1989

There's nothing like a killer story . . .

1989. The world is changing, and Allie Burns is still on the front line, covering the stories that count.

Although Allie is no longer an investigative journalist, her instincts are sharper than ever. When she discovers a lead about the exploitation of society's most vulnerable, Allie is determined to give a voice to those who have been silenced.

As Allie edges closer to exposing the truth, she travels beyond the Iron Curtain, to East Berlin on the brink of revolution. The dark heart of the story is more shocking than she ever imagined. And to tell it, Allie must risk her freedom and her life . . .

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

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

Val McDermid is a number one bestseller whose novels have been translated into forty languages, and have sold over nineteen million copies. She has won many awards internationally, including the CWA Gold Dagger for best crime novel of the year and the LA Times Book of the Year Award. She was inducted into the ITV3 Crime Thriller Awards Hall of Fame in 2009, was the recipient of the CWA Cartier Diamond Dagger in 2010 and received the Lambda Literary Foundation Pioneer Award in 2011.

In 2016, Val received the Outstanding Contribution to Crime Fiction Award at the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival and in 2017 received the DIVA Literary Prize for Crime, and was elected a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Literature and the Royal Society of Edinburgh. Val has served as a judge for the Women's Prize for Fiction and the Man Booker Prize, and was Chair of the Wellcome Book Prize in 2017. She is the recipient of six honorary doctorates, is an Honorary Fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford and a Professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand. She writes full time and divides her time between Edinburgh and East Neuk of Fife.

THE SECOND THRILLING NOVEL IN VAL MCDERMID'S NEW SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING SERIES 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. Praise for 1979 'McDermid is at her considerable best' GUARDIAN 'Irresistible' PATRICIA CORNWELL'A brilliant novel by a supremo of the genre' PETER JAMES'Outstanding' SPECTATOR 'Another masterpiece' DAVID BALDACCI'Sensational. One of Britain's most accomplished writers' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'A thrilling snapshot of a fascinating era' JANE HARPER'Allie Burns is off to a flying start, and well worth following' SCOTSMAN 'A brilliant thriller' LINWOOD BARCLAY'A nail-biting new series' OBSERVER 'Full of wit, thrills and incisive social observation' MICK HERRON'Her best book in years' THE TIMES

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