DEADLY ANIMALS

Olivia Dowd performs a thrilling tale about a macabre teenager with a love of studying decomposition. Ava is only 13, but she has an intense interest in forensics, which includes studying the decaying bodies of animals along the road. When she discovers the bodies of a teenager and a child, Ava alerts the police and winds up assisting a detective in stopping a killer who is preying on children. Dowd shifts from her natural accent with subtle care, ensuring that the characters not only sound real but also dynamic and unique. Some of the gory descriptions are vivid and unsettling, but Dowd keeps the tone respectful with a tinge of heartbreak. This is a suspenseful story of a ruthless killer and the young teen who is driven to channel her fierce intelligence to save lives. J.M.M. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine [Published: FEBRUARY 2025]