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Most murder mysteries focus on the adults involved—the detectives who investigate the case and maybe a meddling neighbor who can’t help but do a little bit of amateur sleuthing. But in Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney, a clever teenager with a dark fascination finds herself in the center of a gruesome investigation.
The story begins when fourteen-year-old Ava Bonney discovers the body of a missing classmate late one night. Not wanting to reveal that she sneaks out at night to study the decomposition of road kill from the nearby highway, Ava makes an anonymous phone call to the police to report her discovery. But when Detective Seth Delahaye shows up at Ava’s apartment looking for information, Ava ends up involved in the investigation. And as more young boys go missing, she and her best friend, John, begin a secret investigation of their own.
Ava definitely isn’t the typical teenage girl. She doesn’t spend her spare time talking about boys and makeup and her favorite pop stars. Instead, she secretly studies road kill and makes notes for future reference—and she knows far more than the average teenager about killers. At times, that makes her feel unreal—this teenage girl with a troubling knowledge of the macabre. But she also makes an intriguing collaborator for Detective Delahaye. Because of her age, she sees things and understands things that only the local teenagers would understand—and she offers the detective a different perspective.
As the case drags on—and the detectives run into one dead end after another—Ava’s dark obsessions become more and more valuable to the investigation. Though she worries that she’ll get in trouble for her involvement, she continues to make anonymous calls to make suggestions and to share her own observations. And the two very different approaches—detectives and teenagers—make for a fascinating read.
Be warned, though, that the crimes here are certainly troubling—and often written in gruesome detail. And the investigation takes Ava, John, and the detectives down some extremely dark paths. So if you prefer your mysteries fluffy and fun—with a side of romance—this one isn’t for you.
Deadly Animals definitely isn’t a light whodunit. It’s a grim and often disturbing mystery—not exactly the kind of story that will help you relax at the end of the day. But if you’re not the type to shy away from dark crime dramas, you’ll enjoy this grisly read.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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