A Bad, Bad Place

by Frances Crawford

Don't miss the must-read debut of the year - a murder mystery unlike any other...

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…

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Scotland

337 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication February 12, 2026

Reviews

[Laura❄️📚 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher Random House UK for providing this book for review purposes via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.


In Glasgow 1979 while walking her dog on the abandoned train line, 12 year old Janey finds the body of a local women, Samantha Watson. Samantha is the daughter of gangster Billy Watson and she has been brutually murdered, after Janey finds Samantha she’s loses the innocence of her childhood. The police are convinced Janey is hiding something but Janey can’t remember everything from that, her Nana is worried as Janey is not herself.

I loved this book, I loved that the focus was on the victim, Janey and her Nana, rather than the focus being on the murderer. The story is told from two points of view, Janey and her Nana, so on one hand we get the narrative of lost innocence and on the other the wisdom of maturity. Very cleverly executed, alongside Janey I was trying to work out who did and the killers identify came as a shock to me. I loved that this book kept me guessing, I found myself very invested in the plot and caring about the fate of the characters, even Billy Watson who despite his many failings was still a man who lost his daughter. There’s a real sense of community in this book and I loved that, as the neighbours watch out for each other. This book shows how this devastating crime affected the local community and I really enjoyed reading this book, I would not hesitate to recommend it. Easy 5 stars for me, brillant book.

[❀ Tia ❀ · Rating 4 out of 5]

| ARC REVIEW | COMING: 12th Feb 2026

★ 4.5 ★

The year is 1979, in Possilpark, Glasgow. And twelve-year-old Janey Devine has just discovered the body of a woman. A woman who has been brutally murdered.

This story is told from two alternating perspectives:
Janey — who is trying to navigate the aftermath of this horrific day and the challenging emotions that have arisen as a result, and how she attempts to piece together what happened with the fragments of memories she hasn't repressed.
And Maggie — Janey's nana, who is trying her best to support Janey through the traumatic event while still navigating ghosts from her own past.

I thought this book was very cleverly written. In my opinion, the use of the Glaswegian dialect, (which although very occasionally threw me off) was written in an accessible and easy to read way, ensuring the characters remained cohesive with the story's location. I found this a charming way of bringing the characters more to life. Also, Frances Crawford's ability to write from a child's perspective is fantastic! I felt that she really mastered the "child's voice" which is a skill many authors struggle with. This meant that both perspectives were very distinct, making for an easily understandable transition throughout the change in perspectives every other chapter.

I found the focus on Janey's guilt and the story's underpinning theme of Catholicism very interesting. I found myself wondering if Janey's journal documenting the victim's life was her method of confession. A way of assuaging her guilt without having to speak it aloud. A very authentic portrayal of the guilt some real-life victims in Janey's position often feel.

I thought this book was fantastic! Just when I thought I could see where the story was leading, another twist happened. I was utterly gripped from start to finish. But the ending is what really got me thinking. I was devastated with how the book ended and am desperate to know which decision Maggie made. — The lack of closure regarding the justice evoked several feelings in me: frustration, sadness and anger. But after a think, I realised that this reflects how many victims' families feel when tragic events like these happen in real life. I don't know if this mirroring of emotions was something Frances Crawford deliberately aimed to achieve when writing this novel, but wow was it an effective way of ensuring the story plays on your mind!

I would 100% recommend this book if you like crime thrillers, and deeply layered characters that will keep you hooked throughout.

Thank you to NetGalley, Frances Crawford and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam for gifting this eBook in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. All opinions are my own.

❀ Tia ❀

[mils · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received a copy of this book from someone who attended Harrogate Crime Writing Festival. It took me a while to pick it up but when I did, I couldn’t put it down. The story hooked me instantly, and I loved how it opened up with details of what Janey had seen, whilst still keeping some mystery. I hooked on to ‘who dunnit’ the second we met them, but still the story had me questioning it constantly.

My only critique is it felt, at times, that the story dragged a little. It could have been about 50 pages shorter and the ending felt a little rushed. That being said, I liked the open-ended feeling of it.

[Cathryn Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Bad, Bad Place is the story of the fallout from a murder. 12-year-old Janey discovers the mutilated body of a woman while walking her dog, and the months following this are told through the eyes of Janey and her Nana.

Set in the late 70’s in Scotland, the tale is built around the mystery of who killed Samantha, but as it is told by Janey and her Nana it beautifully shows the wider consequences of that one event. We’re introduced to the whole spectrum of society, from ordinary people to thieves to gang leaders.

This was an intriguing read, and although it took me a few pages to get into it, once I was hooked I didn’t want to put it down. This is the first crime book I’ve read with the majority told through the eyes of a child, and it was a refreshing change. The impact of the murder on Janey’s relationships with everyone was very well done, and Nana’s struggles to bring up a child and protect her while dealing with her own grief and secrets are heartbreaking at times.

All the characters felt very real with none of the cartoon villains you sometimes get in crime books, and Janey and Nana’s voices were clearly distinguishable. The end left me wanting to know more, but not in a frustrated way and I feel like that was the perfect place to leave it. Although there isn’t a lot of high action is this book, it is full of raw emotion and exploration of what it means to be a community.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Silver Star · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a remarkable book. This is a gritty, coming of age whodunit set in 1970s Glasgow.

The story is told through a Dual Narrative: Janey and her Nanna and guardian, Maggie. When Janey discovers the murdered body of a young woman whilst out walking their dog Sid Vicious, she’s left with half a memory of the traumatic event and has to figure out who murdered poor Samantha Watson without giving away any secrets. Her nanna is worried sick and tries to help her whilst nursing her own trauma and secrets. To complicate matters, the victim was the daughter of the local gangster and wants Janey and her Nanna to help him too. As the story and mystery unfolds, Janey regains her memory and confidence to help recover her memories and help Samantha Watson.

The author created such an immersive portrait of 1970s Glasgow. I loved the Scottish dialect, the working class community and the host of side characters of Possilpark. Heartbreaking in parts, but also full of warmth and humour. Janey was an amazing character, I wanted to reach into the book and hug her & the dog. She provided such insightful and innocent observations of the kindness of friendship alongside the bleak poverty and harsh life in 1970s Glasgow.

What a fantastic debut! Themes of prejudice, poverty, trauma & the grittiness of the working class. Gave me Angela’s Ashes/List of Suspicious Things/Adrian Mole vibes. All the stars.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Bad, Bad Place is a good, good book. Actually, scratch that, because it's not merely good, it's bloody brilliant. It's crime fiction done different, and that's what makes it stand out. How is it done different, I hear you cry. Well, instead of being told from the point of view of the police tasked with investigating the murder, it's told from the POV of the child who discovered the body, and her nana, Maggie. 🐕‍🦺
Meet wee Janey, who is 12 years old, and, had the misfortune of finding the body of a young woman, whilst out walking her dog. Actually, it was said dog, Sid Vicious (I kid you not) who found the deceased. 🐕‍🦺
From this point on we follow Janey as she becomes more and more withdrawn. The trauma of her discovery is apparent, as she tries to reassemble her memories of that day. 🐕‍🦺
Maggie's POV sheds more light on how Janey is coping, and gives us the family's backstory. 🐕‍🦺
Set in Glasgow in the late 1970's, A Bad, Bad Place is gritty and dark, but there is a black humour within. The characters are well fleshed out, and most of them are likeable. 🐕‍🦺
I loved this book. It was, hands down, one of my favourite books this year.
Thanks to Random House UK and Netgalley for the digital ARC.

[Karlyne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this book.

The premise and the concept behind the book was very good. I enjoyed the dual POV of both the child and the adult in the same situation but different perspectives. However, the language i.e using slang and dialect from the region of the books setting did make it hard to read in some places.
I will also say that I do not believe the author explored the characters of the murderer and murdered enough to make the book thoroughly enjoyable.
Still a good read, but not a favourite for sure.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Bad, Bad Place is a bleak, sad and tragic story of events following a young girls discovery of a murdered woman’s corpse.

I enjoyed the style of writing especially how the author made the setting and characters so descriptive. The characters were realistic and full of depth, and I appreciated that the story was told from both Janey and her gran’s perspective which added nuance and authenticity.

However, I didn’t enjoy the way Janey treated her dog Sid Vicious after discovering the body - with numerous references to violence and neglect. Her trauma is clearly evident without this. I also found her friendship with Theresa to be baffling and I felt it was used as a lazy attempt to move the story on. I found the ending to be rushed and felt the murderer was far too obvious.

That being said, A Bad Bad Place was an enjoyable, descriptive read and I’d read more from this author in the future.

Thanks to Random House UK, Transworld Publishers | Bantam for the ARC.

[Toni · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Scotland in the 1980s, this story focuses on 12-year-old Janey, who discovers the dead body of a young woman, Samantha. What follows is the fallout from this on Janey, her family and her community.

This was a very dark and gritty book, mainly focused on relationships and conversations. It follows Janey as she slowly comes to terms with what she's seen, the loss of someone she didn't know, and how she slowly uncovers the motives behind the murder.

It was an interesting read, challenging at times to read this from the perspective of a young person, but in some ways that made it more grounding and real. It's an incredible debut by Frances Crawford. I look forward to reading more of her books over the coming years.

Thanks to Frances Crawford, Penguin and NetGalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

[Tilly Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating 4.5.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. What a story. I really didn't know what to expect from this book, but what I found was a story packed with characters I really came to care about, even the shady ones, and that was part mystery, part nostalgic community drama and full of heart. Little Janey Devine is such a brilliantly observed character, and one who readers will most definitely take to their hearts. a twelve year old girl, just out to walk her dog and have a little fun when she finds something that will change her whole life from that point forward. A dead body. And not just anyone. The victim is the daughter of a man very well known in Janey's community. The kind no one would want to be on the wrong side of.

Through a winding, and often emotional narrative, Frances Crawford transports readers to late 1970's Scotland, and the community of Possilpark. This is not your typical crime novel in that whilst a crime does occur, and one of the most heinous of them all to be fair, it is the backdrop to, rather than the full focus of, the story. This is a book about Janey and her Nana, Maggie, as they navigate those very difficult days and weeks following Janey's discovery, days that lead them to association with Billy Watson, father of the victim, Samantha, and a bit of a legend around town - for all of the wrong reasons. Told from the points of view of both Janey and Maggie, this gives a very different tone to the book, one which did, for me, have echoes of A List Of Suspicious Things, particularly when in the voice and thoughts of Janey.

I really like what Frances Crawford has done with this book. The emotion she has built into the story that creeps up on you without you really realising it. Maggie and Janey have a rather tragic backstory that informs rather than overwhelms the present, but which does go a long way to explain their reactions to what happens, and why Maggie is so protective of Janey. Janey is a wonderful character, full of fire and spirit and remarkably resilient for a young girl who spends much of the book fearing retribution and wondering if the killer may come looking for her next. Because Janey is keeping a secret, one that Maggie doesn't know even if she does suspect something is not right with her wee granddaughter. Janey's interactions with the local neighbourhoods, particularly Martin, feel so authentic that it brings a smile reading some of them and seeing Janey, for once, able to revel in her childhood, even if half of her time is spent in fear.

Maggie too is a brilliant character. I like the way in which the author has portrayed her, not kowtowing to BIlly Watson when others would quake in his presence, but having the real measure of the man and understanding his sense of loss. There are times when she overlooks some of the negatives about his character and his actions, but in her position, trying to do the best by Janey, you can't entirely blame her and I respected and liked her all the more for it. She is determined, but still managing her own loss, a grief that enables to understand Billy better than he understands himself.

There is a heart of mystery in this book, driven by Janey's desire to understand Samantha, as well as perhaps uncover her killer herself, if only to make up for something she knows she did wrong. The author orchestrates the action and the storyline perfectly, serving up several suspects whilst hiding the real culprit in plain sight. There is an air of menace, underpinned by Billy Watson and his colleagues, the Edgar Brothers, dubious activities, but exacerbated by the fact that there is a sense of janey always being watched. Whether by the police of someone far more nefarious, is not immediately clear.

As for setting, time and place, Frances Crawford has pitched this perfectly. The general tone of the time, the politics, the haves and have nots of life in working class families, that all feels all too real and all too easy to remember. Add in the authentic, if sometimes morally suspect, characters who inhabit Billy Watson's life, and compare them to the straight talking, family centric community in which Maggie and Janey live brings back more than a touch of nostalgia. There are actually several threads to the story, some of which draw attention away from Janey and her situation, which is no bad thing as they allow a reset in what could otherwise be a particularly emotional read, whilst also throwing forth additional suspects who might not have been on our radar before.

When all is said and done, this is a fantastic story about family, friendship, and navigating the difficult waters off loss and grief. Driven by two fabulous female leads, there is a real sensitivity to this family centric book that just happens to have a murder, an undercurrent of tension, and a touch of gangland crime to keep us on our toes. Definitely recommended. Will be intrigued to see what the author brings to us next.

[Books By Your Bedside · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars rounded up

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2025 and I had super high hopes for it.

I admire Frances. She was 60 when she graduated with MLitt (Distinction) in Creative Writing from Glasgow University, which then led to this book. She is proof that you don't have to do everything by the time you're 30, that success can come at any age.

The POV of a grandchild and grandmother, two ends of the spectrum; there are other characters but these are your two main players and they're so interesting. The other characters are more background, only there to move the main story along, which is fine because they do that very well. I don't think I've ever read a thriller or crime novel in the view of a child, maybe we don't like to think of children being involved in things like murders, but I think it gives an interesting perspective of it. Which then contrasts with the grandmother's viewpoint.

I think having a child's viewpoint makes it all the harder to read about. Thrillers are my most read genre and I watch a lot of true crime programmes and so, to a certain extent, I'm a bit blasé when it comes to facing fictional murder, it's not all that shocking to me anymore. But having a child find the body and then deal with the aftermath, it brings it home just how traumatic it can be and in a roundabout way, made it more thrilling to read.

I like that she's made Janey write down what happened to her and how she's feeling in a scrapbook as opposed to drawn-out narrative. I feel it would have felt unrealistic for a girl not yet a teenager to be happy to tell adults everything. But it's believable that she may keep some sort of diary or journal, and it felt like an organic way to tell that part of the story.

It is written in a Glaswegian dialect and generally speaking, I don't like books written in dialects or accents because I find they take your focus away from the story. It did take me some getting used to because there's terms I don't understand, however I do love the Scottish accent (I know that's a bit generic because there are many different Scottish accents), and it really helped add further depth to he characters and their surroundings.

Yes it's a crime novel, yes there's a murdered woman, it's thrilling, I get that. But for me, that aspect is almost second best to how Frances has constructed this story around it. It's more about family and friends, your community, what you would do to protect your loved ones, working through trauma etc. that just so happens to have a body underneath it all.

One thing I did enjoy was there wasn't a stereotypical, caricature, pantomime idea of a villain. It all felt very real which made it more tense because it feels like it could be anyone.

It's set in the 1970s which means there are slightly more unsavoury elements to it, themes and actions that would have been acceptable at the time but unpleasant by today's standards, but it's important she's added them.

I would have liked a clearer ending. I don't mind an open-ended ending generally, but not in thrillers, as I want to know if the goodies win or if the baddies get their comeuppance etc. It's a perfectly enjoyable ending but I just wanted that final thing tied up.

All in all, this is a fantastic, thrilling debut and I cannot wait for what she decides to do next.

[Jen James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Bad, Bad Place finds Glaswegian, punk loving Janey, a young girl, living in the hardest of conditions in 1979. While out walking Sid Vicious, her loyal dog, she finds Samantha Watson dead in a tunnel, sadly her end was not natural or peaceful. The impact on Janey, is understandably, all consuming; and the impoverished community is affected deeply. Mistrust and fear are rife.

The characters are so richly drawn, their language so vivid and evocative, leaving nothing to the imagination. It is raw, the brutal honesty of the dialogue sometimes stopping me in my tracks, other times it made me snort with laughter. I love Janey, the names she has for her friends are so vividly descriptive. These names tell you everything you need to know, while bringing a wry smile too.

The writing of the dialogue leaves you in no doubt as to where the book is set, I’m sure the audio narration would only enhance this sense of place further. Some of the things that Janey found comforting, broke my heart for her. The matter of fact descriptions of their daily lives, really brings home the level of poverty endured by our characters. At times I felt uncomfortable whilst reading, I wanted to scoop up the characters, and take them away to a place of safety.

The alternating narration between Janey and her Nana felt very strong. The contrast of Janey’s youth, against all that her Nan has had to bear through the years. What shines through is their strength. All of the characters are well rounded and so real. Not a single one is all good, or all bad, just as in life.

This gritty read is unbelievably the author’s debut. This is not a gentle book, I felt uneasy and tense whilst reading. Having said that, the love between Janey and her Nana is strong and heart warming, the bond between the community is steadfast, and says so much for the resilience of the people. I think readers who are fans of Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, and The List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey will appreciate this powerful story. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

[Kath · Rating 5 out of 5]

We start with a young girl - Janey Devine - finding the body of Samantha Watson as she is out walking her wonderfully named dog, Sid Vicious. She runs for help and comes across a taxi driver, who assists her in calling the police and all that. Long story short, she tells the police everything she can remember about what happened. But, being as it is 1979 Glasgow and she lives with her nana there is no real help for her and she starts to suffer a bit from what she saw.
Meanwhile, we also meet notorious Glasgow gangster Billy "The Ghost" Watson who was father to Samantha and he wants to know who killed his baby. Both he and the police think that Janey is holding something back. Something key to cracking the crime. Something she either doesn't want to tell, or something she has forgotten. There is a spurious timeline. Maybe she wants to help, but just can't face the truth.
I blooming loved this book. It's proper gritty. Well, you'd expect that from a book based in 1979 Glasgow, but it really delivers. Janey is a wonderful character. Solid but vulnerable. She's already been through a lot in her 12 years and she and her Nana are just about keeping their heads above water. I took to the both of them instantly. As I also did with Billy who, despite his proclivity for crime was, at the end if the day, also just a grieving father wanting answers.
And Janey was just a wonderful narrator. The author really did the whole "from a child's eyes" brilliantly and convincingly. All complementing the parts narrated by Nana Maggie. There's also quite a bit of humour to be found herein which keeps the book from getting too dark overall.
And when the whole truth and reason for withholding all came out, well, I just had to sit back and applaud the author for a job well done. So much so that I just had to go check out her back catalogue and was shocked and amazed that this is her debut book. No way! I am absolutely now hanging to see what she serves up for next time. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a thriller that is set in Scotland. It is 1979, and 12-year-old Janey has been out walking her dog, Sid Vicious (excellent name for a dog), when they come across a body. The scene is brutal, and Janey cannot remember all of what she saw.

This is a murder mystery and thriller story, but instead of it being about the investigation, the author focuses on Janey and those who are immediately affected. It is told mainly from the perspective of Janey, how she reacts, the consequences of her discovery and how she sees the brutal murder.

I love how the author has taken this route and shows how a murder touches people, how gossip can spread, and how life on a Glasgow estate is in 1979. The author uses the murder as the central point, then, like a water droplet in a puddle, follows the circling rings outwards. The circular movement is sort of an appropriate analogy in my mind, as things come back, and with each circle, something new is added, making it bigger. As things are revealed and some questions answered, the outer circles start to dissipate, leaving only the crucial information that is required for the truth to be seen.

The story has several characters, and these are essential for the story; some are closer to Janey, while others are closer to her Nan. There are friends, associates and criminals involved in this story, and each one is part of the overall story.

Discovering a brutal murder must be one of the most awful things to see, and I think the author did a great job of showing this through the eyes of a 12-year-old, and how it has a knock-on effect for those around her.

This is an addictive debut, and I adored the way the author has laid out the story and the subplots, and there are several. Things flow together, and there are some good twists. The finale of the story is also very good, leaving you to decide which is the better outcome!

This is one for fans of crime, thriller and mystery books and is one I would definitely recommend.

[Laura Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!
I was intrigued by the blurb and was delighted to receive this as a netgalley ARC.
The two viewpoints of 12 year old Janey and her Nana, Maggie were well done, I could really feel like I was with them. The setting of 1979 Glasgow was well drawn, I could really imagine it from the descriptions as was the use of writing like it would be spoken, really made the setting of working class Glasgow & the various characters come alive.
The main plot of Janey finding Samantha's body whilst out walking her dog, Sid Vicious, and the subsequent police investigation was woven intricately with the sub plots of how Janey was dealing (or not dealing as was the case) with the trauma of finding Samantha's body and what she did before she alerted the authorities (she says she did a bad thing), the difficulties her Nana Maggie had ensuring there was still money coming in and the resulting poverty, the trauma Maggie was still dealing with as a result of the deaths of Janey's parents and sister in a gas explosion and the Glasgow criminal underworld that Samantha's dad, Billy, was part of and if it was linked to her death.
This was an easy, gripping read, I just became immersed in Janey & Maggie's worlds, as I was often reading on my work commute I was very often disappointed to reach my destination as that meant stopping reading this. I was also sad the story ended, I just wanted to stay with them to find out what Maggie had decided to do.
I could compare this to "We Begin at the End" but I would be doing this book a disservice as for one thing, it wasn't as challenging to get into as that book, which other readers often DNF and a comparison may put readers off this book.
I am very tempted to get the audiobook version when it is released to see how it works with the writing style.
Highly recommended, wishing the author success for release day. With thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity.

[Brian Wilde · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a story set around Glasgow in 1979 about Janey, a 12 year old girl who finds a dead body whilst walking her dog.

Janey goes from an outgoing young girl to more of a recluse, reluctant to leave the house, wanting to sleep all the time. Its understandably had a profound effect on the young girl who lives with her 'Nana' Maggie.

One thing many authors struggle with is having non-professionals somehow have suspects willingly answer their investigative questions. Thankfully, that is one thing Frances Crawford did quite well. I thought it was well managed how she had Janey collect clues in a scrapbook to help her cope with anxiety, and how Nana would overhear things in her jub as a bar-maid or at the taxi rank. They weren't actively investigating but were revealing important information as the story progressed.

The biggest drawback for me with this book was the writing style. All of the book is written in a local Scottish dialect, which isn't usually an issue for me but I felt that the author was at times using words just for the sake of using the slang and it completely detracted from the characters and the story.

I very nearly added this to my Did Not Finish pile, that was how irritating I found it and I think it spoiled what could have been a good story.

Other than Nana and Janey, I found the characters to be quite one dimensional. Most of the male characters felt quite samey and weren't easily distinguishable from one another unless named.
Overall I was left feeling disappointed. It was an interesting premise but fell short with the authors choice of writing style.

I would like to convey my thanks to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the chance to review this novel. All opinions are my own.

A Bad, Bad Place is due to be released on 12th February 2026.

[Rekha O'Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC received via NetGalley – thank you. All opinions are my own.

There is a crime at the heart of A Bad, Bad Place, but this is not a novel about solving it. It’s a novel about what violence leaves behind.

Set in Scotland in 1979, the story follows twelve-year-old Janey, already shaped by loss, already living carefully in the world. While walking her dog—Sid Vicious, an inspired name—she stumbles across something that will quietly fracture her sense of safety. What follows is not a rush towards answers, but a slow, aching exploration of memory, silence, and protection.

The narrative moves between Janey, her grandmother Maggie, and the wider community, but it is Maggie who stayed with me. She is worn down by grief and poverty, yet fierce in her love, determined to shield her granddaughter from further harm—even when that protection comes at a cost. Janey, meanwhile, copes by closing doors in her mind, locking away what she cannot yet face.

The language is utterly immersive: lyrical, musical, and unmistakably Scottish. I occasionally had to look up the slang, but I loved the texture of it—the rhythm of the dialogue, the way the words sound. This is prose you don’t just read; you hear it.

The supporting characters are richly drawn, particularly Billy, whose complexity unfolds slowly and unexpectedly. His scenes with Maggie were some of my favourites—quietly charged, layered, and deeply human.

This is a novel about grief, resilience, and love under pressure. About lives that look calm from the outside, but are anything but. The ending doesn’t reach for spectacle; instead, it honours the emotional truth of the story—and it’s all the stronger for that.

I loved this book. A quiet, powerful, beautifully written story that lingers long after the final page.

[KathVBtn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frances Crawford's debut novel is exceptional - the story is utterly immersive, enveloping the reader in 1970s working class Glasgow.
12-year-old Janey stumbles on a dead body abandoned on s disused railway track. The young woman was left brutally murdered and cast aside with Janey as her only witness.
The story is told in chapters alternating between Janey's perspective and her grandmother Maggie's. Janey has lived with Maggie since her own mother died. Maggie is fiercely protective of Janey and can see that she is suffering with the ramifications of discovering a dead body but the 1970s were a time when you dealt with your problems yourself rather than burdening others.
The time period and the location are so important and evocative in the story-telling. Janey and her friends are largely free to roam the streets without adults, calling into each others' houses without telling their parents, making their own decisions and their own entertainment and generally having so much more freedom and less supervision than would happen now. As a child growing up at the same time, this felt very real and well-told.
The police are viewed with suspicion from the start. They look down their noses at Janey and where she lives and there's no consideration that she's a child who has suffered several terrible traumas. Even the GP tells Maggie that Janey will just learn to deal with what happened rather than offering any coping mechanisms.
It is a brave and wonderful debut from Frances Crawford that deserves to have an exceptional response when it is published.

[Tyler Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Bad, Bad Place - Frances Crawford ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

A dual POV with Janey and her Nana Maggie showed a well deserved change to the usual crime thriller narration. Janey’s view as a young child was different to anything else I’ve read in this genre and an older woman’s traditionally unrepresented voice was a good contrast to Janey.

Whilst the dialect was a challenge to get into, it made me slow down my reading speed and think more about what was going on, making a bigger impact on the revelations throughout.

A young child finding a body is definitely going to be a traumatic event for them so they aren't always going to make logical decisions like an adult would. Her forgetting critical aspects and keeping secrets from authority figures is a logical reaction to a child growing up in the type of environment where police aren’t trusted and to be a grass is worse than to tell the truth.

Maggie was shown to have been through a lot in her life, and it showed clearly in her own actions and the way she viewed the world. She did the best she could given her circumstances and had a lot of depth to a character I initially thought would be an occasional side perspective.

I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to those who are looking for a crime thriller that falls outside the usual bounds of crime and mystery.

P.S. I loved the Dog

Thank you to Frances Crawford and Random House for providing this book for review consideration via @NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#arcreview

#ABadBadPlace #FrancesCrawford #RandomHouse #Netgalley

[Francesca Dutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 A Bad Bad Place / Frances Crawford 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

"But here's the thing, the thing I can't shake. She's been to Confession three times since that day. What does a twelve-year-old have to confess?"

This book follows Janey and her nana in 1979 Scotland. Janey finds the body of a young woman in the town that has just been murdered, and we work through the aftermath of this event with them.

It's told through dual POVs of both Janey and her nana which adds depth to the story. It breaks from conventional narrators, I think especially in this genre, and it was refreshing to have a story about the impact the murder had on these characters, rather than it being a who-done-it in the traditional sense.

Of course, there is the question of who the murder is throughout, and I think that Crawford does well to offer red-herrings.. It is clear that through Janey's processing of grief, she is an unreliable narrator, but also the key to resolving this, which keeps the identity of the killer hidden well until the end.

I liked that we see a different family-dynamic here, and through Maggie's POV, we see a lot of pressing issues for women at this time. Poverty, domestic abuse, grief, loss etc, which I think was written well and fleshed out the characters.

If you're looking for a different take on a crime thriller, it might be worth picking this up when it comes out in February!

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of the ARC for this one - publishes 21/02/2026 ✨

[Louise Page · Rating 4 out of 5]

This nostalgic look at 80’s Scotland, through the eyes of a young girl and her Grandmother, after the girl discovers the mutilated body of a young woman while taking her dog, Sid Viscious, out for a walk.

Janey, who lives with her Nana, discovered the body of a young woman while out for a walk. After that, everything goes blank in her mind until the police arrive and find her sheltering in a taxi, the driver having taken pity on her when he had seen her. She doesn't remember anything of what happened, but she is in the centre of a web, being confused and coerced by the Police, and the Victims Father who is part of a criminal empire. It doesn't help that she can’t sleep as she sees the girl's ghost following her around. Did she see the killer? And does the killer think she did? In her preteen life, she doesn’t know who to trust and what to do.

This took me a while to get into, as it is written from Janey and her Grandmother’s PoV, chapter by chapter. There is also a lot of Scottish slang in there, which if you don't know what it means can make it a little harder to read. But a great story told in a unique way.

[Danny Matheson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely fantastic book! Set back in 1979 in Possilpark, a deprived area of Glasgow, Janey a twelve year old girl stumbles across the body of a young woman who had been brutally murdered. The fact that this woman is the daughter of a notorious gangland leader adds another dimension to the book. It's written in dual perspectives. From the view of Janey and what she is going through and that of her Nana, Maggie, and how she struggles with the changes within Janey as ghosts from her own past come back to haunt her. The author brilliantly encapsulates the Glaswegian humour and the characters of that area in Glasgow.
This is very different to most other murder mysteries in so far as the storyline doesn't focus on the police investigation but on Janey and Maggie. It still has it's suspense and red herrings but a very human and personal side to it. I also love the way the area is described as you can visualise walking through it and seeing the different streets and pubs.
I would highly recommend this book but be aware that the dialect is particular to that area, which to me makes it more realistic.

[Liv Rutherford · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book appealed to me as it was a murder mystery told from an alternative POV. Usually the narrative is from the detective dealing with the case.
This book told the story from the dog walker that found the body, 12 year old Janey Devine. This is tempered with the POV of her Glaswegian Nanna.

I absolutely loved this book, gritty, dark, humorous and sad. Based in 1970s Scotland, the writing style and narrative illustrate life back then, how hard it was for certain parts of society and highlights the differences between then and now.


Everyone has secrets, some secrets should be kept, others should be shared in the cold hard light of the day, to show that they are not as terrible as they feel.

I finished this book within days, and it is still with me, 5 days after.
I would rank it up.there with A List of Suspicious Things by Jennie Godfrey. Definitely one of my books of the year!!

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Christine Rennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Bad, Bad, Place by Frances Crawford is a debut book by the author and is a look back at Glasgow 1979. When 12 year old Janey Devine along with her dog Sid Vicious they find a dead body of a young woman viciously murdered. Samantha Watson was the only daughter of Billy”The Ghost” Watson and he wants answers and to find his daughter’s killer.
He befriends Janey and her grandmother and wants to make life a little easier for them. Nana only wants to protect her granddaughter and tries to find out what Janey knows but can’t remember. Fear and gossip run rife through the community of Possilpark, Glasgow with the community speculating on every arrest made or police calling someone in fro interview.
It isn’t until the end of the storyline that we know who did it and what will happen to them is left for speculation.
A fascinating storyline, a coming of age story and the murder of a young woman who loved life.
Highly recommended

[ssloves books - Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gritty and dark read, set in my home city so I know the setting and the local language.

I loved the perspective of both Janey and her Nana. They are two people surviving together with Sid Vicious the dog and doing their best to get through. The past trauma her nana Maggie suffered is one which has stayed with her and her life has been challenging to say the least.

Their love for each other was so touching, Janey is not coping with finding a dead body and this story takes us through the days after it. Community features in this book, caring for other as well as the gossip and rumours that a close knit community has. Divisions are also discussed which made the story authentic in my eyes, the remnants of division still exist although I do think times have changed a bit.

This is a dark story but one which is sprinkled thoughout with love and tenderness and shows what links us all together in the human experience.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A murder mystery, where a young girl may have the answer to solving who killed Samantha. Janey discovered the body, and has a secret. She’s not for telling anyone, especially the police. But growing up in the tight-knit community and hard streets of Glasgow’s Possilpark you know keeping secrets can get you into lots of trouble, but giving them up can be so much worse.

Tension builds for Janey, her Gran and those caught up in Samantha’s death.

The pacing isn’t quite perfect from my point of view. The author gives us a flavour of life in this housing estate. But about two-thirds of the way through there were little bits of these characters lives’ that got a little thick, and the pace slowed. So 4 stars. But I certainly wanted to finish the book and find out the the ending. Which didn’t disappoint.

Thank you to Random House UK, Transworld publishers. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Set in Possilpark in Glasgow in 1979. Janey Devine is taking her dog Sid vicious for a walk around the abandoned railway when she discovers a mutilated body of Samantha Watson. The daughter of a local gang leader. The shock of the discovery is hard of the twelve-year-old and also has repercussions for her Nana that she lives with. Janey tries to figure out who murdered Samanta but not giving any secrets to the Pollice when they come around asking if she remembers anything. Her nana worries about her.
I enjoyed this debut novel by Frances Crawford. I found it to be an intriguing story set in to perspectives of a twelve-year-old child and her Nana. The story felt fresh and original and quite nostalgic. The only thing that I had a concern with was the Glaswegian dialect. At first it took a little time to understand what was said but as I kept reading it got easy and thought it was a really good read. 4 stars from me.

[Nicola Mackenzie-Smaller · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fabulous debut. 12 year old Janey is out with her dog, and finds the body of a murdered student. The victim happens to be the daughter of local criminal Billy Watson, and the discovery throws Janey and her Nan under the spotlight in their Glasgow community in many different ways.
The story is told from alternating perspectives by Janey, and by her grandmother, which works really well, contrasting Janey’s attempt to make sense of what she’s witnessed and who the murderer might be, either way the view of her grandmother, who is raising Janey alone and dealing with her own grief and loss.
The book is set in 1979, in Glasgow and the time and place are evoked really well - I’ve got some new words and phrases in my vocabulary now. The sense of the local community really shines through, with warmth and humour, despite the difficult subject matter.
Very enjoyable. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

[Sarah Bloomfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut book from this author and could not put it down.

In a Bad, Bad Place we met Janey, a young girl who discovers the body of a young woman whilst out walking her dog. She soon realises the repercussions of this won't go away as the police get involved as well as the young woman's father.

This story is told from Janey's viewpoint and her Nana's and they are wonderfully written. The bond between them both is beautiful and we get a real insight in to their lives both past and present and what it was like in living in Scotland in the 1970's. This book also explores the lengths people will go to for the people they love.

Overall this is a brilliantly written, gritty who done it and I'm looking forward to seeing what this author will write next.

Many thanks as ever to netgalley, the author and the publisher for approving my request to read this book.