Criminally good
Jon Coates reviews two hotly anticipated thrillers from the queens of crime
1979 by Val McDermid (Little Brown, £20)
It’s 1979 when ambitious young reporter Allie Burns overhears three men plotting a terror attack in Glasgow following a Scottish independence meeting.
She knows this could be the scoop she’s been waiting for.
As a Cambridge University graduate, she is trying to get the boys’ club on the newsdesk of Glasgow’s Daily Clarion to take her seriously.
So she comes up with a plan to infiltrate the homegrown terror cell with the help of colleague Danny Sullivan.
Pulling off this exclusive would propel them on to a national newspaper but, as they get closer to exposing the plot, they realise they are making enemies who will go to any lengths to stop the truth coming out.
McDermid was an awardwinning Scottish reporter at the time, so she writes with experience of the sexism women faced in newsrooms, as well as capturing the atmosphere of the winter of discontent.
This is the first new series from the Queen of Crime for 18 years and while “gripping” is an adjective over-used in book reviews, it’s a fitting description of a sensational novel.
A surefire bestseller from one of Britain’s most accomplished writers.
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins
(Doubleday, £20) When Daniel Sutherland is found murdered on a canal boat in London, four women take centre stage.
Laura, a loner damaged by childhood neglect, is seen leaving the boat with blood on her clothes so she instantly becomes the police’s prime suspect.
Miriam is a busybody living on a neighbouring boat who is haunted by her past.
She is convinced Laura is guilty – so why does she lie to police to shift suspicion on to Daniel’s aunt Carla, who is still reeling from the death of her son years earlier? Laura does a weekly shop for the elderly Irene, who also knows Carla and Daniel. As the police await forensic tests which they believe will convict their prime suspect, Irene may hold the key to revealing who is innocent and who is guilty. The third standalone novel from the author of The Girl On The Train lives up to its title. It’s a slow burn of a thriller that I suspect some readers will find frustrating at first – but when it sparks into life the tension is masterfully built and Hawkins delivers a series of startling twists. Compelling and challenging, A Slow Fire Burning explores the damage caused by betrayal and loss and how this can manifest in disturbing acts of revenge and retribution. The author’s first novel for four years is well worth the wait and certain to cement her status as a publishing phenomenon.