"Doesn't everyone wonder who they might have been if they weren't who they were"

"He collected regrets while she gathered resentment."

"What a murderous family we are."

"Some people are ghosts before they are dead."

So many perfect lines in the eerie atmospheric murder mystery thriller, Daisy Darker, from one of the best modern thriller writers Alice Feeny.

From the very first startling lines to the shocking end this audiobook kept me entranced; holding my breath as each chapter brought more drama, family insight and another murder.

Daisy and her sisters, Lily and Rose are back at their Nana's island estate to celebrate her 80th birthday along with their divorced parents, teenage Trixie (Lily's daughter) and family friend Conor. Though this is an acrimonious family they can deal with each other for a night especially since they hope to be in Nana's will.

Then midnight hits. A creepy nursery rhyme type poem is found written in chalk in the kitchen; where there is a dead body. The storm hits, the lights go out, the phones are dead and there is 8 more hours before the sun comes up and the tide ebbs. As each hour passes another body is found until only two are left and one of them is a killer.

One of my favorite narrators, Stephanie Racine, gives an award worthy performance as she makes us feel the heart break that's Daisy's life.

In this nod to Agatha Christie's Then There We're None the author has written not only a killer gothic tale but has done it with beautiful descriptive prose that is just breathtaking to hear.

I had no idea who was guilty, the reason for each death or why they died a very specific kind of death. The author kept me in the dark until I could see Daisy's light.

I received a free copy of this audiobook from MacMillan Audio via #netgalley for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

Daisy Darker's entire family is meeting for a reunion for her Nana's 80th birthday at a remote tidal island. Daisy and her family have been avoiding each other, but they arrive with their secrets. They are stranded in Nana's creepy house for 8 hours when the tide comes in. By midnight Nana is found dead and in another house another family member follows. The story travels between the past and the present, revealing the secrets layer by layer before they can escape.

This was my first Alice Feeney book. While this book did give me The Guest List vibes and reminded me of The Unwanted Guest, I still found the narration fresh and creepy. I liked that my predictions were all wrong and took me to a space that I didn't expect. What I didn't care for was some unbelievable parts that's hard to sweep under the carpet! Also, I found the ending a bit unfair and abrupt. Despite these issues, I still found Daisy Darker an engaging thriller! Go grab your copy!

Thank you @macmillan.audio for the ALC of Daisy Darker! I was desperate to get my hands on this one!

Daisy Darker’s whole family is finally coming together. They are all headed to the Cornish Coast to stay at Sea Glass. Sea Glass is Daisy’s grandmother’s home. Daisy and her sisters spent a lot of time here growing up. She is hoping fences will be mended and all will be well. But, when the tide comes in and they are all trapped for 8 hours, people start dying and then the secrets start to come to light!

Y’ALL! I loved this book! The creepy house on a cliff, the horrible family members and all the secrets set a stage for a huge family drama! I felt like I was in the middle of a clue game with a candlestick!

This book is so well written and so dang sneaky! When the twist started to happen…and yes it kind of happened in sections, I almost had to pull my car over and catch my breath. Then, there are so many phrases that resonated with me because the characters are so good! And for me to catch that in an audiobook…KUDOS TO ALICE FENNEY!

This narrator, Stephanie Racine, IS AMAZING! I looked through all her books and I am not sure if I have listened to her before. She is now my top narrator of all time!

Need a story which is has a twist you won’t believe…THIS IS IT! Run! Don’t walk! Get this today!

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘺, 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨!

Another fantastic story by Alice Feeney, I loved the dysfunctional family, the remote island setting, the slow build and all the new twists that kept me at the edge of my seat and engaged from start to finish. The audiobook was fantastic.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this gifted copy.

https://www.instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx/

A locked-room mystery, a dilapidated gothic mansion and an isolated island create the perfect setting for Alice Fenney’s newest title, Daisy Darker.

Daisy’s family is gathering together to celebrate her grandmother’s 80th birthday. After years of not seeing each other, they will be trapped together during high tide for 8 hours until it recedes. At midnight, Grandma is discovered dead. As each hour passes, a new family member is murdered and the rest must work together in order to survive the night.

A detailed web of family secrets and plenty of twists around the corner make this a fast-paced dark thriller a must read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this title before its release.

The Darker Family are all together at their family home to celebrate the matriarchs 80th birthday. “Seaglass”, as the home is called, is on an island that’s only accessible when the tide is out and the causeway is usable. But of course the fun starts when high tide renders them isolated for 12 hours…….and the 80 clocks in the hall remind them of that on the hour.
This murder mystery evolves around three sisters (all named after flowers), the absentee father, a long suffering mother, a man “adopted" into the family as a youth and a niece with unknown paternal origin. The birthday celebration includes a surprise reading of the will by Nana who wants them all to know what they will be bequeathed. They are all shocked..and not in a good way.
And thus begins the finger pointing when people start dying ……… the police can’t get there so they fabricate their own scenarios….especially when mysterious VCR tapes of their youth appear and poems predict what will happen to this little family……and the predictions come true. There are many demonstrations of a love/hate relationship in this group right till the end, which has such an odd twist that makes perfect sense once it is revealed. The title name is well chosen ----”Darker”.

Watch Me
Hear Me
Notice Me
See Me

Each of these messages appears, one at a time, written in Scrabble letters attached to old VHS home movies over the course of the evening of Nana’s 80th birthday. Her family has gathered at her Cornwall mansion, Seaglass, to celebrate. Seaglass sounds like a charming and quirky place, only accessible via the causeway during low tide. As they arrive for dinner, the tide comes in, stranding them until 6am. After dinner and the reading of Nana’s will (even though she’s not dead… yet), tensions are high, no one feeling like their bequeathment was what they deserved. Then, starting at midnight, each hour finds one member of the family murdered. The twists are unexpected and wonderful - as soon as I finished it, I wanted to start it again! I loved the narration by Stephanie Racine, who has also narrated previous books by Alice Feeney like Rock Paper Scissors. Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the ALC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion - it’s available today!

I love Alice Feeney’s writing! I get stories are always unique, special and keep you guessing!

DAISY DARKER is a very atmospheric story that takes place through one night in such a cool setting! The dinner party and subsequent murder mystery gave me major CLUE vibes (and I LOVE CLUE!)

Did I guess the twist? Kind of… but not exactly how it all played out. I felt slightly underwhelmed overall with the characters and the ending made me roll my eyes a bit.

Still a fun read if you like Clue or Knives Out, you might be into it! Narration was excellent (as with all of Feeney’s books)!

Daisy was born with a broken heart. Literally. And she has always known she doesn't have a full lifetime to live. That's why she heads to her Grandmother's estate on a remote island to reunite with family. But as the tide goes out on Halloween Eve, and they are cut off from the mainland, Daisy's family begins to die...one by one.

This is a deliberate and delicious take on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. And Feeney does it so well. The narration is fantastic-dark and atmospheric. You should pick this up.

Fans of Christie and cozy mysteries will love “Daisy Darker,” a classic who-done-it with an interesting twist that will make you want to read the book all over again.

Daisy Darker comes back to Sea Glass, her grandmother's house, for her 80th birthday celebration. This is a special occasion because her grandmother was told that she would not live past 80. As her family starts to arrive, the tension builds. Her nana was her best friend and champion. She wrote a book called Daisy Darker's Little Secret, and it is true, Daisy does have a secret. When each of her family members start to get murdered, every hour, on the hour, Daisy doesn't know who to trust.
The book goes back and forth in time showing you just how horrible her family was to her, showing a mother that never wanted her, an absent father and two sisters that made fun of her more than loved her. Also, there was the boy who tore the sisters apart, Conner. Each of the family has issues in their own right, and this family has some serious drama. I loved every twist and turn. It was hard for me to get into at first but as soon as the first family member was murdered, I knew that I was all in trying to figure out this mystery. The writing was flawless and there were so many profound words that stuck out in this book.
The narrator did an amazing job as Daisy and I felt like I was in the house right along with them.
Thank you to Alice Feeney, Macmillian and Netgalley for an early copy.

I’ve read and enjoyed all of the authors previous books and always find them to be page turners with clever twists. I always look forward to a new read from her and this was one I was eager to read. Unfortunately this missed the mark for me in the end and I can’t say I was a fan. There were things I liked though, the setting was strong and the idea of being stuck on an island at different times based on the tide was great. I also liked the dysfunctional family aspect, and the Darker’s were dramatic and just an odd bunch. What didn’t work for me was the big twist, I thought it was just silly and it didn’t even really make sense to me. I won’t get into why because that would ruin it but the motivation was off for me. So overall not great for me, but the audio version has a fantastic narrator in Stephanie Rancine and since I’ve liked the authors other books I’ll definitely still be reading her in the future.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC!

Read if you like:
*locked room thrillers
*books that span a short time (24 hours)
*unreliable narrators

This was a fun one! Alice Feeney delivered another great thriller/mystery with a plot twist I didn’t see coming! The narrator was completely unreliable and this family/cast of characters was truly CRAZY. I loved the short timeline of the story (set over a 24 hours period on Halloween) especially after having just read a book that spanned decades. The poems throughout were a fun part of the mystery and I just generally love her writing style. I wanted to sit and binge this one, which is definitely a sign of a good one! The cliffhanger chapters made me keep wanting more. Alice Feeney has easily become an auto-buy author for me and I highly recommend Daisy Darker.

I loved the audio version. The narrator for all of Alice Feeney’s books is so good. Her British accent and her performance are spot on every time. Loved it. Highly recommend both versions of this book!
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After many years estranged from each other, the Darker family is assembling on their grandmother’s remote island to celebrate her 80th birthday. The tide comes in for 8 hours, leaving them cut off from the outside world when Nana is found murdered. One by one, other family members start being killed off. Daisy has to figure out what’s going on before it’s too late and she’s next.

The initial setup of this classic feeling thriller was good. The setting and the characters were fascinating. The Darker family was very dysfunctional which made them really fun to read about. The twist had me rewinding my audiobook to hear it again and I loved it!! The ending was perfect. It was a bit slow in parts, but I really enjoyed this one overall. Thanks to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley for my review copy!

This book brought back echoes of being a schoolgirl reading The Westing Game! Dark, sad, heartfelt and terrifying! The dysfunctional family is so real and tragic with amazing characters. Dual timelines move the reader through the tragic history and current horror of the Darker family. The setting is as magical as The House in the Cerulean Sea. Incredible twist that caught me off guard!

“𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙨 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙜 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨.”

Wow!! I can promise you will NOT guess the ending of this delightful locked-room thriller. (Is “delightful” even the right word for a thriller?) I had to go back and listen the beginning again after finishing this story.

This book has gotten some mixed reviews but it’s actually my favorite Alice Feeney book so far. Clever, darkly funny and very twisty, I enjoyed every minute of the audiobook. Definitely grab this one if you’re a fan of British thrillers. I would describe this story as spooky and very atmospheric. The narration was perfect!

Special thanks to the publisher for providing an audiobook listening copy via NetGalley!

I was lucky enough to be able to consume this book in its audio version. I think the fear factor was definitely aided by the proper sounding English accent of this truly talented narrator. I already know she's a huge part of the audio for His and Hers and I definitely want to check that one out! All of Daisy's family are absolute pain in the asses and the locked room trope (the tide being what keeps them locked on the island) has definitely been done before but this was done quite well and I was happy to have read it. I will definitely be suggesting it to customers as it comes more towards fall.

Ahhhh this audiobook is officially one of my favorite audiobooks of the entire year so far! So amazing!

Daisy entered this world a disaster and feels her whole life has followed suit. Daisy was never allowed to attend school, make friends, or do any normal things that kids can. Her sisters, Rose and Lily, were sent to boarding school so she spent her life alone. The summers however were her favorite because she got to spend them with her grandmother at Seaglass, a small island only accessible at low tide.

The Darkers have assembled at Seaglass for Nana's birthday and the reading of her will. Narrated by Daisy, the book goes hour by hour as the family spends time together for the first time in years!

I liked this book, but it wasn't quite love. I enjoyed the narration for the parts I listened to rather than reading.

"Daisy Darker's family were as dark as dark could be...."

Daisy Darker is trapped in Seaglass, an old house on a secluded island where the high tide makes it impossible to leave without a boat. Nana invites all of her family to her house for her 80th birthday, but one by one, they start to die. This locked room thriller is a good Spooky Season read thanks to the old Victorian house with it's creepy clocks that go off every hour, mysterious happenings, dark secrets and well, presumably murder.

Give it a try; it's worth a read. But the ending might leave you with some questions, like it did for me.