ABOUT THIS BOOK
PUBLISHER: Bantam
ISBN: 9780857508003
RRP: £16.99
PAGES: 384
PUBLICATION DATE:
January 12, 2026
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A Bad Bad Place
By Frances Crawford
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…
Reviews of A Bad Bad Place
'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
Frances Crawford
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.