Going Wrong

Last updated

Going Wrong
Goingwrong.jpg
Author Ruth Rendell
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Genre Crime, Mystery novel
Publisher Hutchinson (UK)
Mysterious Press (US)
Publication date
6 September 1990
Media typePrint (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages250 pp
ISBN 0-09-174300-1
OCLC 21293413

Going Wrong is a psychological thriller by English crime writer Ruth Rendell. [1] [2]

The novel was published in 1990 by Hutchinson in the UK [3] [4] and Mysterious Press in the US. [2] [5] [6]

Synopsis

When he was a young man, Guy Curran led a local street gang and dealt drugs before falling madly in love with Leonora Chisholm, a much more middle-class teenager whose society minded parents naturally disapproved of him.

Despite an initially passionate romance, the fairy tale subsides, and Leonora agrees to remain friends. The two begin a ritual of meeting for lunch on Saturdays, ostensibly to mollify Guy's continuing unrequited love. Guy attempts to phone her daily.

We gradually learn about an incident in Guy's past that led him to go straight, although his current business interests maintain an air of sleaze, and his nouveau riche sensibility contrasts sharply with Leonora's values. Despite their obvious differences, Guy becomes convinced that Leonora's rejection only stems from someone telling her about his worst moment during his days in the underworld.

When Leonora tells a distraught Guy that she has found a new love, this announcement sets off a dark chain of events that will lead Guy into even more obsession, stalking, and finally murder.

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References

  1. Heather Mallick (18 January 2015). "A salute to Ruth Rendell, chronicler of strange people". Toronto Star . Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 "Going Wrong". Kirkus Reviews . 15 August 1990. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  3. Loader, Kevin (8 September 1990). "Over the edge". The Daily Telegraph . p. 50 via Newspapers.com.
  4. Dalley, Jan (9 September 1990). "Crossover to a corpse". The Independent . p. 26 via Newspapers.com.
  5. Winks, Robin W. (14 October 1990). "Lunch With Her Demon Lover". The New York Times . Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  6. "Going Wrong". Publishers Weekly . 29 August 1990. Retrieved 26 August 2023.