What an AMAZING debut!! Holy cow this was phenomenal and I DEVOURED the physical copy yesterday, and if you know me, that is truly saying something. This was creative, a little out there but it worked for me, and I could not get enough of Ava. She is obsessed with the rate at which dead animals decompose, and before we go much further, the animals in here are already dead, so there is not animal cruelty in this story (other than a past tense reference but it is a spoiler so that is all I will say). There is however cruelty against children, so if that is a TW then this might not be for you, but it did not bother me.

Now, back to the story. Ava finds roadkill in the dead of night, analyzes her findings, and records them. And then one evening she stumbles upon the body of her classmate Mickey Grant, and makes an anonymous call to the police so as to deter them away from her late night escapades. However, when Detective Delahaye takes the case, Ava ends up working it on her own and eventually they cross paths as more teens go missing. This was everything I love in a thriller - unique premise, fast paced, and the ending was INTENSE but also heartfelt. I was with these characters and this small town the entire time and did not want this to end. All the stars for this one and I cannot wait to see what Tierney writes next.

Thank you to Henry Holt and Co and Macmillan Audio for the gifted copies to review.

I tried to get into this one but it just wasn't for me. I didn't like the characters very much and couldn't see where the author was headed with the story.

Ava is such a wonderful character that I’m hoping we will meet up with her again! This story is brilliantly written, but do be aware it is graphic in the depictions of child and animal deaths. The narration by Olivia Dowd is outstanding and with the great number of characters she had to narrate, she made it easy for me to differentiate them.

For fans of Kate Alice Marshall and Ashley Winstead. Deadly Animals is a thriller that leans horror. Some trigger warnings about animal death.

Ava has an interest in animals - dead animals - and the way they decompose. One night she is sneaking out to check on the decompensation of a fox that she's been watching and finds the body of her missing classmate. She anonymously calls it in. The rest of the novel is a multi POV investigation of the small town and what happened to her classmate Mickey Grant.

It really reminded me of What Lies in the Woods and Midnight is the Darkest Hour,. The dark atmosphere, the small town, the characters - this was just more on the horror side, it left my stomach turned at times. If you enjoyed those, you will definitely enjoy this one. The audiobook was very enjoyable. Ava is a mature 14 year old, I kept thinking she was more like 18.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book to listen to in exchange for a review. These opinions are entirely my own.

Beautifully disturbing and extraordinarily haunting. Deadly Animals is a masterpiece of a book. Twists and turns with remarkably written characters and vivid imagery. I was hooked from the beginning and I was on the edge of my seat until the very end. This is a unique addition to the thriller/mystery genres. It doesn’t follow many of the ordinary tropes. Instead, the characters are competent, likable, and distinguishable. It has an almost horror genre aspect to it that creates a sense of eeriness and mystery. This is definitely on my list of top-reads this year. I can’t wait to make all of my friends read this one!

P.S. The audiobook had a wonderful interview between the narrator and author at the end. I loved the narration of the book, and the interview at the end was a wonderful touch and way of getting to know the author and her inspiration for the characters and themes in this book.

Huge thank you Macmillan Audio for providing this audiobook for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own. Another massive thank you to Marie Tierney for the hours of sleep I missed staying up late to find out what happens next in this brilliant novel!

13 year old Ava is different than her peers. She loves to study the decomposition of roadkill and has an interest in forensics. She keeps meticulous notes of her findings as well. One night, when she is checking on one of her roadkill subjects, she finds the body of a missing local boy. Ava shares her findings with the local police force anonymously and enlists a friend to help her figure out who is murdering local children over the next year. Ava uses well a well thought out process to try to solve the mystery. This story held my attention, and was well thought out. The narration of the audio book was very well done, and it was easy to follow. I gave this book 5 stars, and look forward to the next book about Ava.

DNF :(

I just could not get into this book. Super interesting premise but got lost around 10% and couldn't get back on track. Hard to follow varying perspectives and just wasn't hooked.

Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney
Genre: thriller
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Format: audiobook and physical copy

🟪 strong female main character
🟪 dark and unexpected
🟪 set in England in the 1980s
🟪 short chapters that keep you wanting to read more

Oh Ava! I loved this gal. She may be young but SO smart and unique. She reminded me of Pip from A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. During the author interview at the end of the book, Marie Tierney shared that she was a lot like Ava when she was younger. I appreciated that Detective Delahaye took her seriously and saw her intelligence and talent - they became an unexpected team in this book.

This book kept me on my toes and felt very unique, which is hard to do in the thriller genre! I don’t want to give too much away, but I’d give this one a shot if you’re looking for something a little different!

Deadly Animals is out 11/12! Thank you to Holt and Macmillan Audio for my advanced copies!

Thank you Henry Holt for my #gifted copy and thank you Macmillan Audio for my #gifted listening copy of Deadly Animals! #MacAudio2024 #henryholt #DeadlyAnimals #MarieTierney

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐲 𝐀𝐧𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐬
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐎𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐃𝐨𝐰𝐝
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟐, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

What a debut! The main character, Ava, was such an interesting and well-written character. The character development in this book was top-notch! She was just so fascinating and it’s not often that I read horror books where the main character is a teenager. The pacing was perfect and I felt like everything moved on at a quick pace that kept me so engaged. I loved how it was set in the 80s and I felt like the author full captured that vibe so well. I would definitely recommend this book. It had such a unique premise and I felt like the author did such a great job with this book. It was eerie feel, this one would be perfect for spooky season and beyond! It’s not something I would normally pick up, but I am so glad I did!

🎧I listened to the audiobook, which was excellently narrated by Olivia Dowd. I felt like Dowd was such a perfect pick for this audiobook. I was hooked from the minute I started listening! I would definitely recommend this one on audio.

Posted on Goodreads on November 10, 2024: https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/144922955?ref=nav_profile_l
**Posted on Instagram - Full Review- on or around November 11, 2024: http://www.instagram.com/nobookmark_noproblem
**Posted on Amazon on November 12, 2024
**-will post on designated date

2.5☆
-
Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney is about fourteen-year-old Ava, who isn't your normal average teen. She has an obsessive interest in the rate at which dead animals decompose. The motorway she lives by regularly offers up roadkill. But when she discovers the body of her classmate Mickey Grant and fears that her secret ritual could be revealed, she makes an anonymous call to the police. When Detective Seth Delahaye is assigned the case, Ava won't step back—not when teenagers in her sleepy South Birmingham town are going missing.
The premise is what intrigued me, but honestly, I felt like the storyline was going nowhere. It just dragged on and on. I did like the different POVs.
The audiobook was good; the narrator did a good job, but it still couldn't hold my interest as I wanted.
I'm not the target audience for this book.
-
Thank you, Netgellay and MacmillanAudio for the audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an early audiobook edition of “Deadly Animals” by Marie Tierney, narrated by Olivia Dowd for an honest review. This is the first book I listened to with Olivia Dowd as a narrator. She will be one I look out for, as she did a great job with the different perspectives of this story.

Ava Bonney is a teenager captivated by dead things, not in a disturbing way, but in a deferential way. She has a bone garden where she studies the decomposition of the dead animals she finds, mostly on the side of the road. After studying them, she buries them and says a prayer. When Ava finds a boy's body next to a fox cadaver she has been studying, she has to call the police to let them know, but she must keep it anonymous, as she does not want the police to know she is the one researching the animals.

The character of Ava is well-developed, and I very much like her. I hope that the author does other books with Ava in them, as Ava will be an excellent detective as she gets older. Ava reminded me of Temperance Brennan from the Kathy Reich's Bones series.

Detective Seth Delahaye is the police officer who arrives to investigate the body found. The injuries on the body are not typical of a murderer and only create more questions. When another boy goes missing, the police are stumped. Ava feels compelled to do her own research and get to the bottom of who is murdering the young boys in her hometown.

This is a good murder mystery, with scientific information sprinkled throughout (I like to learn while reading, so thank you for this to the author). It was the right length for the story told, the characters were well developed and there was no unnecessary storyline or discussion of feelings in this book. However, it was easy to figure out who the murderer was and why the murderer was murdering, fairly early in the book.

Deadly Animals is an intriguing YA thriller with murders, a monster, a long chase, and a satisfying conclusion. This is a debut novel with the potential to be developed into a series following the very smart Ava and Detective Delahaye. Set in the UK in 1981, the story at times feels unlikely due to the faith of the relationship between the copper and the teenager, but I believe teens especially will love this, plus the positive portrayal of a law enforcement officer is a huge bonus. I enjoyed the story despite understanding very early on all the twists because the characters are extremely likeable. This is a 4.5 I don't feel bad about bumping to 5 because of the amount of research that must have gone into some of this writing is astounding. Excellent debut novel. Additionally, I listened to the audiobook, read by Olivia Dowd, who did an excellent job with all accents and voices. It was an enjoyable read all around.
Thanks to NetGalley, Henry Holt & Co, and Macmillan Audio for the advanced copies to review!

What a unique plot line! With characters you want to meet and situations that are hard to fathom, this book had me gripped from start to finish! While dark and intense, the characters bring a life of their own that give the story the personal touch needed to carry you through. It’s hard to believe that this beautifully worded book is Tierney’s first. With a slight hint at the end, I’m hoping to see more of Ava in future stories! Glad that this was a dual read/listen because I didn’t want to put it down! Thank you to Henry Holt, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for and ARC and ALC of this book.

Deadly Animals is an atmospheric story of a teenager who knows she a little bit different than everyone else. She enjoys studying roadkill and the time it takes to decompose. While documenting her latest roadside victim, she stumbles upon the body of a missing child- who’s now no longer missing, but dead. As more children go missing in her town, she finds herself at the middle of an investigation that is far from reality, but enjoyable just the same. The story comes full circle and is well told. The premise and building suspense kept me wanting more. While not necessarily believable, the story doesn’t stray far from potential truth- read into that how you’d like.

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for this ALC!

deadly animals by marie tierney 🖤 finding a dead body is not normal but ava is not a normal 14 year old girl. in this chilling mystery, only the obsessive spirit of youth can save a desperate town from the savagery within.

this serial killer mystery (with light horror) is set in birmingham, england which made for a fun debut read! I was a big fan of tierney’s descriptive writing style but at times, in order to cover all of the case information, it drug on a bit and was hard to get invested in. the charcter list is a looong one but all felt necessary*ish* to the plot! I guessed who the killer was early on but the reader is meant to find out the identity of the killer prior to the end as you dive into the WHY of their actions 🐺

trigger: the killer is targeting young children- boys! & animal abuse!

the audiobook narrator (olivia dowd) had an accent that instantly transported me to england in the 80’s, even if it meant I had to slow down my listening speed, hehe! thank you macmillan audio for an early copy 🎧 2.5 stars!

Such an enthralling book. I wasn't expecting much from what seemed like another police procedural with a YA twist, but this audiobook kept me rewinding so I could catch all the intensity and detail.

"Monsters should look like monsters, John thought. Otherwise it was unfair."

There was so much complexity wrapped into this novel about a serial killer of children in the early 1980s in South Birmingham, England. I was rapt through the entire experience.

Especially interesting was the bonus wrap-up between the narrator and the author in the afterward, which brought home so much of the scenery, characterization and plot. As a first novelist, Marie Tierney dazzles.

I haven't read a mystery in a while but I love watching mystery shows and police procedurals so I figured I would give this book a shot. I surprised myself with how much I enjoyed the story. I really liked the characters and the way the book was told in multiple perspectives. This book definitely felt like watching an episode of Criminal Minds or Broadchurch. I was completely engrossed in the story and what was happening to the boys in town.
I will say I wasn't shocked by the culprit but the story wasn't set up in a way that it actually mattered if you guessed or not. This book was definitely about the journey and not the destination.
My only criticism is that I got the audio and I didn't really care for the narrator. She did a fine job in some places but in others her voice just didn't seem right. I think I would have liked this just that much more if I had read it instead of listened. Still this is a solid work and definitely one I would recommend.

Ava is a very smart teenager with extensive knowledge of death and decomposition. After finding a dead body, she sets out to find out who the killer is while feeding information to the police without telling them it’s her.

Unfortunately this book was spoiled for me before I had a chance to read it, so I already knew what to expect. I decided to still listen to it since I was given an ARC copy in exchange for a review.

Even though I knew the outcome ahead of time, the story still unfolded decently. It was quite slow at times, and I felt like there was a lot going on with a lot of different characters that didn’t really add to the story. It was a good story overall, and the narration was great, but I found myself losing interest and checking how much time was left quite often, just trying to power through it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

Audiobook/book Review 🎧📖🔎

Deadly Animals
by Marie Tierney
Narrated by Olivia Dowd

Thank you so much partner @henryholtbooks @macmillan.audio #macaudio2024 for the gifted copy and audiobook!

About the book 👇🏽

Ava Bonney is a compassionate and studious fourteen-year-old girl with a dark secret: she has an obsessive interest in the macabre. She is fascinated by the rate at which dead animals decompose. The highway she lives by regularly offers up gifts of roadkill, and in the dead of night Ava loves nothing more than to pull her latest discovery into her roadside den and record her findings.

One night, she stumbles across the body of her classmate and, fearing that her secret ritual could be revealed, she makes an anonymous call to the police. But when Detective Seth Delahaye is given the case, Ava won’t step back—not while teenagers continue to go missing.

🔎 My thoughts:

Ava is a fascinating character and made this story sooo good! She is incredibly smart and the amount of knowledge she has was incredible. I loved to see it because the mind of a child is truly a sponge and I wish I was able to retain information the way I used to. The mystery is pretty easy but it’s Ava that made this story unique in the best way. I hybrid read this by reading the physical book and switched to the audiobook when I had to do things around the house and I enjoyed both versions. Olivia Dowd did a terrific job bringing this story to life. Reading and listening to this story unfold was quite the experience. It’s paced perfectly and was hard not to devour. If you’re looking for a refreshing mystery for your weekend read, this is the one you need to pick up! Deadly Animals is out now!

Happy reading 📖 🔎🎧

Ava is obsessed with dead animals. But when she stumbles upon the dead body of a classmate, she becomes determined to find the killer before she is his next prey.

This one leans more on the side of horror than thriller so definitely check trigger warnings.

I personally believe I would have enjoyed the physical book over the audio because I felt the narrator hard to follow at times. Nothing against the narrator, just personal preference. I also felt the story dragged a bit and could have been a short story instead.

Pub date 11/12/24. Thanks so much to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my ALC.