Deadly Animals

Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024

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Summary

Background

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5-Epilogue

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Background

Geographical Context: Rubery Village, South Birmingham

Marie Tierney sets her story in the small village of Rubery, which sits just south of the city of Birmingham. The village developed in a hilly area, and its community started with a conglomeration of scattered farms—though the land was not considered the most agriculturally viable. Sandstone and quartzite quarries were the village’s major industry in the 20th century, which left the topography with long-lasting scarring and exposed rock. Major urbanization of the town occurred between 1960 and 1970, and many local farms were abandoned or renovated (Dargue, William. “Rubery.” A History of Birmingham Places & Placenames from A to Y, 2024). In the book, the abandonment of Banlock Farm represents this industrial shift that left the town’s rural industries in the past. The child characters make dens or hangout spots in some of these abandoned buildings to reclaim them.

The village of Rubery is made up of winding streets and back lanes, which adds to the chilling atmosphere and reflects the twisting nature of the mystery. The village’s rapid commercial change makes the environment a cross between rural and industrial, where both expanses of wild nature and dangerous human machinery abound. Tierney grew up in this area and infuses her narrative’s setting with accurate details of the village’s layout. She references known landmarks in the area, like the overgrown Quarry, Beacon Hill, Cock Hill Lane, the Flyover bridge, and Rubery Hill Hospital to enhance the mystery’s realism.

Historical Context: Profiling and Criminology in the 1980s

The action of Deadly Animals occurs in 1981, when major developments in criminal profiling and understandings of criminal psychology occurred in the United States. One of the characters, Dr. William Tremblay, references the FBI’s study into cataloging criminal behavior, which occurred around this time. The FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit interviewed violent serial offenders to study their motives, unique crime features, and crime planning with the goal of creating a crime database. The database would then allow investigators to identify common behavioral patterns that could help in the apprehension of new criminals. This new approach to investigative work was called “criminal profiling.” John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker describe the development of this database in their nonfiction book Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit.

In the text, Ava performs a similar kind of investigation into historical crimes, which helps her and Detective Delahaye understand Nathaniel’s psychology and motives. Ava references several real-life murder cases to draw connections between these killers’ behaviors and those of the Rubery killer. For example, she recalls the Moors murders (1963-1965) and Mary Bell (1968) to remind detectives not to exclude women and children from their list of suspects. Ava creates an extensive list of criminals who were diagnosed with clinical lycanthropy to understand the psychology of those who think they can transform into wolves. She particularly highlights Gilles Garnier (1572) and Jean Grenier (1603), who killed children while under the delusion that they were wolves. By reflecting on these crimes and noticing patterns, Ava determines that the Rubery killer also believes he transforms into a wolf to kill, and the canine behaviors become the key to catching Nathaniel.