A Bad, Bad Place

A moving evocation of working class lives. It’s clever, honest, heart-rending and funny too. It doesn’t shy away from the darkness but it also reveals the love and compassion that sustain people. And it’s wonderfully twisty too, giving our assumptions a good shake-up. * Val McDermid, international No.1 bestselling author of Past Lying *
'Clever, authentic, and humane with unforgettable protagonists and pitch-black humour' * Ian Rankin *
Superb debut…a well-observed, well-told account of trauma, grief and concomitant magical thinking, this coming-of-age mystery has flashes of humour and pathos that provide fuel for real suspense. * Guardian *
Crawford has delivered a slow-burn mystery that doubles as a moving coming-of-age tale, investing readers in Janey’s fate but also showing how a community can protect the wrong people for too long — and at too great a cost. * New York Times *
The very best writing can transport you through time and place - well A Bad Bad Place took me to Glasgow, to 1979 and to a young girl who discovers a brutal murder, the repercussions of which resound across a troubled community. It’s hard to believe this richly authentic, funny, moving and insightful story, beautifully written in local dialect, is actually a debut. Bravo Frances Crawford! * Janice Hallett, bestselling author of The Appeal *
Frightening, funny and full of heart. * Paula Hawkins, No.1 bestselling author of The Girl on the Train *
‘Gripping, gruesome, and so gritty you can smell it. A visceral and exciting debut.’ * Belinda Bauer, bestselling author of Snap *
A Bad, Bad Place will stay with me for a long, long time. The writing is raw and visceral, and the story richly layered. One to watch. * Jennie Godfrey, No. 1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The List of Suspicious Things *
Impressive first novel...the story of [the characters'] relationship and of Janey’s investigation is outstanding, but the novel also offers a powerful picture of the poverty in which they live. * Literary Review *
'A Bad, Bad Place is a great, great book -- my favorite kind, in fact: the kind that illuminates the dark of the past by laying a bonfire of a story at its heart. Frances Crawford, the preternaturally gifted author of this magical new novel, works bright magic here; very rarely have I felt so transported by a story, or so enmeshed in a community of characters, bound by love and fear and language. Part To Kill a Mockingbird, part TheCurious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, part Louise Welsh, yet altogether incomparable.' * A. J. Finn, No.1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Woman in the Window *
I loved this book. Real people, their voices as true and unique as the time and place they inhabit. Twelve year old Janey Devine and her Nan are so real, the horror they find themselves in so terrifying, that it feels as though you’re there with them. I haven’t read anything quite as unique as this since Trainspotting. * Lin Anderson *
A tense mystery that’s full of heart, warmth and humour, I adored this book. Janey Devine is one of my all-time favourite characters – an absolute triumph! * Andrea Mara *
From the first couple of chapters, Janey and her fierce granny Maggie instantly had my heart. I loved the strong sense of time and place in Crawford's debut. The book says much about class, gender and society in 1970s Glasgow while also divining a balance between movingly poignant and blackly funny. It's a high-wire act that few seasoned writers manage to perfect. Propulsive, transportative and full of great twists, the way any brilliant crime novel should be. * Tanya Sweeney *
Wonderfully assured debut… it explores memory and silence with real emotional force. * i Paper *
This visceral debut is touching and darkly funny in exploring powerful themes like love and redemption in working class lives, with a character you'll adore in Janey. Crawford is one to watch. * Daily Mirror *
Outstanding debut… it’s the unforgettable characters, sparkling dialogue and sharp wit that makes this an extraordinary and unmissable read. * Woman & Home *
Though Janey has a compelling mystery to solve, it's the unforgettable characters, sparkling dialogue and sharp wit that make this an unmissable read. * Chat *
Thoroughly enjoyed this compelling debut...another addition to the brilliant crime writing coming out of Scotland now, gritty with two unique voices and an authentic working-class feel, it's sure to be on the prize lists next year. * Trevor Wood *
A real gut-punch of a crime novel. * Ian Moore *
This blistering crime debut transports readers to the gritty streets of 1970s Glasgow… a novel already being hailed as the ‘debut crime novel of the year’. * My Weekly *