3.5 rounded up. My review , like the book, is full of contradictions. While easy to solve, this creepy murder mystery was still a page turner. The main character was clever and likable, despite some age-appropriate inconsistencies. There were some major flaws, but the story and writing were compelling enough to make me interested in reading another work by this author.

This book is one that initially caught my attention because of the title. I expected a certain type of dark feel to it and it did not disappoint. I will definitely check out more by this author.

This was brilliant! I couldn’t put it down and loved every second of it. I can’t stop thinking about this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Dnf! I can tell the author is talented, good writing. However I couldn’t get sucked into the story. I have only seen good reviews so this is probably just a me problem.

So first things first: if you are sensitive to the deaths of animals (see title) or the deaths of children (see plot description), you may wish to stay clear. There’s also a certain gruesomeness about much of it.

That being said, it’s a fabulous book!

Ava is wonderful. Somehow the author manages to create a girl who has such dark interests and make her positive and charming! I also liked so many of our other characters.

Now, I will admit that I realized our *who* way too early in the book. The problem was that I adored them and kept hoping against hope that I was wrong. But while there was a soupçon of disappointment in that, it didn’t ruin the read for me. Instead, I was still rapt – just a mixture of rapt and incredibly saddened.

Dark as the book is, it’s full of engaging characters, fabulous friendships (some unexpected), and a plot that becomes a real adventure.

There’s room for a sequel here and I truly hope the author brings us back to this world!

• ARC via Publisher

A great read. The pacing was a little slow at times, but I loved the main character Ava, and her relationships with the detectives on the case.

An incredible debut. 'Deadly Animals' shines with its fresh approach to crime. Set in 1981 Birmingham, a precocious 13-year-old girl becomes an unlikely expert to a police investigation into the murder of her classmates.

Marie Tierney creates as fantastic heroine in Ava, a self-assured autodidactic with an uncanny knowledge of biology, animal decomposition (thanks to her animal body farm), mimicry and illustration. She has a sharp vocabulary, but you can still see how she is still a child. I adored the friendship with her best friend Josh and all the teenage complications that comes with it. DS Seth Delahaye is a persistant but laid back and, refreshingly, takes Ava's insight seriously and comes to rely upon it as if she were a valued colleague.

The writing is tight with short sharp chapters, with characters that are absorbing. The pace is perfect with a slow-burn tension. I worked out pretty early who the killer was and I could feel the slow pit of dread as Ava and Seth seperately come to the shocking realisation.

This is definitely a top crime book for 2024. I would love to see more Ava, or perhaps a grown up Ava. But I know I'm being greedy.

Thanks to Henry Holt and Co. and NetGalley for the ARC.