1979 by Val McDermid, TP, $24.95

My book this year is Val McDermid’s 1979. This is the first title in her new series. The main character is Allie Burns, a young Scottish journalist. Set against the background of the newspaper wars in the UK, where the newspaper owners seemed to be constantly at war not only with each other but with their employees, journalists and printers. The turmoil in the business echoing the turmoil in the UK itself, the miner’s strikes, the failure to effectively address the HIV/AIDS and burgeoning drug use issues.