It was quite the year: 1979 by Val McDermid

Val McDermid is one of my favorite crime writers. She is a pioneer in the crime fiction world, beginning with her Lindsay Gordon series. Lindsay was the first lesbian to feature in a mystery as protagonist. By the way, these titles have been reissued along with the author’s Kate Brannigan novels. And, of course, Ms. McDermid’s fans also follow Tony Hill and Carole Jordan as well as Karen Pirie in the novels featuring them.

Not one to rest on her laurels, now there is a new series. This one follows Allie Burns. Allie is a reporter on a Scottish daily at a time when women in the newsroom were few and rarely reported on anything other than women’s issues. Allie, though, is becoming a tough investigative reporter.

Two of the stories that Allie follows are the one with financial chicanery and tax evasion at its core, and a…