a media mogul who rivals Rupert Murdoch.Alison “Allie Burns is the only female journalist on the staff of Glasgow’s Daily Clarion” and still seeking to make her mark in the testosterone-fuelled atmosphere. In a way, this is a sort of full-circle for the author whose first series featured a female journalist, Lindsay Gordon. Val was, of course, a journalist and editor herself before turning to full-time writing. I really like the central character of Fife born, Cambridge graduate Allie, she feels very real as do the issues she faces as a woman in the 70’s with the misogyny and sexism making your fists involuntarily curl in sympathy. Danny is a terrific character too and the family dynamics angle of his storyline is extremely good and you feel his pain. All the characters are well portrayed (there are a lot though!) and as you’d expect from Val McD we have some excellent strong female characters in addition to Allie. Especially likeable is Rona Dunsyre and I’ve a sneaky feeling she’s going to be very present in the next instalment! Val McDermid talks about the novels that have influenced her in the Guardian bookshop challenge, 7 June 2010.

a b Wroe, Nicholas (12 August 2011). "Val McDermid: a life in writing". The Guardian . Retrieved 29 May 2019.Many people might not like the character of Gordon in this book. She comes off as too abrasive, rude, obstinate, and arrogant. But this is what the character starts with, and it changes as the story progresses in the other books.

A brilliant thriller, as well as a perfect snapshot of the social and political issues of the time’ LINWOOD BARCLAY Val McDermid is the absolute QUEEN. 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 is at the top of her game and readers will be highly rewarded for taking this new journey at her side.”— Crime ReadsWhen she discovers a home-grown terrorist threat, Allie comes up with a plan to infiltrate the group and make her name. But she’s a woman in a man’s world . . . and putting a foot wrong could be fatal. Throughout all of this, Allie has been able to keep her relationship with fellow journalist Rona a secret. As she puts it, she has stayed under the gaydar for years but knows this will change and feels the anti-gay resentment that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has created globally. The focus of her next story is the mass exodus of AIDS patients from Edinburgh to Great Britain and other parts of Europe so they can be treated. Edinburgh may be the AIDS hotbed of the area, but they are far from ably equipped to battle the disease.