GONE BAD
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This short story collection features a rare cast of characters: flawed, foul-mouthed, misguided and downtrodden, all of whom might be said to have, in one way or another, 'gone bad'. This is strong stuff, no holds barred and no punches pulled.
Gone Bad has the distinctive flavour of north east England and gathers together eighteen titles, mixing 'flash fiction' pieces with longer reads. Within the pages you can meet a murderous little boy, a psychotic Scouse backing singer, and a wannabe crime fiction writer with a penchant for hands-on research. Add to that a dishonest lottery winner, predatory girlfriend, long-suffering private detective and would-be rapist and you’re starting to get the lie of the land.
Gone Bad is this prize-winning UK writer's first collection of short fiction, and in September 2011 was named as one of the year's top eight crime short story collections at the Crime Fiction Lover website. It also appeared as one of the top 3 books in a Goodreads poll of 'Best Noir of the 21st Century', and was nominated for a 2012 Spinetingler Award for Best Short Story Collection.
Gone Bad has the distinctive flavour of north east England and gathers together eighteen titles, mixing 'flash fiction' pieces with longer reads. Within the pages you can meet a murderous little boy, a psychotic Scouse backing singer, and a wannabe crime fiction writer with a penchant for hands-on research. Add to that a dishonest lottery winner, predatory girlfriend, long-suffering private detective and would-be rapist and you’re starting to get the lie of the land.
Gone Bad is this prize-winning UK writer's first collection of short fiction, and in September 2011 was named as one of the year's top eight crime short story collections at the Crime Fiction Lover website. It also appeared as one of the top 3 books in a Goodreads poll of 'Best Noir of the 21st Century', and was nominated for a 2012 Spinetingler Award for Best Short Story Collection.
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Excerpts from Gone Bad
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Buy Gone Bad by Julie Morrigan
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Praise for Gone Bad
'What Julie Morrigan does really well, exceptionally well, is structure her stories. There is never a spare word, or a redundant description in her prose ... If you want sharp, well drawn characters, stories written tightly and each sketching a small world you can step inside, if you want to read well drawn portraits of the kind of men and women who people the pages of crime fiction, then buy Gone Bad now.
— Richard Godwin
'Gone Bad is a tight collection of eighteen slices of the hard side of life ... Petty thief louts, rapists, pervy priests, debt collectors, working girls and country singers ... The stories, are clever, scary, sad and very, very funny. This is true dirty realism. Brit Grit noir meets kitchen sink drama — except the kitchen sink is blocked with fast food, cheap blow, lager and blood.'
— Amazon.co.uk review
'I've really enjoyed spending time with Gone Bad. It's populated by happenings which seem almost normal, but have been twisted out of shape into something tense, dark and dramatic. There aren't many happy endings, but there's a lot to think about and there is enough really dark-tar humour to add contrast to events ... Very human, very alive and very well written.'
— Amazon.co.uk review
'If reading an Ian Rankin novel is like a long walk down a slightly spooky lane, then reading Julie Morrigan's Gone Bad is like a short terror fuelled dash through the house of horrors with a machete wielding lunatic hot on your heels. These tales are short and deliciously nasty ... A great read and fantastic value for money with eighteen tales from the darker side of life.'
— Amazon.co.uk review
'The eighteen short stories tell tales of the dark, the unpleasant and the violent ... The stories seem to be as bound up with their sense of place as with their people, creating a north-eastern neo-noir style that I hadn't previously come across (perhaps the nearest thing I can compare it to is 'Get Carter') ... I will definitely be buying more.'
— Amazon.co.uk review
'Judging from this collection, it's safe to say that from the dark and gritty depths of urban noir a new queen has risen. Morrigan's stories are filled with traditional darkness, humanitarian horror, humour, torture and violence ... As far as short story collections go, you'd be hard pressed to find a better splattering of noir in the one place.'
— Goodreads review
'It's dark. It's dangerous. It's difficult. It's also delicious, like the best fair trade chocolate, bitter with a touch of sweet, then bitter. Recommended.'
— Amazon.co.uk review
'Clever and well written; if you’re a fan of Noir, Gone Bad is definitely a keeper.'
— BigAl's Books and Pals
— Richard Godwin
'Gone Bad is a tight collection of eighteen slices of the hard side of life ... Petty thief louts, rapists, pervy priests, debt collectors, working girls and country singers ... The stories, are clever, scary, sad and very, very funny. This is true dirty realism. Brit Grit noir meets kitchen sink drama — except the kitchen sink is blocked with fast food, cheap blow, lager and blood.'
— Amazon.co.uk review
'I've really enjoyed spending time with Gone Bad. It's populated by happenings which seem almost normal, but have been twisted out of shape into something tense, dark and dramatic. There aren't many happy endings, but there's a lot to think about and there is enough really dark-tar humour to add contrast to events ... Very human, very alive and very well written.'
— Amazon.co.uk review
'If reading an Ian Rankin novel is like a long walk down a slightly spooky lane, then reading Julie Morrigan's Gone Bad is like a short terror fuelled dash through the house of horrors with a machete wielding lunatic hot on your heels. These tales are short and deliciously nasty ... A great read and fantastic value for money with eighteen tales from the darker side of life.'
— Amazon.co.uk review
'The eighteen short stories tell tales of the dark, the unpleasant and the violent ... The stories seem to be as bound up with their sense of place as with their people, creating a north-eastern neo-noir style that I hadn't previously come across (perhaps the nearest thing I can compare it to is 'Get Carter') ... I will definitely be buying more.'
— Amazon.co.uk review
'Judging from this collection, it's safe to say that from the dark and gritty depths of urban noir a new queen has risen. Morrigan's stories are filled with traditional darkness, humanitarian horror, humour, torture and violence ... As far as short story collections go, you'd be hard pressed to find a better splattering of noir in the one place.'
— Goodreads review
'It's dark. It's dangerous. It's difficult. It's also delicious, like the best fair trade chocolate, bitter with a touch of sweet, then bitter. Recommended.'
— Amazon.co.uk review
'Clever and well written; if you’re a fan of Noir, Gone Bad is definitely a keeper.'
— BigAl's Books and Pals
