Deadly Animals

Thirteen-year-old Ava Bonney is unlike other children. Exceptionally bright, she has an obsessive interest in the rate at which dead animals decompose. The motorway she lives by regularly offers up roadkill, and in the dead of night Ava likes nothing better than to pull her latest discovery into her roadside den so she can study it. But one day when she arrives she stumbles across the body of fellow pupil, Mickey Grant. DI Seth Delahaye is given the case, one of the most challenging of his career. But Ava is not the sort of person who will step back and let someone else take charge when children like her are dying. She uses all her unusual skills and deep local knowledge to try to track down the serial killer in her community...M.F DISCOVER THE GRIPPING 2024 BRITISH CRIME NOVEL EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT: 'A remarkable debut. It is funny, creepy, gory and moving.' THE TIMES 'Utterly mesmerising' - PETER JAMES 'A crime novel I wish I had written' - LYNDA LA PLANTE 'Marie's writing is beautiful' - BELINDA BAUER 'Exceptional in every way' - CHRIS WHITAKER 'A dark glittering gem of a book' - LISA GRAY 'Gloriously dark, deadly and deathly' - C. J. SKUSE 'An incredible debut. Damn near perfect' - SUSI HOLLIDAY 'Tierney is a name to watch' - SAM HOLLAND 'A masterpiece' - WILLIAM HUSSEY 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. ' Deadly Animals is a shockingly beautiful, rare and heartbreaking gem. I really can't recommend it highly enough' - CHRIS WHITAKER