Deadly Animals : Val McDermid Crime Debut Award Winner 2024

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**WINNER: VAL McDERMID DEBUT AWARD****FINALIST: BEST FIRST NOVEL, ITW THRILLER AWARDS 2025****SHORTLISTED: DEBUT CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR, FINGERPRINT AWARDS 2025****LONGLISTED: CWA GOLD DAGGER 2025****LONGLISTED: CWA JOHN CREASEY FIRST NOVEL DAGGER 2025****SELECTED: The Times best crime and mystery books****WINNER: Crime Fiction Lover’s Best Debut Novel – Editor’s Choice**’Deadly Animals is a shockingly beautiful, rare and heartbreaking gem. I really can’t recommend it highly enough’ – CHRIS WHITAKER, author of ALL THE COLOURS OF THE DARKThirteen-year-old Ava Bonney is different.

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.

Then, one night, when Ava sneaks out to find a fox, she instead stumbles upon the body of Mickey Grant.

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.

Nor has he met anyone quite like Ava: so determined, resourceful and . . . unusual.

And when another boy goes missing, he has no idea that Ava will become his secret weapon in the hunt for a killer.

DISCOVER THE GRIPPING AWARD-WINNING BRITISH CRIME NOVEL EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT.

‘A remarkable debut’ – THE TIMES’Utterly mesmerising’ – PETER JAMES’Exceptional’ – DAILY MAIL’I adored this novel’ – JENNIE GODFREY’Exceptional in every way’ – CHRIS WHITAKER’A crime novel I wish I had written’ – LYNDA LA PLANTE’Will rock you back on your heels’ – VAL McDERMID’Marie’s writing is beautiful’ – BELINDA BAUER’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’Extraordinary’ – JO CALLAGHAN