A Bad, Bad Place: Winner of the Val McDermid Crime Debut Award

Get ready for the record-breaking crime novel of the year - perfect for fans of The List of Suspicious Things. A murder mystery unlike any other...

'Clever, honest, heart-rending.' VAL MCDERMID
'It will stay with me for a long, long time' JENNIE GODFREY
'Clever, authentic, and humane' IAN RANKIN

What happens to the dog walker who finds the body?

Glasgow, 1979. Twelve-year-old Janey won’t take her dog, Sid Vicious, for a walk. Not anymore. Not after Sid found the murdered woman at the abandoned railway.

Janey can’t remember what she saw down there, 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...

*WINNER: VAL McDERMID CRIME DEBUT AWARD*
*WINNER: McILVANNEY PRIZE FOR BEST SCOTTISH CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR*
*WINNER: BLOODY SCOTLAND DEBUT PRIZE*

Everyone is talking about A Bad, Bad Place:

'Richly authentic, funny, moving and insightful.' JANICE HALLETT

'I haven’t read anything quite as unique as this since Trainspotting.' LIN ANDERSON

'Lingers long after the final page' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'I loved every page!' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Got under my skin in a way I didn't expect' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Absolutely brilliant, funny, full of life, completely convincing' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Brilliant' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Stunning' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Scottish writing at its finest' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

© Frances Crawford 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026