Title: Deadly Animals

Author: Marie Tierney

Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher: Zaffre

Publication Date: 15th February 2024

Rating: 5/5

Cover:

Book Summary:

Thirteen-year-old Ava Bonney possesses an unusual intellect far beyond her years. While her friends play, Ava’s fascination lies in the intricate process of animal decomposition, studying roadkill found in the streets around her home.

But, one night, Ava’s secret nocturnal routine takes a chilling turn when she stumbles upon the lifeless body of fellow schoolmate, Mickey Grant.

As Detective Seth Delahaye takes charge of the perplexing case, Ava refuses to sit idle. Determined and resourceful, she embarks on a daring quest to unveil the truth behind the string of chilling deaths plaguing her community. 

Armed with her unique skills and unrivalled local knowledge, Ava becomes an unlikely force in the race to apprehend the elusive killer before more lives are claimed.

Review:

I read loads of thrillers so it is quite unusual for me to read one that genuinely feels like nothing I’ve read before, but Deadly Animals is just that. I loved pretty much everything about it, from the fantastically unusual main character of Ava, to the evocative 1980s Birmingham setting and the creepy yet sometimes sharply humorous atmosphere. Ava is a highly intelligent thirteen year old with a rather odd hobby – a fascination with death and decomposition. This intellectual curiosity has, until the events of Deadly Animals, been focused on animals. However, that changes when she discovers the dead body of one of her schoolmates and finds herself unable to stop investigating what begins to reveal itself as the actions of a serial killer – just as the term itself is being coined.

Ava is what makes Deadly Animals so compelling and original. She is so bright and wise beyond her years but also coping with difficult family issues and the struggle of being very different to her peers. I also found the rest of the cast of characters engaging and nuanced, particularly Detective Seth Delahaye, who sees past her age and respects Ava’s intelligence. I actually worked out who the killer was pretty early on, but that took absolutely nothing away from my enjoyment of the book – in large part because the explanation behind the mystery was so utterly fascinating and macabre that I was completely hooked. Deadly Animals is witty, gory, sharp, striking and weirdly beautiful. I couldn’t recommend it more highly.

★★★★★

Huge thanks to Tracy Fenton of Compulsive Readers for my place on the blog tour and for the copy of the book. My review is entirely my own honest opinion. 

Buy the book:

Waterstones | Blackwell’s | Amazon