Going Wrong

{{short description|1990 novel by Ruth Rendell}}

{{other uses}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{more citations needed|date=July 2015}}

{{infobox book |

| name = Going Wrong

| title_orig =

| translator =

| image = Goingwrong.jpg

| caption =

| author = Ruth Rendell

| cover_artist =

| country = United Kingdom

| language = English

| series =

| genre = Crime, Mystery novel

| publisher = Hutchinson (UK)
Mysterious Press (US)

| release_date = 6 September 1990

| media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)

| pages = 250 pp

| isbn = 0-09-174300-1

| oclc = 21293413

| preceded_by =

| followed_by =

}}

Going Wrong is a psychological thriller by English crime writer Ruth Rendell.{{cite news|url=https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2015/01/18/a-salute-to-ruth-rendell-chronicler-of-strange-people-mallick.html|title=A salute to Ruth Rendell, chronicler of strange people|last=Heather Mallick|author-link=Heather Mallick|date=January 18, 2015|work=Toronto Star|access-date=11 July 2015}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/ruth-rendell/going-wrong/|title=Going Wrong|work=Kirkus Reviews|date=15 August 1990|access-date=26 August 2023}}

The novel was published in 1990 by Hutchinson in the UK{{cite news|title=Over the edge|first=Kevin|last=Loader|work=The Daily Telegraph|date=8 September 1990|p=50|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/751439094/|via=Newspapers.com}}{{cite news|title=Crossover to a corpse|first=Jan|last=Dalley|work=The Independent|date=9 September 1990|p=26|url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/718132162/|via=Newspapers.com}} and Mysterious Press in the US.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/14/books/crimemystery-lunch-with-her-demon-lover.html|title=Lunch With Her Demon Lover|first=Robin W.|last=Winks|date=14 October 1990|work=The New York Times|access-date=26 August 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780892963898|title=Going Wrong|date=29 August 1990|work=Publishers Weekly|access-date=26 August 2023}}

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.

References