Sunday, August 08, 2021

I Have Val McDermid Covered!

 

A couple of weeks ago, faithful reader Kate from North Carolina had an attack of ESP. Either that, or she has a spy cam trained on my blog calendar/planner. I'd stumbled across the two book covers for Emma Stonex's The Lamplighters and within minutes, I walked right into the US and UK covers for Val McDermid's upcoming October release, 1979. You know what that means, don't you? 

Cover-Off! (And Kate knew all about it!)

First, here's the synopsis of the book. Sometimes it helps to have an idea of what a book is about before you take a look at the covers.

It's only January, and the year 1979 has already brought blizzards, strikes, power cuts, and political unrest. For journalist Allie Burns, however, someone else's bad news is the unmistakable sound of opportunity knocking, an opportunity to get away from the "women's stories" her editors at the Scottish daily The Clarion keep assigning her. Striking up an alliance with budding investigative journalist Danny Sullivan, Allie begins covering international tax fraud, then a group of Scottish ultranationalists aiming to cause mayhem ahead of a referendum on breaking away from the United Kingdom. Their stories quickly get attention and create enemies for the two young up-and-comers. As they get closer to the bleeding edge of breaking news, Allie and Danny may find their lives on the line.

The first novel in a brand-new series for McDermid, 1979 is redolent of the thundering presses, hammering typewriters, and wreaths of smoke of the Clarion newsroom. An atmospheric journey into the past with much to say about the present, it is the latest suspenseful, pitch-perfect addition to Val McDermid's crime pantheon.
 
Now that you have a little background, here are the covers--
 
 

 
These two covers are so radically different, you'd never guess that they're for the same book, right? There are elements of both that I like, and other elements that I'm not so sure about. Let's start with the US cover.

Number one, that predominant red color is certain to catch the eye of anyone roaming the stacks of a bookshop or library, and the design is cleancut and simple. Color, one graphic, title, author's name, name of series. But. (You knew that was coming.)

How many bookshop/library stack wanderers are going to know what that graphic is? Is this a subtle hint that this book will only be of interest to folks who actually remember the year 1979? Yes, it does have a lot to do with both the subject and the era, but despite the blazing red color, the major feeling I get when I look at this cover is meh. On to the UK cover.

My first reaction is that I like this cover a lot better, and that the UK publisher put more effort into trying to get this book to sell. An atmospheric graphic. McDermid's name boldly at the top, which makes perfect sense because she's a pillar of the UK crime fiction community. Then the title. Then a blurb. Now... I know I've said in the past that I do not care for blurbs, but I rather like this one. "She's hunting for a story. And someone's hunting her." Creepy. And the UK cover also lets readers know that this is the first book in a new series. 

The only nod to the historical part of the book is the title itself. Even though I do prefer this cover, it does bother me. Why? Because I've seen a lot of UK covers, and this one blends right in with them. It's a bit generic, leaning on McDermid's name and reputation to sell the book. What about possible new readers to whom "Val McDermid" on a cover means nothing? Will they walk past the ordinary-looking cover?

So this Cover-Off is a toss-up. A tie. I have a slight preference for the UK cover, but not enough to declare it the winner.

What about you? Which cover do you prefer? US? UK? Or does neither one float your boat? Inquiring minds would love to know!

19 comments:

  1. I prefer the UK/ANZ cover personally, it’s a little generic but instantly marks it as a crime thriller, where the large typewriter not so much.

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    1. Yes, that typewriter doesn't do a thing for me either.

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  2. Hmm....tie or not, I like the UK cover better, Cathy. It seems to reflect the book, and it has more appeal. It may be a little generic, but it works for me.

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  3. The UK cover, partly because it has the bit of text revealing something about the plot. I have this on Kindle now, but haven't read it yet.

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    1. I imagine it won't take you long before you crack it open!

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  4. On first glance, I liked the UK cover better. However, I do like the simplicity and typewriter on the front of the US version, but it just isn't quite right. I agree with you, the UK version isn't quite right either...

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  5. Faithful Reader Kate - I like the title!

    I think it's more the experience from being such a regular visitor that I could tell this was a likely entry. I can promise that I'm not going to spend valuable reading time looking for others!

    I'm another one in the Tie category here. I thought the US cover had some strange battle-axe image at first (which may be part of what the publisher intended), and had to look more closely to recognize the typewriter.

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    1. I have to admit that I thought it was a battle axe, too, until I finally twigged that it was a typewriter.

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  6. I think I like the British cover a bit more. But neither cover gives a browser any idea of what the book is about. Why is a typewriter on the cover and what is the other object? Is it a rifle? Can't figure it out.

    The British cover is also confusing. One sees a fiew of a city from a bridge or ferry. But it's nt menacing and doesn't pose danger, in my opinion.

    So both are "meh," with a little more tilt towards the British cover.

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  7. It's typing too late at night. My fingers move, my brain is behind my hands.

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    1. It's happened to me more times than I'd like to remember.

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    2. A freequent typo is "ot" instead of "to." Or "hte" instead of "the." It's like my fingers are ahead of my brain.

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  8. I'll go with the British cover mostly because I dislike the American one. I agree that it will be an eye-catcher inside a bookstore, but I find that covers as bright as that one tend to wear on me after a while, and I don't like the way their spines look on my own shelves.

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    Replies
    1. You could always shelve them spines in toward the wall... ;-)

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