This was a really interesting book. The main character was fascinating and I loved learning from and with her. Though I predicted the killer almost immediately, I didn't feel like that took away from my enjoyment.

In a village in Birmingham in 1981, young boys are disappearing, only to be found days or weeks later with gruesome lethal injuries. The most unlikely young detective, a precocious 14-year-old girl with an interest in forensics, discovers two of them. Under a pseudonym, over the phone, she helps police investigate who (or what) is responsible for the deaths.

This book is such an impressive debut. Although it's a little slow in parts, there is always a palpable underlying tension and danger that the reader or listener can sense throughout. Ava Bonney is such a unique main character -- wise beyond her years and so whipsmart and kind in the face of difficult circumstances at home and in her community. I really liked the characters on the police force as well.

I listened to the audiobook, and Olivia Dowd was an excellent narrator. Her interview at the end with author Marie Tierney was what bumped my rating up by half a star. Tierney explained her background and how it inspired this book, how the book came to be, and gave a teaser for the SECOND Ava Bonney book (yay!). I found Tierney to be a really interesting and delightful person. She also inspired me a little bit as I've recently started forming a bit of a story in my mind but have no idea how to get it down on paper.

4.5 stars for this brilliant debut. Can't wait for more.

This is a great debut! Ava Bonney is a 13 year old who studies death. She has her own animal farm, studies decomposition. She doesn’t harm any animals, just finds them that way. Then one night she finds the body of a dead boy and that sets her on her journey. She’s hot on the case and so is Detective Delahaye.
I would love to see this be the first book in a series. Ava is a smart, interesting character. The mystery was layered and engaging.
I listened to this in audiobook format. The narrator is Olivia Dowd and she did a fantastic job. I highly recommend this. Thank you to NetGalley and McMillan Audio for this download in exchange for an honest review!

This book blew me away with how well-written (and narrated the audiobook) it is! However, it also had me realizing that I could only recommend it to the strong of heart. The descriptions of decomposing road-killed animals coupled with the brutal murders of children are definitely not for everyone. While these were not topics I enjoyed, what I did love was how insightful and perceptive Ava is as a 13-turning 14-year-old character. I also really enjoyed the lead detectives who are working to solve the murders unknowingly alongside Ava. This is a book that felt so unique to me it lit my brain up with excitement, sadness, concern, and in rare instances humor. I look forward to reading this book again in the future, and hope that there will be more stories with these characters as the author said there will be in the interview at the end of the audiobook. Don't let the promise of more books deter you from picking this one up now; it works very well as a standalone.

Setting: 1981, English suburbs/village
Trigger Warnings: child abuse, child murder, death of a parent and loved one, murder and death of animals, violence, mental illness

Many thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook.

If you're willing to suspend your disbelief a bit, Deadly Animals is an engaging thriller that was a lot of fun to read. Our protagonist, Ava, is 13 years old and much of the suspension of disbelief comes from Ava's skills in the story. Upon discovering a dead body in her South Birmingham neighborhood, Ava sets off on a course of trying to figure out what happened.

This is a dark book, certainly not for those looking for something wholesome, considering the MC's age. But it is quick paced, and the perfect read for these crisp late fall days.

I found the narration to be excellent. Characters were distinct and the story flowed well in her voice.

When young boys start to go missing and are then found murdered, Ava a 13 year old investigates. Ava is fascinated by decay and anatomy and assists the police with her knowledge as she finds another body.
The main character is fascinating. Overall it was dark and twisty. This is definitely for lovers of forensic files as it goes into so much detail. I could not put it down!
Many thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan audio, and Marie Tierney for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating:4.5

This story is told in third person and primarily follows fourteen-year-old Ava and Detective Seth Delahaye as they individually investigate the murder of Mickey Grant, a local boy of Ava’s age in 1980s Rubery, South Birmingham. Ava is interested in the processes of decomposition and collects roadkill for her own personal observations and study.

I listened to the audiobook for this mystery narrated by Olivia Dowd. This was my first listen by this narrator. I found the narrator’s voice for most of the characters to be pleasant and distinctive as well as compelling enough to propel me through the story quickly.

The story is told in short chapters and filled with characters you might find in a small village. The narrative spins a story of a complex community with an ideal atmosphere for the local gossips about the murder and other legends and theories that come into play. It’s a slow burn mystery though I found early clues to be a bit heavy handed, revealing the perpetrator to the discerning reader quickly.

I found Ava to be a savvy and interesting character. While I enjoyed her uniqueness and perspicuity, I sometimes found her character to be a little implausible. I would have liked to learn a little more about her study, but her domestic situation was more central in most of her parts of the story. I’m more of a police procedural reader, so I was more inclined to the detective’s narrative although I felt his character was underdeveloped.

Recommended to slow burn mystery readers for the community and atmosphere.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy provided for an honest review.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this audiobook for review. This was a super fun thriller that kept me interested and engaged throughout. Ava is a 14 year old girl, but not a normal girl. She studies dead animals and spends time in the woods alone. She finds the dead body of a classmate and she ends up getting herself involved in finding out what happened. I finished this book in 2 days as it was that good.

Deadly Animals might have a young adult as an MC, but this is not a young adult book. Ava Bonney is Enola Holmes meets Temperance Brennan (Bones). She’s a genius obsessed with the macabre (she’s got a road kill body farm for scientific research). I am obsessed with her.

One night, while checking her specimens for decomposition rate, she stumbles upon the body of one of her classmates. She makes an anonymous call to the police, but when Detective Seth Delahaye takes over the case, Ava can’t let go. She continues working behind the scenes to catch the killer.

Thank you to @macmillan.audio for my audiobook copy. I enjoyed the story and the narration.

Deadly Animals is a twisty thriller that kept me entertained. I loved the take on characters. A detective that’s a good person just doing his job. (Why do all detectives need to be alcoholics?). And a teenager who is what most would call “strange and unusual.” You get several POVs in this story that will keep you interested.

I recommend picking this one up if you’re looking for a different serial killer thriller!

Man, I love a book with a weird kid who's too smart for her own good. Ava made a great main character, I loved her intense curiosity, dedication, and loyalty to her close friends. I also appreciated that the character doing the official investigating of the case was a detective instead of a cop. Marie Tierney's writing was sharp and visceral. The content is definitely not going to be for everyone, as there is quite a big focus of abuse of children and animals, and the killer's victims are children. But if you check out the content warnings and feel confident moving forward, you're in for a fast-paced, twisty ride with a brilliant pre-teen as your guide in the wilderness.

Ava is not your typical 14 year old. She is fascinated by decomposing roadkill. (I don't recommend starting this book on your lunch break like I did) One night, when she's out making her observations, she finds a dead body. She ends up helping the police investigate (over the phone via her adult persona).

Put this book on your list for next spooky season (checking trigger warnings first). I loved Ava. She's like a young Sherlock Holmes. Honestly, I want a whole series centered on her. I felt like I learned a lot reading this book. If you like murder investigation books, this one is really unique.

The narrator did a great job. She talks pretty fast so I had to listen at 1.75x rather than my typical 2.0x. There's a Q&A with the author at the end, which was really interesting and fun to listen to.

An original combination police procedural/suspense/horror. This is an amazing work for a debut author. The character development is outstanding and there are plot twists throughout. I had a little trouble with the narrator’s voice and staying focused on it. For fans of Catriona McPherson and Mo Hayder.

Ava, who is in her young teens, is not a typical girl. She is fascinated by the speed and manner that animals decompose. She is incredibly knowledgeable on the subject and quite an expert. One night while searching for her latest roadkill on the side of the road, she comes across the body of a classmate that had previously gone missing. She anonymously reports it to police but keeps a close eye on the investigation as it’s not the only time this happens.

This story was extremely focused on the characters and I thoroughly appreciate that. Ava was so interesting and her love and fascination for animals showed even in death with how she would care for them. This was such a unique and dark murder mystery, I enjoyed it so much. I did feel the lags in pacing during the middle of the story at times but I was always hooked back in.

This audiobook narrator did a good job of portraying the characters!

Thank you so much to Netgalley, Marie Tierney, and Macmillan Audio for providing this free ARC. This is my honest review. This published on November 12th.

I can't believe Deadly Animals is Tierney's debut novel! This is such a unique, dark , and gruesome story. I love the main character, Ava Bonney, she is not your typical teen girl. Ava is fascinated with the macabre from a scientific perspective and ends up working with detectives to solve mysterious deaths in her hometown. Deadly Animals was a great mix of procedural and horror. I do wish there were more chapters from the POV of the kids, as the detective chapters were a bit slower and I found my attention wandering a bit. Overall, I enjoyed it and will look out for Tierney's next Ava Bonney novel!

Olivia Dowd did a fantastic job narrating, her tone was a perfect match for the dark plot and spooky atmosphere.

A new author for me. This story was definitely super interesting. I received the audiobook - and it definitely created a eerie vibe for me. Plot line was a new one for me that definitely held my attention. Definitely bingeable - fascinating characters. Thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for this audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Ava Bonney is the precocious 14-year-old girl that we all wanted to be. Curious, smart, and absolutely badass. I really enjoyed her friendship with Detective Delahaye and that was what stood out the most in this intense of a mystery book. Proceed with cautions with this because there's children and animal crime and abuse.

The crimes were typical, even though intense and shocking at times. The mystery wasn't too much of a mystery; you can piece together the perp quickly. But you read (in my case, listen) this curiously enough because you want to know about Ava and the police proceedings. There was an energy that will hold your attention to the story and to the characters, yet I found myself at moments kinda drifting off a bit. This was ecause the most of us have been desensitized by these types of crimes by now with all the shows and crime books that we read. But still, this was a great book to get into.

Thank you to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for a copy of this eARC audio. All opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. What a great debut novel. It was fast paced and I couldn't put it down.

Deadly Animals was a very interesting book to me, at first. I particularly loved the first 3 chapters and the last few ones, but after a while it all seemed a little repetitive and too long to my taste. I like the original plot the author gives the reader and the multi layered protagonist, but in general this story didn't captivate me that much.
I did enjoy the audiobook narrator much more, though.
If I were to recommend this book I'd definitely recommend the audio format.

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, for allowing me to listen to a free audio cpy of this book.

A slow burn about a quirky and determined young woman who takes things seriously when others do not. Im not usually one for amateur detectives, but this was a winner.

This was an interesting dark, murder mystery thriller featuring a 14 year old amateur detective who loves all things related to death and gets obsessed with solving what is behind the deaths of her classmates. Racing against the police to solve the murders, she gets caught up in something darker than even she was prepared for. While this isn't my usual type of story, I liked the unique protagonist and thought the audio narration was good. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review! Recommended for fans of Flavia DeLuce who like things a little grittier.