1979: The unmissable first thriller in an electrifying, brand-new series from the Queen of Crime

Pre-order Past Lying, the eagerly-awaited new Karen Pirie thriller, publishing October 2023. Allie Burns is a young reporter in 1979, chasing her first big scoop. She discovers a terrorist threat close to home and devises a dangerous plan to make her name, but she is a woman in a man's world, and putting a foot wrong could be fatal. Val McDermid is one of Britain's most accomplished writers.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 464 pages
Publication date: 03 February 2022
Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Karen Pirie returns with a thrilling new series, the first in a series from the No.1 bestseller. Pre-order Past Lying, the eagerly-awaited new Karen Pirie thriller, publishing October 2023.

She's on the hunt for a killer story. 1979. It's the winter of discontent, and Allie Burns is chasing her first big scoop. One of the few women in the newsroom, she needs something explosive for the boys' club to take her seriously.

Soon, Allie and fellow reporter Danny Sullivan are making powerful enemies with their investigations—and Allie won't stop there. When she discovers a terrorist threat close to home, she devises a dangerous plan to make her name.

But Allie is a woman in a man's world. And putting a foot wrong could be fatal.

A supremo of the genre at the height of her powers, PETER JAMES has delivered another masterpiece.

The Queen of Crime has delivered another masterpiece. DAVID BALDACCI. Allie is a fabulous character; I'll go wherever she takes me. MARIAN KEYES. A thrilling snapshot of a fascinating era. JANE HARPER. McDermid at her nail-biting, heart-rending best. CHRIS WHITAKER. Her best book in years.

The Times, Book of the Month. Allie Burns is off to a flying start, and well worth following. SCOTSMAN. A perfect snapshot of the social and political issues of the time. LINWOOD BARCLAY. Full of wit, thrills, and incisive social observation, and features a marvellous new character. MICK HERRON. I have been reading Val McDermid for twenty-five years, so I am really saying something when I tell you I enjoyed this novel the most. CHRIS BROOKMYRE. The good news is that this excellent novel marks the start of a new series.

GUARDIAN. Brilliant characters, masterful plotting.

Weight: 320g
Dimension: 197 x 128 x 30 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780751583076