Deadly Animals

The text uses many conventions of the detective fiction genre; in what ways does it subvert them, too?

Ava describes the killer as her “fatal inversion.” What makes Ava and the killer similar and different? What prevents Ava from becoming like the destructive killer?

While the novel is set in the 1980s, it was written in a period in which true crime has become immensely popular. How does this context impact the novel?

Ava and John embark on a parallel investigation beneath the police’s official investigation. How do the investigative techniques of each differ? How do these techniques restrict the information each team can learn, and how do these restrictions force them to think outside the box?

Discuss the text’s use of dramatic irony in the mystery of the killer’s identity. How does this literary device enhance the novel’s suspense? How does it impact your understanding of the characters?

Explore the various community reactions to both the murders and the investigation. What perspectives does the novel offer about the significance of community?

To what extent does this novel resemble gothic fiction?

Ava starts the story deeply distrustful of men. Explore how her relationships with men—like Delahaye, John, and Nathaniel—develop over the course of the text and what impacts these relationships have on her character growth.