A Bad, Bad Place - February 2026 Crime Collective

About the book

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