1979

THE FIRST IN A THRILLING NEW SERIES FROM THE NO.1 BESTSELLER ____________________ She's on the hunt for a killer story . . . 1979. It's the winter of discontent, and Allie Burns is chasing her first big scoop. One of few women in the newsroom, she needs something explosive for the boys' club to take her seriously. Soon Allie and fellow reporter Danny Sullivan are making powerful enemies with their investigations - and Allie won't stop there. When she discovers a terrorist threat close to home, she devises a dangerous plan to make her name. But Allie is a woman in a man's world . . . and putting a foot wrong could be fatal. ____________________ 'A supremo of the genre at the height of her powers' PETER JAMES 'The Queen of Crime has delivered another masterpiece' DAVID BALDACCI 'Allie is a fabulous character, I'll go wherever she takes me' MARIAN KEYES 'A thrilling snapshot of a fascinating era' JANE HARPER 'McDermid at her nail-biting, heart-rending best' CHRIS WHITAKER 'Her best book in years' THE TIMES, BOOK OF THE MONTH 'Allie Burns is off to a flying start, and well worth following' SCOTSMAN 'A perfect snapshot of the social and political issues of the time' LINWOOD BARCLAY 'Full of wit, thrills and incisive social observation and features a marvellous new character' MICK HERRON 'I have been reading Val McDermid for twenty-five years, so I am really saying something when I tell you I enjoyed this novel the most' CHRIS BROOKMYRE 'The good news is that this excellent novel marks the start of a new series' GUARDIAN 'Brilliant characters, masterful plotting' CHRIS HAMMER 'An excellent opener to what promises to be an outstanding series' SPECTATOR 'The fast-paced storytelling flows irresistibly' IRISH TIMES 'Riveting' DAILY EXPRESS 'Sensational. One of Britain's most accomplished writers' SUNDAY EXPRESS 'A nail-biting new series' OBSERVER

Val McDermid is an international number one bestselling author whose books have been translated into more than forty languages. Her multi-award-winning series and standalone novels have been adapted for TV and radio, most notably the Wire in the Blood series featuring clinical psychologist Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan. The Karen Pirie novels have now been adapted for a major ITV series. Val has been chair of the judges for the Wellcome Book Prize and the Gordon Burn Prize, and has served as a judge for the Women's Prize for Fiction, the Man Booker Prize and the Royal Society Book Prize. She is the recipient of eight honorary doctorates and is an Honorary Fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford. She is a visiting professor in the Centre of Irish and Scottish Studies at the University of Otago in New Zealand. Among her many awards are the CWA Diamond Dagger recognising lifetime achievement and the Theakston's Old Peculier award for Outstanding Contribution to Crime Writing. Val is also an experienced broadcaster and much-sought-after columnist and commentator across print media. www.valmcdermid.com Instagram @quineofcrime