Going Wrong
Going Wrong (1990) is a novel by English crime writer Ruth Rendell. An intense psychological thriller, its main theme is the nature of romantic obsession. Kirkus Reviews calls the novel "surprisingly one-dimensional and padded out," finding the obsession at the heart of the novel ultimately tedious. 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.