She forms an alliance with fellow reporter . Together, they investigate high-stakes stories including: International Tax Fraud : Targeting influential figures.
: Relentless blizzards and unseasonably brutal snowstorms.
The story is set against the atmospheric and volatile landscape of late 1970s Scotland—a period famously known as the . McDermid vividly paints a Glasgow of contrasts, plagued by:
In Val McDermid’s novel , the first in a planned quintet of "decades-spaced" mysteries, readers are introduced to Allie Burns , a tenacious young journalist navigating the male-dominated newsroom of the Scottish daily, The Clarion . The Historical Backdrop
: Widespread labor strikes, power cuts, and political instability.