1989 - Val McDermid

 1989 - Val McDermid

Release Date: Oct. 11, 2022

When last the reader saw Allie Burns, in the first book of this series, it was 1979 and she was a fledgling reporter chasing her first big scoop.  Ten years later, she is a decent journalist stuck working for the tabloid Sunday Globe. She has settled in to a loving relationship with Rona and is now living in Manchester.  Her boss is the disreputable Ace Lockhart, in a race with Rupert Murdock to see how low journalism can sink.   There are a few storylines here that center around these main characters along with Lockhart’s daughter, the very spoiled Genevieve.  

The book is quite atmospheric in giving a good sense of the time, highlighting some of the historical events.  It was a fun trip down memory lane for those of us who do remember the first “mobile” phones being the size of a car battery with a handset on top!  I recall using one of those!

1989 was a time of tragedies as well including the Lockerbie explosion and the poor treatment of HIV/AIDs patients due to ignorance, fear, and discrimination.  But it was also a time of hope as Glasnost seemed to be the harbinger of the break down of the Iron Curtain.  The book was at its most compelling near the end as a murder occurs and Allie tries to track down the truth about both the victim and the killer.

Thanks to @netgalley and #groveatlantic for the arc.

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