Daisy Darker: A Novel

I did not see that twist coming!! Such a great book! I live the way these books have you convinced you know what happened - until you finish the chapter!

I loved the setting and premise of this book! A dysfunctional family with a lot of secrets is isolated in a gothic home on a small island, which is blocked from land travel except during low tide. So, the family is trapped for eight hours while the unknown murderer is picking them off one at a time. The characters aren't necessarily likable, and all seem to have a motive for murder. I enjoyed following along, waiting for the culprit to be exposed. I was fully hooked and couldn't put the book down! The ending left some information out - what would happen next? However, I fully enjoyed the book. Yes, the ending will make you recall a certain movie, but I loved that movie, so it was OK with me! Enjoy the ride!

Alice Feeney's "Daisy Darker" had me hooked with its chilling premise. A family reunion at a crumbling island mansion on a stormy Halloween night? Sign me up! The idea of a locked-room mystery with a ticking clock and a healthy dose of family secrets had a lot of potential. The book started strong. The eerie atmosphere of Seaglass Island and the dysfunctional dynamics of the Darker family were well-developed. I found myself invested in the characters, particularly Daisy, and curious to uncover the secrets of the past that seemed to be haunting the present. Literally! However, the execution felt a little uneven. The middle section dragged a bit, and some plot twists felt predictable. The reveal of the culprit, while not entirely obvious, lacked the punch I was hoping for. (Alice Feeney's book "His and Hers" left me flabbergasted and reeling with a bookhangover. To this day it's one of my favorite thrillers I have ever read.) Despite these shortcomings, "Daisy Darker" is a decent weekend read for fans of atmospheric thrillers. The prose is engaging, and the setting is wonderfully creepy. If you're looking for a quick, spooky read with a dose of family drama, this might be a good choice. However, if you crave a mind-blowing twist and a heart-pounding race to the finish, you might be left wanting more.

I rarely find books that hit me the way this one did. Most of the reviews we search for and post are usually to recommend others if the book was good or not. I can't write that type of review, because I didn't expect some of the themes, characters and even literary references to hit me on such a personal level. The book on itself is pretty good, a fast-paced, riveting psychological thriller with a gut-punch of a twist. But for me, it went on a deeper level, I saw reflections of my own life that simply made me fall in love with this one. I'm glad the author also loves Agatha Christie and mentions my favorite book of hers here. I wasn't expecting to cry with a mystery thriller but I bawled my eyes out. From a very, very personal perspective, this is a masterpiece. To me, it has become one of my favorite books in a long time. So, apologies for the long and quite unhelpful review, but I hope you give this one a chance.

Alice Feeney’s new domestic / locked door thriller earned <b>4 Stars</b> from me. <b>SUMMARY</b> On Daisy’s Nana’s 80th birthday she has invited her whole family to her house on its own island on the Cornwall coast for a celebration. Years ago a fortune teller predicted that Nana would die when she was 80, so Nana planned to reveal her will that visit. Nana was a well known author and illustrator so the her estate, including the house, was pretty impressive. Most of the family was hoping for a big chunk of the estate, most were disappointed. It needs to be mentioned that when the tide was high, the causeway filled with water, cutting the house off from the main land. That night, after the house was cut off by the tide, a huge storm blew through, one of the biggest they had seen in years. The phone lines were down and the power was iffy. Perfect setting for something bad to go down… Shortly after everyone went to bed, they were awakened by a crash and found Nana on the floor, having fallen from a ladder. It was clear that she was dead. AND, there was a poem written on the wall about each of the family members which was quite unflattering. Then, as everyone was trying to figure out what happened to Nana and come to terms with the loss, another family member could be in trouble. What could be happening? Is someone killing the family off one by one? Is it one of them or is someone else on the island? And why? The story jumps back and forth between the night of Nana’s birthday and the family history dating back to the 1980’s. The family flashbacks give the reader a glimpse into how the dysfunction began and explains why they may be quite unhappy with each other. <b>WHAT I LOVED</b> Such a suspense filled little thriller!!! Loved the fact that they were all trapped together on an island with no way on or off until low tide. Locked door thrillers are fantastic when done well and this one was done very well. Loved the setting!! A two hundred year old house on an island cut off from everyone and everything for several hours a day? During a rainstorm??? What could be better?? The plot itself was very well done. <b>WHAT I DIDN’T LOVE</b> My only complaint, and it’s kind of a big complaint, is that when the big reveal was made and the perp was caught, they didn’t explain how they were planning to get away with it. They literally took us by the hand and explained how everything was done, why and by whom, but never said whether that person planned to spend the rest of their life in prison or planned to blame someone else. I really needed to know! <b>OVERALL</b> Loved everything about this story except the aforementioned part about the weird ending.

I couldn’t put this book down, I finished it in a little over 24 hours! It’s cleverly written, witty and illustrative. I highly recommend it.

Not my favorite of her books but still a good one. The Darker family story is an interesting one. I thought I knew what was going on but the twist hit me in the end. Enjoyable twisty little mystery. I’ve also read Rick Paper Scissors, which is great, His and Hers, which is good, and Beautiful Ugly which is excellent.

Alice Feeney é excelente! Amo todos os livros dela e devorei esse também. Só não é 5 estrelas pq eu descobri dois plots nos primeiros capítulos, pra mim ficou bem óbvio. Mas alguns outros eu não tinha ideia e me surpreendi. Enfim, amei!

Being a die hard feeney fan i must say she never disappoints especially us thriller seekers ! If you love dark family secrets, a twisty plot and a stunning writing style that will give you all the ghostly atmosphere and all the creepy shivers, then this book is definitely for you. The writing style was par excellence, it was a perfect locked in atmosphere, it was so engaging, it was haunting and jaw dropping! I would say that this book is both character driven and plot driven because everything is so complex. It blew me away, it was so unpredictable although the clues were all there in retrospect.This book is dark and moody, but at the same time really quirky and eerie. I especially loved the poems compiled which added on to the suspense ...adding a few here so you'll cherish them too....Alice Feeney is a master storyteller, and I have so many favourite quotes from this book! “The only nobodies in this world are the people who pretend to be somebody; the people who think they are better than other people because of the way they choose to look, or speak, or vote, or pray, or love.” “Childhood is a race to find out who you really are, before you become the person you are going to be. Not everybody wins. “Families are like fingerprints; no two are the same, and they tend to leave their mark.” “Nana taught us that the devil is not a fictional man with a red cape and horns; he’s the voice inside our heads that tells us to do things we shouldn’t; he’s the eyes that pretend not to see, and the ears that pretend not to hear. He’s you, he’s me, he’s all of us.” “When you know you can’t make long-term plans, it’s easy to let yourself make short-term mistakes.” “She is a walking frown. The soundtrack of her life is little more than a series of moans stitched together into a symphony of negativity, which I find exhausting to listen to.” Get your hands on this book and watch the master thriller storyteller in action !

I really enjoyed this dark story of a family reunion where nothing is as it seems.

This is a really fantastic book. For once the description really fits : a gripping psychological thriller ! I truly enjoyed this captivating book and recommend it wholeheartedly. Don’t hesitate. You’ll not regret it. Thank you @Alice Feeney for a fantastic book.

Absolutely loved this book and couldn’t put it down! It was a great recommendation from my nail technician and if you like plot twists you would love this book!