Reviews

1979 - Jägerin und Gejagte by Val McDermid

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readingisadoingword's review against another edition

adventurous informative sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? N/A

3.0

This is the first Val McDermid book I've read and although I found it enjoyable, I'm not sure I'll rush to read any more by her.
It was the recent pick for #TheScottishBookClub and another one I would not have read otherwise.
The premise centres around Allie Burns, a budding reporter in the male dominated world of tabloid journalism in the late 70s. Striving to be take seriously and carve out a place for herself, Allie joins forces with fellow reporter Danny Sullivan. Between them they undercover tax fraud and SNP terrorist plots, however their investigations result in murder.

Things I enjoyed:
The insight into the newspaper world of the late 70s, history of SNP before it became a more mainstream party, 1970s cultural references.

Things I disliked:
Under-developed characters, telling vs showing, believability, pace of moving from one story to the next too fast.

All in all, I'm glad I read this. I liked the idea and the setting of late 70s Scotland. The book highlighted that sexism and homophobia are not that far in our past, despite advances we may have made.
Verdict - liked it, didn't love it.

the_cat's review against another edition

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mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition

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4.0

‘It started badly and only got worse. Blizzards, strikes, unburied bodies, power cuts, terrorist threats and Showaddywaddy’s Greatest Hits topping the album charts; 1979 was a cascade of catastrophe. Unless, like Allie Burns, you were a journalist. For her tribe, someone else’s bad news was the unmistakable sound of opportunity knocking.’

The first novel in Ms McDermid’s new series takes us back to 1979, to a time before the 24-hour news cycle, when technology was shorthand, typewriters, and tape recorders. Allison (Allie) Burns is one of the few women in the newsroom of Glasgow’s (fictional) Daily Clarion newspaper. She needs an explosive story, something more substantive than the women’s issue topics being thrown her way.

Allie’s fellow reporter, Danny Sullivan, has the beginnings of a big story. He has uncovered a major tax fraud which enables businessmen to evade tax. Unfortunately, Danny’s brother is part of the fraud and reporting it will cause family problems. Allie starts working with Danny, and while their story progresses, they clearly make some enemies. But it is another story that Allie and Danny start working on that seems far more dangerous: the potential for terrorism in in the lead up to the Scottish Referendum on Devolution.

In the pursuit of an exclusive story, Danny and Allie take risks. Danny befriends a small group of men who think a little violence may help the cause. Danny and Allie tread a fine line between being considered as terrorists themselves and exposing those who are planning an attack. And, along the way, Allie learns another secret personal to Danny which would cause him pain.

I was quickly hooked by this story. Allie and Danny are both well-developed characters, and I wanted to see them succeed. And, when disaster struck, I tried to work out who (from several possibilities) the villain was. The second book in this series is out, and I’ve added it to my reading list.

Thank you, Ms McDermid, for another fine novel!

Yes, 1979 was a long time ago. I remember it quite well: it was the year I married. A better year for me than perhaps it was for many others.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith