Deadly Animals

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