Alice Feeney has served up a most delicious fairy tale. But readers, it is not for the faint of heart. In fact, Daisy Darker herself has a serious heart condition. She wasn't supposed to live long, somehow she has managed to live into her early 20s. Come along on this journey as we meet daisy's horrible family....everyone except her sweet Nana. It's Nana's 80th birthday, which happens to fall on Halloween. Nana has always been told she won't live past 80. Daisy is the first to arrive, then you'll start meeting the various members of her horrible family. Now with that said, her niece Trixie is not horrible. Daisy can only count on Nana and Trixie. Since Nana lives in an old, huge house right by the sea, the guests must arrive before the tide comes in.

They all finally arrive. They have a rather okay birthday supper. But they do get a surprise guest. Now they are all stuck in the house until the tide goes out the next morning. What are horrible to do, but horrible things, of course. One by one, the members of the Darker family start being mysteriously murdered. Who is the murderer? How can they escape? And who is writing the ever-changing, creepy poems on the kitchen wall?

This is a must-read book for Feeney fans and fans of all things mysterious. Be warned, after you read the last page, you'll be flipping back to the front of the book to see why you didn't see the clues from the very first page.

Overall, I feel indifferent about this book. I liked the atmospheric & dark setting. I was really interested in the plot, but then the ending fell flat for me. I feel like this book was a nod to several other books & films, but knowing how these other books & films end made the ending unoriginal. I didn't really "buy" the ending--it seemed forced and not realistic.

I feel like I was tricked. Why was this title on my mystery/thriller shelf?? Sorry, it was not at all thrilling. A very tedious read. And not a proper mystery either... I might have enjoyed it more had I found it on the literary fiction shelf. I finished it but skimmed much of it. The flash backs and forth were so painfully drawn out. And...hello a little too much Sixth Sense - it's already been done. All the murders just seem WAY over the top, from characters who are trying also to be philosophical about reading, life...

I am happy to say I really liked this book! It was clever, and was an update on And Then There Were None.

Daisy Darker was a wild ride and I think fans of thrillers/mysteries with a gothic tinge will love it.

To avoid spoiling anything, I'll keep the summary quick. The Darker family is gathering for a family reunion at the family estate on their little island, each bringing with them secrets and old grudges. As often happens in these stories, murder ensues and continues to ensue until the thrilling climax of the book.

The biggest draw I think for this book is the family at it's core. The Darkers are a wild bunch and each has their own flair with their weird eccentricities and the secrets motivating them. Alice Feeney has succeeded in creating a wholly unique cast of characters which is no small feat in the crowded mystery/thriller genre.

Ultimately, I love this book. Of course, there are the usual critiques that could be made such as the ending wrapped a little to quickly for my taste but for the most part I think this book is going to probably to be a perfect book for those looking for a thriller in late August.

I only discovered Alice Feeney last year, but I quickly devoured everything she published. Her books keep me enthralled and usually I cannot put them down.

I'm sad to say that her newest novel, Daisy Darker, did not match my past experiences with the author's work.

The start of the thriller was promising as the scene was set for a dysfunctional family gathering at the family matriarch's remote house, named Seagrass, on the Cornish coast.

It quickly fell flat and was a slog to get through. The characters were not well developed and their initial reactions to the events at Seaglass were unrealistic.

Daisy's thoughts were repetitive, simplistic, and tedious. The transitions between past and present was elementary.

The twist was interesting, but incredibly far fetched and absurd. I think the end could have worked if the story preceding it was better plotted.

I'm hopeful this was a fluke and will be eagerly awaiting Alice Feeney's next novel.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me early access to this title.

A chilling and largely successful riff on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None as a family on an island isolated by the sea get bumped off one by one. With this source inspiration and with the author being the proverbial queen of the twist, we know that all is not as it seems but I was still sideswiped by the resolution and went back to check if it actually worked (I think it mostly did, though there are at least a few loose ends).

Daisy Darker, her two older sisters Rose and Lily, her niece, her parents, and friend since childhood, Conor, all roll up for Nana’s 80th birthday party at her house, Seaglass, which is on a tiny spit of land that is only accessible at low tide. The spooky, crumbling down house is full of oddities, like the 80 clocks in the hallway, the lack of a phone, and the creaks and groans of an old house. Just to add to the chill factor, it’s Halloween and the family are trapped for 8 hours by the tide as a storm rages around.

Nana is the first one to get murdered, followed on each hour by another member of the family. Near each body is an old family video, from when the girls were children, and some scrabble letters spelling out a message. Seen through Daisy’s eyes, these old movies bring back memories of her unhappy childhood and all lead up to the incident, 16 years ago, which stopped the family speaking to her.

I had a bit of a grumble about Ms Feeney’s last novel, , as I felt it took too long to get going. This is absolutely the opposite - we are into the first murder very early on and then the sound of bodies dropping can be heard as regularly as Nana’s clock chimes. Woven with Daisy’s memories, the atmospheric setting, and Ms Feeney’s patented feeling of unease, the plot romps along with a tight grip on the reader until reaching its expected and unexpected (by me) ending.

Bravo to the author who keeps trying new ideas, all circling around the idea of a mystery with a twist.

Thanks to Flatiron Books and Netgalley for the digital review copy.

Alice Feeney has another winner. Follow Daisy as she tells a tale of her grandmother's 80th birthday party intertwined with the back story of her life. Add in favorite children, divorced parents, a heart condition, and more to get a twisted tale that Daisy unravels as her family members die. As Feeney is apt to do, your jaw will drop at the end. Fans of suspense and family drama need to add this to their TBR list. To be published in Aug. 2022.

The premise is straight out of Agatha Christie’s Then There Were None, and Feeney does it well. The plot and characters kept me turning page after page and I blew off an appointment to stay home and read. Told in both the present and the past, the Darker family are in the family home celebrating Nana’s 80th birthday and with no means of escape as family members are picked off one by one. As I said, the Murders are done well and I couldn’t figure out who was killing everyone. The past sequences really set the story up and you learn how despicable most of the family is. Near the end of the story something was revealed that blew me away and now we had the perfect reason why the family had to die. Darker Daisy was a solid 5 until the conclusion, which left too many empty holes, such as what happens next. Still worth the read

Thank you to the publisher and @NetGalley for the E-ARC copy of this book. The rating of this book is entirely of my own opinion. #DaisyDarker

Nana Darker is a famous children’s author who used her granddaughter as inspiration for her stories. Her first, and most popular book, Daisy Darker’s Little Secret is the book that not only made Nana famous, but also Daisy herself.

Our story begins as the Darker family arrives to the Cornish coast to celebrate Nana’s birthday at her Victorian home. She is turning 80 and her wish is to celebrate with her family. Everyone has agreed to come: her son, daughter-in-law, her three granddaughters, her great-granddaughter and Connor, a close family friend. All members of the Darker family make sure to arrive on time as they know that when the tide comes in, they will be trapped at the house until the tide goes out again, eight hours later.
The fun really begins once the family has gone to bed and the clock strikes midnight. A strong storm and a loud scream bring attention to the dead body of Nana. Hour by hour family members start disappearing and dying. As the remaining family members try to stay alive, they are also trying to reckon with their past and the secrets they have kept for so long.

Feeney weaves the past in with the present in a story where the reader has a difficult time guessing who the killer is and what is the motive. A twisty tale with a nod to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. A story that will make you want to read it twice, once to enjoy and a second time to find all the hidden clues. If you loved Rock, Paper, Scissors, you are going to love Daisy Darker. This was a book that I had a difficult time putting down. I kept wanting to know their stories, who the killer was and how a family have so many secrets from one another. Alice Feeney has done it again! I look forward to her next tale that will keep me guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Flat Iron Books for giving me the opportunity to read this book and for allowing me to give my honest review.

I was hooked from the beginning of this one. I love a good locked room mystery, or in this case, secluded island mystery. This one has several great twists and turns. Everyone is a victim. Everyone is a suspect. If you’re like me, you will stay up all hours of the night, sprinting to the end, to see whodunit, but you won’t figure this one until the last few pages.

The fractured family of Daisy Darker gathers at the island home of Nana for her 80th birthday. A birthday that Nans says will be her last.
Each family member is hiding a dark secret, and while trapped on Nana’s island home for the 8 hours between tides, murders start to occur every hour. Starting with the death of Nana.
With each pointing fingers at the others, paranoia and fear sets in as they wonder who will be next and why are they being targeted?
With a definite nod to And Then There We’re None, this novel hooked me from the beginning. However, I found the resolution, while shocking and surprising, a little far fetched and unbelievable. So while I enjoyed this book, it ended up being too much of a genre twisting story for me.

Hahaha, wow. Ok, so while I didn't love the voice/narrative style, since it was a bit too stilted and archaic for my liking (particularly for. book set in 2004, with a 29 year old narrator), the premise was total catnip for me. And more than that, the final twist(s)--amazing, stupendous, show-stopping..you get the gist. Actually, it wasn't THAT unique, and it falls into a subgenre that seems to be gaining traction in contemporary thrillers, but it WAS hilarious, and I cackled at some of the reveals, which is pretty much all I could want from this kind of thriller.

This was my first book by Alice Feeney, and I’m hooked. The story itself had me captivated from the first page, but what made it even better was the great character development, backstory, and sharp dialogue. Rarely do I find myself caring very much about characters in this genre, but Feeney does a great job of encouraging them to grow on you, even the ones you don’t like.

While I did guess that two major plot points could be the case, it was merely me running through every possibility and I was never totally sure until they were revealed. What was fun is that everyone could have been guilty for different reasons, and I had dreamed up so many potential outcomes. But ultimately, I was not at all anticipating the biggest reveal and the motive behind the killings.

Overall, it was sad, thrilling, angering, funny, cozy, and heartbreaking all at once. I cant wait to see more reviews once it’s released later this year!

Wow! Daisy Darker is not Rock, Paper, Scissors and I mean that in a good way. Feeney is a very talented writer. This book was fast paced and enjoyable to read. I found the ending a little sad, but it really made me go back a read other passages for clues. Great story! Will recommend to library patrons.

Highly recommend this new psychological thriller. Poor Daisy Darker..the youngest and least loved member of the Darker family. Daisy may have a broken heart, but secrets are about to be broken, too.

An isolated old house surrounded by the sea is only accessible at low tide by walking across a causeway. Famous children's author Nana Darker lives there with her dog and her collection of 80 clocks. For her Halloween birthday, she invites her son, her ex-daughter-in-law, their three daughters, her granddaughter and a family friend to attend her homemade celebration. Things go drastically wrong however, when members of the Darker family turn up dead, one for each hour the clocks strike. Trapped on the island until the storm and tide recedes, how many of them will make it out alive? Why doesn't anyone listen to third daughter Daisy who narrates the tale? Is it due to the fact that she was born with a "broken heart" and has always been treated by her mother as a porcelain doll instead of a real living child? Daisy knows things that the other's don't and has kept these secrets for years. Now that family members are dying, Daisy's knowledge could be the key to why this is happening--if only they'd listen to her. Suspenseful, full of twists and turns and with an ending that comes as a total surprise, "Daisy Darker" is not to be missed.

The queen of killer twists is back with another smartly-plotted thriller on a creepy tiny island!!

Daisy Darker's Nana is turning 80 on Halloween, and the whole family is gathered to celebrate. Her mother, father, two older sisters, and their neighbour, Conor. It's been a while since they've been together, and once the tide sets in, their trapped in the little house. Then Nana is found dead at the stroke of midnight. And then an hour later, there is another body. Everyone is hiding a secret and someone is a killer.

Alice Feeney has left me gasping and breathless with another one of her thrillers. She said that this one is her favourite and I can see why! This is a locked-room, gothic, domestic, psychological thriller, all wrapped in one big bow. It's Alice Feeney at her best! The plot is very similar to Christie's And There Were None, in that people disappear every hour.

The Darkers are probably one of the most dysfunctional families I've read about. The entire story is told from Daisy's point of view, and your heart can't help but break for her (pun intended) as you read about her family. Slowly, we get to know each and every member and unravel secrets about them from the past. They're all flawed and messed up, but who doesn't love reading about horrible people? Daisy was born with a broken heart and her relationship with her Nana is one of the best things about this book. She is able to connect with her on a level that no one can, and she is really the only person who seems to love her.

This book takes its time, and with every dead body, the suspense picks up. I was thinking about giving this book 4 stars, but then the twists came. Then another. I simply lost my mind. There is a reason Feeney is known as the queen of killer twists, and the title remains intact. It's so unexpected, but once it's revealed, you start to see the signs. There is no one who can write twisty thrillers like Alice Feeney, and she will forever be one of my favourite authors.

If you like Lucy Foley, Ruth Ware, and Agatha Christie, you will adore this book. It's devious, smart, heartbreaking and a masterpiece.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of the book in exchange for my honest review!

What a strange book this was. It certainly was out of my normal reading habits and I did enjoy it. I had no idea how the story would finally unravel but the author wove a very unique tale.