1979

After working for a degree at Cambridge and training as a journalist, Allie Burns has returned to Scotland for a career at the newsdesk of the Daily Clarion. As one of a small minority of women, she needs to demonstrate her ability otherwise she’ll be side-lined and consigned to stories of trivial and marginal interest.

Luckily, fellow reporter Danny Sullivan recognises her ability to knock out copy quickly, and the two team up to produce stories that make the front page. The first is an expose of an insurance firm offering ways for owners of cash-rich businesses to evade tax. Danny gets the details to substantiate the story, but since his brother was implicated, publication causes a rift between Danny and his family.

The second story is initiated by Allie, after a visit to a meeting of supporters of Scottish Independence at which she overhears three young men discussing the need for action to advance the agenda. She gets Danny involved with the group, who surprisingly quickly come up with a way to acquire explosives and things become very serious.

Both stories move ahead rapidly and call for Allie and Danny to be actively involved in both developing the evidence, and in writing up the story as it comes together. First the decision as to when to involve the editor and then discussions with senior staff and lawyers to negotiate the hurdles involved in publication.

Each plot strand involves criminality, and the police have to be called in at some stage. Threats are made by those exposed, and when someone takes action there are a number of possible suspects. The police reach an early solution, but Allie is persuaded that they have arrested the wrong man and takes steps to identify the true culprit.

Val McDermid is well known for her crime stories; this is the first outing for Allie Burns, with a second on the way. McDermid appends a postscript in which she mentions her own 1979 experience at a newsdesk like the one Burns works on, which explains how she is able to convey the atmosphere so convincingly. She also includes her 1979 top 40, for those who like a musical accompaniment to get them in the right frame of mind.

I always feel for authors who set their stories in Glasgow; McDermid takes the usual route of using a few local words and expressions to give a flavour, but in reality the vernacular would be far stronger, to the extent that sassenachs would be in need of an interpreter. Unless the intended readership is aimed solely at Glaswegians, I suspect the translation is inevitable.

This is an excellent story with an engaging protagonist, likely to be of particular interest to anyone with a journalistic background, especially if they have any recollections of Britain 40 years ago.