<p><b>DISCOVER</b> <b>THE GRIPPING 2024 BRITISH CRIME NOVEL EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT:<br></b><br><b>**SHORTLISTED FOR THE VAL McDERMID DEBUT AWARD 2024**</b><br><b>**One of <i>The Times</i>' best crime and mystery books of 2024 so far**</b><br><br>'A remarkable debut' - <b>THE TIMES</b> <br>'Utterly mesmerising' -<b> PETER JAMES</b><br>'A crime novel I wish I had written' - <b>LYNDA LA PLANTE</b><br>'Marie's writing is beautiful' - <b>BELINDA BAUER</b><br>'Exceptional in every way' - <b>CHRIS WHITAKER</b><br>'A dark glittering gem of a book' - <b>LISA GRAY</b><br>'Gloriously dark, deadly and deathly' - <b>C. J. SKUSE</b><br>'An incredible debut. Damn near perfect' - <b>SUSI HOLLIDAY<br></b>'Tierney is a name to watch' - <b>SAM HOLLAND</b><br>'A masterpiece' -<b> WILLIAM HUSSEY</b><br><br><b>Thirteen-year-old Ava Bonney is different.</b><br><br>While her friends play, Ava searches for roadkill. She knows studying animal decomposition is an unusual hobby, but Ava doesn't care what other people think.<br><br>Then, one night, when Ava sneaks out to find a fox, she instead stumbles upon the body of Mickey Grant.<br><br>Despite his many years in the police, Detective Seth Delahaye has never seen a murder case like this one - as though the victim was set upon by a wild animal.<br><br>Nor has he met anyone quite like Ava: so determined, resourceful and . . . unusual.<br><br>And when another boy goes missing, he has no idea that Ava will become his secret weapon in the hunt for a killer.<br><br>'<i>Deadly Animals</i> is a shockingly beautiful, rare and heartbreaking gem. I really can't recommend it highly enough' - <b>CHRIS WHITAKER</b></p>