A Bad, Bad Place

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.

A sweeping crime thriller about the far-reaching effects of a murder on a community in Glasgow. An epic story of resilience, redemption and love.

‘Clever, honest, heart-rending.’ Val McDermid

‘Richly authentic, funny, moving and insightful.’ Janice Hallett

‘Part To Kill and Mockingbird, part Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, yet altogether incomparable.’ A. J. Finn

Everyone’s talking about Janey Devine…

Glasgow, 1979. While walking her dog, twelve-year-old Janey finds a murdered woman on an abandoned railway – and her innocent childhood ends in a shocking moment of trauma.

When the victim is named as daughter of a local hardman, Janey’s nana, Maggie, is distraught and deeply afraid. Janey claims she can’t remember what she saw that day, but the police think she’s hiding something, and they’re not the only ones interested.

Maggie tries desperately to keep Janey safe but is battling long-buried secrets of her own. As fear and rumour stalk the streets of Possilpark, Maggie becomes convinced she will lose her beloved granddaughter forever – especially when Janey starts to remember exactly what happened in that bad, bad place…

Author Biography

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.