Not even in Alpine, Washington, could the death of octogenarian Jack Froland be considered big news--except by his drinking buddies at Mugs Ahoy. But that suddenly changes when in the middle of his funeral, Jack's widow hysterically insists that he was murdered. Emma Lord, publisher of The Alpine Advocate, who is already investigating a threatening letter received by the town's beautiful blonde judge, now suspects she has two hot stories to unravel....

Newspaper publisher Jamie Swift and millionaire playboy Max Holt pose as husband and wife to track down the story of a lifetime. They become involved with a corrupt minister, a gang of mobsters on the loose, a hound dog named Fleas, and a wise-cracking computer whiz.

When the opening night of the Alpine Council Dramatic Club's latest production culminates in the murder of one of the actors, local newspaper editor Emma Lord assists sheriff Milo Dodge in solving the mystery.

When Alpine's newspaper, "The Advocate," narrowly escapes a potential hostile takeover, Emma Lord finds herself on the top of the suspect list when the person behind the bid turns up dead.

"Val McDermid's award-winning, internationally bestselling novels have captivated readers for over three decades. In her new novel 1979, she returns to the past with the story of an investigative journalist whose work leads her into a world of corruption, terror, and murder. It's only January, and the year has already brought blizzards, strikes, power cuts, and political unrest. But for journalist Allie Burns, bad news provides an opportunity to escape...

Alone at his fantastic estate known as Xanadu, 70-year-old Charles Foster Kane dies, uttering only the single word Rosebud. So ends the odyssey of a life, and begins a fabulous tale of the rise to wealth and power, and ultimate fall, of a complex man.