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1979 is the first instalment in the Allie Burns series set against the bustling backdrop of 1970’s Glasgow. The story begins when we are introduced to Allie Burns, a young investigative journalist whose work leads her into a world of corruption, terror, and murder. It’s only January, and the year 1979 has already brought blizzards, strikes, power cuts, and political unrest. For Allie Burns, however, someone else’s bad news is the unmistakable sound of opportunity knocking, a chance to escape the “women’s stories�� to which her editors at the Scottish daily The Clarion have confined her. Striking up an alliance with budding investigative journalist Danny Sullivan, Allie begins covering international tax fraud and 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 own lives on the line.

Drawing on McDermid’s own experiences as a young journalist, 1979 is redolent of the thundering presses, hammering typewriters and wreaths of smoke of the Clarion newsroom. A journey to the past with much to say about the present, it is the latest pitch-perfect, suspenseful addition to McDermid’s crime pantheon. It's compulsive, enthralling and atmospheric and not only looks at crime and the gritty underbelly of the city but also touches on the changes there have been in technology, fashion, music, detection and the things we consume. The novel explores issues of class, gender, sexuality and politics alongside a high-stakes investigation into corruption and unrest in Glasgow in the Seventies. Allie’s story will be told in five instalments, each set a decade apart, tracking the changing state of Scotland’s criminal, social and political landscape, as well as this memorable protagonist’s life right up until 2019. A riveting, captivating and propulsive start to a series that shows a hell of a lot of promise. Highly recommended.