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A Bad, Bad Place
Brief Description
The debut crime novel of the year—acquired in a ten-publisher auction—this is The List of Suspicious Things meets Shuggie Bain. It's beautifully written and startlingly original—a reading experience unlike anything you've come across before. Don't miss the must-read debut of the year—a murder mystery unlike any...
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A Bad, Bad Place
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Description
The debut crime novel of the year—acquired in a ten-publisher auction—this is The List of Suspicious Things meets Shuggie Bain. It's beautifully written and startlingly original—a reading experience unlike anything you've come across before.
Don't miss the must-read debut of the year—a murder mystery unlike any other...
Clever, honest, heart-rending. VAL MCDERMID
Richly authentic, funny, moving and insightful. JANICE HALLETT
I haven't read anything quite as unique as this since Trainspotting. LIN ANDERSON
A Bad, Bad Place will stay with me for a long, long time JENNIE GODFREY
Part To Kill a Mockingbird, part The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, yet altogether incomparable A. J. FINN
What happened to the dog walker who found the body?
Glasgow, 1979.
Twelve-year-old Janey won't take her dog, Sid Vicious, for a walk. Not anymore. It's Sid's fault she found the murdered woman.
Janey claims she can't remember what she saw at the abandoned railway, but the police think she's hiding something. And they're not the only ones interested.
Fear and rumour rip through the tight-knit community of Possilpark. Janey and her nana, Maggie, are dragged into the hunt for a murderer. And Maggie's struggle to keep her beloved granddaughter safe becomes ever more desperate.
Because Janey's memories can't stay hidden forever.
And neither can the killer...
Readers love A Bad, Bad Place—
Lingers long after the final page FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW
I loved every page! FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW
Got under my skin in a way I didn't expect FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW
Absolutely brilliant, funny, full of life, completely convincing FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW
Brilliant FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW
Stunning FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW
Scottish writing at its finest FIVE-STAR READER REVIEW
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780857508010
Publisher: Transworld Publishers Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 12 February 2026
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Bantam Books (Transworld Publishers a division of the Random House Group)
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 28.0mm
Width: 153.0mm
Height: 235.0mm
Weight: 468g
Pages: 384
About the Author
As a passionate advocate of lifelong learning, Frances was delighted to graduate age 60 with MLitt (Distinction) Creative Writing from Glasgow University. In 2023, she won Bloody Scotland/ Glencairn Crime Short Story Competition and the first chapters of her debut novel, A Bad, Bad Place, won Highly Commended in Moniack Mohr Emerging Writer 2024. Frances grew up in North Glasgow, and credits the people of Possilpark and Milton as her writing inspiration. She still lives in Glasgow with her family, and likes libraries and punk rock.
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