4 intriguing stars
From the publisher, “The first novel in McDermid's newest series, 1979 is an atmospheric journey into the past” and McDermid really nailed the era and the place, Scotland.

I particularly liked the strong female journalist, Allie Burns. I liked that she had bigger goals than the ‘women’s articles’ she was assigned to. I liked her compassion and ‘go-get-it-ness.’ The book has strong friend relationships and some main characters who are gay. McDermid’s writing is never graphic or violent. At the time, gays in Scotland could lose their job and be jailed if their private activities became known.

1979 is really three mysteries in one story; money laundering, a slightly inept gang working for the Scottish IRA, and who killed …(I won’t say ; ) Katie Leung’s voice makes all the stories come alive. Her Scottish accent added grit and sass to the characters, which where easy to differentiate. (It only took a few minutes to get into the rhythm of understanding the Scottish brogue.)

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I look forward to more in the series!

I really really loved this book so full of action, crimes and mysteries to solve. I loved the period it was set in the old fashioned typewriters the fact the reports had to sit by a landline. I didn't pick this book for its audiobook cover as its rather bland. The book cover is so much better. Yet it is rather fitting having a typewriter on the cover.
I thought it was brilliant at depicting the period with the little details and dealing with different controversial subjects like women reporters being treated differently, being gay was not acceptable in this period and all the bombings by the IRA. I thought it was great having a female protagonist and I really enjoyed her story as she tries to be a recognised reporter. The story-line real make this book so interesting plenty of action, excitement and danger. I loved that the reportersfollow a number of different stories and not just one.
The narrator was brilliant I loved the Scottish accent which made the audiobook so much better as it was set in Scotland. She brought an excellent sense of atmosphere and tension to the story. There were some rather shocking twists to the story you will be sure to enjoy.
So much praise to the author and publishers for creating this amazing novel to keep us on the edge of our seat

Wahoo! First book in a new series by Val. And it's properly promising.

First up 2 young newspaper reporters are on a train, there is a blizzard style snow storm outside and a woman goes into labour. All ends well but of course there is a story there. One of them needs to write it up. Danny writes it but Allie makes it better. These two form a bond and this friendship will lead Allie down a path which will be life changing. Allie is fighting to make a place for herself in the newsroom, faced with rampant sexism and male dominance, it is hard to get to work on anything other than the 'women's pages'. She's determined to get better stories and to make her way in journalism. She and Danny team up and suddenly there is a big story in their laps. Danny's been working on it for a while but it is tricky. It concerns Danny's brother and it seems he is involved in some dodgy stuff, dodgier that it at first seems. Danger looms and this quiet novel suddenly is riveting and the tension is ratcheted up.

1979 was a turbulent time in history, there was tension all over the place. It was a time of great change and Glasgow is rife with it. If you know anything about this author you probably know that she was a journalist in Glasgow at this time and I couldn't help thinking that this book had aspects that felt lived. I loved all the musical and pop culture references. I'm really looking forward to more of this series. I had a great time with it.
Fantastic reader on this book too. Thoroughly enjoyable.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me access to it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of the audiobook of 1979.
I love Val McDermid. I would read anything by her. However, this particular book was a bit spoiled for me by the download. For whatever reason, the reading would stop and I would have to skip ahead to the next chapter. The downside of audiobooks.

This book is the first in a series of five books about Alllie Burnes, a young investigative journalist in Scotland. The cover says that it is drawn from Ms. Mc Dermid's years as a journalist before she became a full-time writer. This story takes place in 1979, thus the title, and involves Allie and her friend Danny who take reporting on current issues very seriously. Current issues include gangs and corrupton. They put themselves in some hairy situations but always withthe goal of looking for the truth. We learn a lot about the news and the male hierarchy in the print business. One definitely has to have the bug because it is cutthroat. "1979 is redolent of the thundering presses, hammering typewriters, and wreaths of smoke of the Clarion newsroom. An atmospheric journey into the past with much to say about the present, it is the latest suspenseful, pitch-perfect addition to Val McDermid's crime pantheon." from the book.

I recommend this book,

Allie is a woman trying to succeed in the newspaper business in 1979, when women were only barely tolerated. She was assigned the feel good pieces, until fellow journalist comes to her to help him clean up a story he has uncovered. One thing leads to another and the 2 get into a different story, very deep.

I have to admit, I found it slow and had to set a timer to make myself get past the first 2 hrs of the story. I am used to mysteries that bam, dead body, get solving the mystery. But this one goes deeply into finding the story, getting the contacts and then discovering the true story. I could see the old time news room, with the haze of tobacco smoke floating over the room, with the sounds of typewriter keys and bells clanging along.

Val McDermid has such a talent for building characters that you care about, they stay with you even when you aren't' in their world. For that reason I will stay with this series, just to see what happens to these characters. What changes in their world because of what happened in this one.

Val McDermid's words pulled me in, but the narrating of Katie Leung made me stay there until the conclusion.

I would like to thank Netgalley and RB Media for the opportunity to read and review this audiobook.

Val McDermid has used her time in lockdown productively, creating 1979 - the first in what will be a new series, featuring Glasgow-based investigative journalist Allie Burns as its heroine.
1979 fits the historical crime/mystery genre, set entirely in the titular year, over 40 years ago - in her acknowledgements (contained within the print edition), the author discusses the challenges of writing fiction set in an "historical" period that is still well within living memory for many readers. Val McDermid has undertaken significant research to ensure that her book is immersed in accurate details of its time, including characters' attitudes, prevailing political conditions, and music and film references. That said, this is no kitschy nostalgia-fest - while the late 20th century was in many respects a simpler time, the challenges the characters face highlight a few of the ways that society has advanced in the last 40 years. But the music was great! (Val McDermid helpfully includes her late-70s playlist at the end of the print edition - a device she used to immerse herself in the feel of 1979 Scotland while writing).
Briefly, the plot follows the protagonist, twenty-something journalist Alison "Allie" Burns, employed by the (fictional) Glasgow Daily Clarion, as she works on a couple of career-boosting stories with colleague and friend Danny Sullivan. One story revolves around a dodgy tax evasion scam, the exposure of which has some serious personal consequences for Danny. The other springs from Allie's observation of a Scottish pro-nationalist group's meetings, uncovering a nascent cell of activists who favour violence as a means of gaining political traction. Danny and Allie find themselves crossing paths with an IRA-affiliated active cell based in Glasgow, with all the potential risk that entails. When a violent death hits close to home, Allie must use all her investigative skills to peel back the layers of intrigue and identify a merciless killer.
McDermid has clearly drawn on her own experience as a news journalist over the timeframe in which the book is set, and it shows. The newsroom scenes virtually leap off the page as the characters competitively seek out breaking stories, protect sources, call in favours and battle to get their copy past the in-house lawyer.
In terms of perspective and subject-matter, 1979 is a literary side-step from Val McDermid's two best-known crime series, one featuring Psychologist Dr. Tony Hill and D.C.I. Carol Jordan (adapted into the award-winning ITV series The Wire in the Blood), the other D.C.I. Karen Pirie. However, long-term fans like myself will recall her 1990s era Lindsay Gordan series, which also featured a female investigative journalist as the main protagonist.
I found Allie to be a well-conceived and three-dimensional heroine, and found the (comparatively recent) historical setting and political themes enthralling. This was a cracking good read, with several unexpected twists along the way and a satisfying conclusion convincingly presented in newspaper copy style.
In addition to reading a print copy, I also listened to the audiobook edition narrated by Scottish actress Katie Leung (of Harry Potter movie fame). While I found her diction good and her accent both fitting and easy to understand, I did have a couple of issues. I tend to use 1.25 or 1.5 speed when listening to most audiobooks, which has never presented any issues in the past. However, when I attempted to play this audiobook at a higher speed, the audio took on an unpleasant "tinny" quality. I felt that there was really no alternative but to listen at "normal" (1x) speed - hence the deduction of a star from my review of the audiobook. There were also a couple of jarringly odd pronunciations - "participle" and "quotient" spring to mind. As I'm a speaker of Australian English ("Strine"), I couldn't tell whether this was simply a dialect variation or not. In any case, it distracted my attention away from the story.
I'd highly recommend 1979 to new and existing fans of the Queen of Crime, Val McDermid. While this title doesn't quite fit the same mould as many of her other books, her signature complex plotting and well-developed characters make 1979 a rewarding and stimulating read. I can't wait to read future instalments in the Allie Burns series!
My thanks to the author Val McDermid, audiobook publisher RB Media Recorded Books and NetGalley, for the opportunity to listen to and review the audiobook edition of this title.

1979 is such an excellent read. Put a typewriter on the cover and I’m sold. Set the story in 1979 Scotland with a pair of up and coming journalists and I’m yours.
Allie Burns and Danny Sullivan are both trying to make a name for themselves at the Scottish daily, The Clarion. Relegated to night shifts and lesser stories, Allie and Danny become friends and co writers. The two find a great working relationship when both their stories need the help of the other.
At the heart of this period drama are the questions, what will you do for a story and what is the cost of running it?
This is going to make a fantastic five part series, each book set in a different decade. I can’t wait to see how Allie evolves.
The audiobook was lovely and the accents were wonderful.

I'm rating this only on the narration. The strong Irish accent along with a mono tone of her narration was putting me to sleep. I couldn't understand her and so I lost interest!!

Thanks for the opportunity to listen and review this title. It's too bad the novel sounded good!

Thank you to RB Media and Netgalley for a review copy of the audiobook of 1979.

I have been reading Val McDermid for years after first being a fan of the Wire in the blood TV show & I've read many of her novels.

This one is a little bit different, it's more Historical fiction than her standard thriller/murder mystery though this one still includes a murder.

It is also a slower read and feels a little bit like a long prequel. Probably because this is the first book in a new series and there is a fair bit of establishment of character and I'm assuming events that shape Allie's character and career going forward. I'll be very interested to see what the next book in the series is like.

The book is set in Glasgow in 1979, the main character Allie Burns is one of a very small number of female reporters on a Glasgow newspaper. Allie and her colleague Danny Sullivan team up to investigate a number of news stories.

I don't actually remember 1979 but the book feels like it has authentically captured the era with manual type writers, carbon paper and phone boxes and lots of pop culture references.

Themes in the book include sexism and homophobia

The audiobook is narrated by actress Katie Leung and having a narrator with a Scottish accent really added to the experience.

Thanks to NetGalley & Recorded Books for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I love Val McDermid and was excited to get stuck into this story. It reads a little bit like Karin Slaughter's Cop Town, but for reporters. It's always interesting to have that reminder that cell phones and the internet were not always readily available to serve humans, and some of the outdated notions that bosses had about the competence of female reporters or the suitability of gay reporters (I had no idea that homosexuality was against the law in Scotland in 1979!) are fairly astounding now.

McDermid starts us off with Allie Burns and her colleague, Danny Sullivan. The two meet up on a train and end up delivering a baby while the train is stuck on the tracks, and a partnership is born; that is, they end up trusting one another well enough to collaborate on a pretty juicy story together. Allie is the one who can apply the "fairy dust" and clean up the writing to make it compelling and readable, and Danny has an in: his adopted brother has been an errand boy in helping the insurance company he works for to launder money for its tax-avoiding clients. Trouble is, Joseph, Danny's brother, doesn't know that Danny is writing the story, and ends up losing his job and becoming unemployable in his field, now that he's considered "untrustworthy," the implication being that he sold his employers down the river to Danny for the sake of the news story.

Undeterred, Danny & Allie team up again for an explosive story (ahem) about Scottish Nationalists looking to buy semtex from an IRA contact. Danny goes undercover and they get the story, but then something goes terribly wrong. This is when the book really starts getting good - the "mystery" angle finally comes into play, and the novel bumps along more quickly. The ending is almost an afterthought, which is disappointing. The bulk of the novel is all about being a reporter in 1979, and a bit about the ambient historical notes of the time (Scottish secession from the UK, the Prevention of Terrorism Act under Margaret Thatcher). If this is not of interest to you (and it does get pretty deep on that stuff), then you might want to sit this one out.

I enjoyed the book overall, but it put me in mind of some of McDermid's lesser novels (the Lindsay Gordon books spring to mind). They're fine for what they are, but if you are more into the electrifying tension of the Carol Jordan/Tony Hill series, you won't find that here. Katie Leung does a good job of narrating and handles several different accents with relative ease, but it can be difficult to discern one speaker's dialog from the next.

Alison Burns is a journalist who wants to escape being relegated to the women’s pages of the Clarion newspaper in Glasgow . She teams up with fellow journalist Danny Sullivan to investigate Paragon insurance, a company Danny’s brother Joseph works for. Following the success of this story, they go on to investigate a local terrorism plot.

Given this was an audio book, I found that sections of this book eluded me as my mind became distracted. I am not sure whether this was a problem with the writing or the narration. Probably a bit of both. I found the narrator didn’t vocalise the different characters in a way which sufficiently differentiated them from one another. And in parts the writing didn’t lend itself to an audio edition. Nevertheless, on the whole it was an interesting story which became quite gripping towards the end.

Narrator 5 stars
I enjoyed this narrator, she has a beautiful voice

Story 3 stars
This is the first time I've heard of this author which is insane considering how many books I've discovered she has written.
This was a great story, but I didn't really start to get into it until the 50% mark.

In saying that I would definitely try another book by this author.

*A big thank-you to Val McDermid, Recorded Books, and Netgalley for an audiobook in exchange for my honest review.*
I have read Ms McDermid's books for years and was delighted to have been granted the audio version of the first book in a new (hopefully) series. The title year was the year of dynamics in Scotland, and two young journalists, Allie and Danny get involved in some journalist investigations covering some dark financial maschinations and a scheme to carry out acts of terror.
I rooted for the friendship developing between the duo and appreciated details of life and ways of journalism as it was forty years ago. Definitely the series I would like to follow in future.

4.5 rounded up.

Where to start... Well, first, don't read the damn blurb on Goodreads! It has a massive spoiler that doesn't happen until about 80% into the book. I had read the blurb on NetGalley when I requested the book and I'm glad I did. Let me paste it here for you so you don't have to go anywhere else. I'm still pissed about reading the spoiler.

"It's only January, and the year 1979 has already brought blizzards, strikes, power cuts, and political unrest. For journalist Allie Burns, however, someone else's bad news is the unmistakable sound of opportunity knocking, an opportunity to get away from the "women's stories" her editors at the Scottish daily The Clarion keep assigning her. Striking up an alliance with budding investigative journalist Danny Sullivan, Allie begins covering international tax fraud, then a group of Scottish ultranationalists aiming to cause mayhem ahead of a referendum on breaking away from the United Kingdom. Their stories quickly get attention and create enemies for the two young up-and-comers. As they get closer to the bleeding edge of breaking news, Allie and Danny may find their lives on the line.

The first novel in a brand-new series for McDermid, 1979 is redolent of the thundering presses, hammering typewriters, and wreaths of smoke of the Clarion newsroom. An atmospheric journey into the past with much to say about the present, it is the latest suspenseful, pitch-perfect addition to Val McDermid's crime pantheon."

Now that we have that out of the way, we can get to the actual review.

I've read a few books by McDermid and I think this is my favorite. I honestly can't wait to get my hands on the next in the Allie Burns series. She's my kind of heroine: smart, brave, and open minded. And she's just starting with her journalistic career so I know there will be plenty of great adventures in her future.

I listened to the audiobook and am not sorry at all because I LOVE a Scottish accent. Helen (Simone Lahbib) from Bad Girls got me hooked. I might have appreciated having both the audio and the ebook for this one because the Glaswegian accent was a bit tough to understand at times and I know I missed some words here and there.

The story and the writing were fantastic. I was drawn in immediately and loved Danny and Allie and wanted to kick brother Joseph in the nuts so many times it would have constituted a workout. Bastard. And because it was set in 1979, there's plenty of misogyny and homophobia and other shit you would expect.

Huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for hooking me up with the audiobook and an even bigger thanks to Ms. McDermid for writing such a great book and characters that felt incredibly real. I'll miss Allie and Danny. And Rona. Can't wait to see more of Rona.

Allie Burns is a young journalist on The Daily Clarion, a respected Scottish newspaper. She is intelligent and ambitious, and has already proven herself to some of her more junior colleagues as being an excellent writer. Unfortunately she finds herself regularly pigeonholed into the nice fluffy “women’s interest” stories, like the baby that was born on a stranded train … Allie however has bigger ambitions, and longs for her “big break”, a story that will allow her to be recognised for her talent. She finds herself inevitably clashing with some of the men that she works with, who have a very patriarchal & misogynistic outlook and have really only employed “a lassie” because they were forced to show that they were supporting equality.
The author likely draws on first hand experience as a young female journalist in a “man’s world.

When fellow journalist Danny Sullivan starts investigating a tax fraud story, Allie jumps at the chance to be involved even though she’s not sure about some of the risks that Danny is willing to take to get the story. However when Allie gets a sniff of another big story, she knows that Danny can help her & together the two of them set out to uncover the truth behind both stories.

Throughout the book we have references to the culture, music, TV shows, and films of the 1970s, as well as research pre-internet days, phone calls pre-mobile phones (anyone know where the nearest phone box is?), photos that had to be developed rather than downloaded and everything having to be hand-typed in triplicate. Alongside this, we have the political situation of the day, from the 83% tax band, to feelings around Scottish devolution, the unrest between Catholics & Protestants that was so prevalent in Northern Ireland but now spilling into Scotland and the fact that homosexuality was still illegal.
This really helps to establish the time and place as well as the authenticity of the storyline, but occasionally the “retro” elements felt a tiny bit forced – I suppose it is needed for modern readers who didn’t live through the 70’s or who don’t remember using phone boxes and looking things up in a library!

The story starts slightly slowly but once the setting is established, the pace is good and allows the tension to build nicely. The characters are well portrayed, and the narrative flowed well to a satisfying ending. There is a murder, but it’s not as graphic as many of Val McDermid’s previous novels.

Although long (its unabridged & runs at around 11 hrs), this really worked well as an audiobook. It would have been disappointing, even jarring, to have had a non-Scottish narrator & the choice of Katie Leung was excellent – she fitted the lead character very well having a definite Scottish accent but without it being so broad that it was difficult for a non-Scot to understand! She brought the story to life & drew me in, differentiating well between the various characters.

Overall, this was a good start to a series – I don’t know where it will go next (is it going to be set in 1980/81 or will there be a jump?) but I look forward to finding out.

#1979 #NetGalley

Another masterpiece by Val McDermid, I really enjoyed it. The narrator was perfect, she brought the words to life. Listened to it on a car journey, we had to take the long way round as we wanted to find out what was happening!!! Just brilliant.

This is the first time I have reviewed an audio book. I suppose the first big test is how easy was it to listen to. The answer is very. The narrators soft Scottish accent didn’t grate, nor did it send me to sleep. Katie Leung’s use of different voices for the various characters was subtle but enough to let you know who was speaking.

McDermid’s obvious knowledge of the frustration of life as a woman in the misogynistic, egotistical man’s world of a newspaper reporter shone through as did her description of the era. I was in my mid twenties and remember it, sadly, so well, although it was still a surprise to realise that so much we take for granted did not exist then. No word processers, no mobile phones. I loved that the reporters had to type everything in triplicate, carry cameras and flash bulbs and stay by land lines for news. It was not the best of times. The misery of the winter of discontent and the misery of winter in Scotland. I imagine the latter hasn’t changed. It was illegal to be gay in Scotland. The police were biased and also misogynistic and these things shape the book.

The two, entwined, story lines are gripping, tense and very well planned. They are also stories of the era involving devolution, the IRA and the timeless story of plain greed. The descriptions of both people and places are so detailed you can shut your eyes (another advantage of an audio book) and be there amongst it.

I thought this was Val McDermid at her best and I am excited it is the first of a new series involving Allie Burns, no longer such a junior reporter.

This new release had a slow start but picked up halfway through. I don’t recommend reading the blurb if you listen to this one. 🤨 I’d rate this 4 stars but will definitely read book 2 when it comes out. 😁

1979 is the first book in a new series by Val McDermid. Due out 5th Oct 2021 from Atlantic Monthly Press, it's 320 pages and will be available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is an engaging and very fast paced start to a new murder mystery series featuring a young female reporter in Scotland at the end of the 70s. McDermid is one of the best living writers of crime fiction in English and this novel (although a little different than her other series) is both technically brilliant and very very well written. I have read most of the author's oeuvre, and I was pleased that this book at least isn't nearly as graphic/grisly as some of her other books (the Hill & Jordan books for example). Protagonist Allie is intelligent and driven and that translates well into her inevitable clashes with patriarchal and classist society at large and the men with whom she works. This is a milieu the author is intimately familiar with, having worked as a reporter herself for a number of years in the same time period as the book. It has bone-deep verisimilitude and I enjoyed reading about the fact finding and investigation in the pre-internet "dark ages". The tension arc, denouement, and resolution are up to McDermid's high standards. The read was very satisfying and I'll definitely be seeking out future installments of this promising series.

The audiobook is unabridged, has a run time of slightly over 11 hours, and is most expertly narrated by Katie Leung. She has a pleasantly nuanced voice and manages the characters with widely divergent accents (and ages, and both sexes) impressively well. The accents are as disparate as Scotland, various English accents, to the Southwest and points in between (even American/Caribbean), and she manages all of them with expertise and precision. To be honest, there aren't very many UK/Scottish narrators/voice actors who can manage American accents (or the opposite) without being truly painful to listen to. I've from the USA but have lived in the UK and Europe for a long time and Ms. Leung's command of accents is virtuoso. Sound quality and production values are high throughout.

Four and a half stars for the text, five stars for the narration.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

4.5 stars, rounded up
I’m finding it enjoyable to return to the years of my early career when I’m reading mysteries. It’s a reminder of how we were all forced to find out information before Google and Wikipedia. It also took me back to the way women were treated back then.
1979 is the first in a new series by Val McDermid. Allie Burns is a newbie newspaper reporter. It’s the age when companies were just first starting to hire women for positions other than secretaries. But she’s still only handed the “women’s stories”. So, when another young reporter starts investigating a tax fraud story and needs help writing it, she jumps at the chance.
McDermid does a fabulous job setting up the premise and putting us smack dab in the time and place. It’s a bad time for Scotland with labor strikes and political unrest. I loved Allie and she reminded me of myself back in the day. A feminist, but still with the insecurity of youth despite her talents. “I’m a woman in a Neanderthal’s world” she says at one point.
The story moves at a brisk pace. Up until the very end, I wasn’t sure how the ending would play out. And I really appreciated that there was no big unbelievable ending here. Just solid reporting leading to an arrest.
Katie Leung provided the narration. I’ll admit that at first, I struggled with her Scottish accent. But I got the hang of it and appreciated the emotion and energy she brought to the story.
My thanks to Netgalley and RB Media for an advance copy of this book.