1989 is the second thrilling novel, set ten years after the first, 1979, in Val McDermid’s Sunday Times bestselling Allie Burns series.
There’s nothing like a killer story… It’s 1989. The world is changing, and Allie Burns is still on the front line, covering the stories that count. Although Allie is no longer an investigative journalist, her instincts are sharper than ever. When she discovers a lead about the exploitation of society’s most vulnerable, Allie is determined to give a voice to those who have been silenced.
As Allie edges closer to exposing the truth, she travels beyond the Iron Curtain, to East Berlin on the brink of revolution. The dark heart of the story is more shocking than she ever imagined. And to tell it, Allie must risk her freedom and her life.
Val McDermid is a #1 Sunday Times bestselling author who shows no signs of slowing down – her 30+ novels have sold over eighteen million copies. Her latest is 1989, the second instalment in her historical crime series featuring journalist Allie Burns. Set ten years after readers were first introduced to Allie, she’s now a seasoned journalist with no shortage of shocking stories landing on her desk.
What begins with Allie investigating a secretive new drug trial for HIV/AIDS patients morphs into a gripping plot – Allie is sent deep into Berlin at a time when the city was on the brink of upheaval and the fall of Communism was imminent across Eastern Europe. Allie is a tenacious protagonist who I was absolutely rooting for in her personal and professional endeavours. There’s plenty going on in this novel, but it’s sure to captivate readers who enjoy a solid mystery with a fascinating historical setting. For a lighter touch, don’t miss the very last pages where McDermid shares her Top 40 favourite songs from 1989 – it’s a great throwback playlist!
If I’m anywhere near as good an investigator as Allie is, then I’ll look forward to McDermid’s next novel featuring Allie, 1999 perhaps?
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