Rating: 3 out of 5.

This is a good historical fiction mystery thriller set in 1979 Scotland. Allie Burns is an investigative journalist at a newspaper in Glasgow, Scotland. She’s living in a “man’s world” and struggles to make her way and write the kind of stories she wants to write. Allie teams up with a co-worker to follow the trail of an illegal tax evasion scheme. From there the story escalates to much bigger issues that could cost Allie her life.

I really wanted to like this book more, but I found it dense and difficult to follow at times. Perhaps my aversion to math and all that it entails influenced my feelings about the book. I also think the pace of the book played a part in my frustration with it. I’m used to reading books that move along a lot faster. I understand that some books need to move more slowly and be methodical, but they are not my favorite. So, that’s on me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for a complimentary copy of the book and the opportunity to read it. All opinions are my own.