Daisy Darker: A Novel
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- Create Date：2022-08-31 10:51:40
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Alice Feeney
- ISBN：1250877067
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
The New York Times bestselling Queen of Twists returns…with a family reunion that leads to murder。
After years of avoiding each other， Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island。 Finally back together one last time， when the tide comes in， they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours。
The family arrives， each of them harboring secrets。 Then at the stroke of midnight， as a storm rages， Nana is found dead。 And an hour later， the next family member follows…
Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one， the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets， before the tide comes in and all is revealed。
With a wicked wink to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None， Daisy Darker’s unforgettable twists will leave readers reeling。
After years of avoiding each other， Daisy Darker’s entire family is assembling for Nana’s 80th birthday party in Nana’s crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island。 Finally back together one last time， when the tide comes in， they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours。
The family arrives， each of them harboring secrets。 Then at the stroke of midnight， as a storm rages， Nana is found dead。 And an hour later， the next family member follows…
Trapped on an island where someone is killing them one by one， the Darkers must reckon with their present mystery as well as their past secrets， before the tide comes in and all is revealed。
With a wicked wink to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None， Daisy Darker’s unforgettable twists will leave readers reeling。
Reviews
Kristi
，
I loved the ending！ I thought it was a little slow and weird at times in the middle though
Melissa Borsey
，
The Darker family haven’t all been together in quite some time， but it is Nana’s 80th birthday and she wants everyone there at the family house， which is located on a small island and is cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours when the tide comes in。 With a nod to Agatha Christie’s hit thriller And Then There Were None， the Darker family is being killed off methodically and secrets are being revealed at every turn。 I absolutely loved listening to this as an audiobook。 The narrator did The Darker family haven’t all been together in quite some time， but it is Nana’s 80th birthday and she wants everyone there at the family house， which is located on a small island and is cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours when the tide comes in。 With a nod to Agatha Christie’s hit thriller And Then There Were None， the Darker family is being killed off methodically and secrets are being revealed at every turn。 I absolutely loved listening to this as an audiobook。 The narrator did a brilliant job keeping the story eerie and and suspenseful。 I thank Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook。 。。。more
Amanda
，
unexpected end like wow this should be a movie ！
Inspector Penny
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Oh， good grief。 （view spoiler）[ Hasn't "narrator is a ghost" been used enough by now？ I guessed what was going on by about page five。 I really did feel sorry for Daisy， though。 Poor， sad little girl。 The rest of the characters were disgusting， & the plot was ridiculous。 The ending was rushed and melodramatic。 Nana didn't just talk; she made pronouncements， wise words meant to end up framed or stitched onto a pillow。 Oh， and in case a reader wanted to say， "This is just like And Then There Were N Oh， good grief。 （view spoiler）[ Hasn't "narrator is a ghost" been used enough by now？ I guessed what was going on by about page five。 I really did feel sorry for Daisy， though。 Poor， sad little girl。 The rest of the characters were disgusting， & the plot was ridiculous。 The ending was rushed and melodramatic。 Nana didn't just talk; she made pronouncements， wise words meant to end up framed or stitched onto a pillow。 Oh， and in case a reader wanted to say， "This is just like And Then There Were None， Trixie pulls out the book to own up to it， which makes it ok， I guess。 （No。） I think with more care and time and complexity， this might have made an ok book， even though the ghost thing is way overdone。 （hide spoiler）] 。。。more
Reading_ Tamishly
，
When Alice Feeney doesn’t know how to disappoint！This book entertained me the entire time。Loved the cover， devoured the book cover to cover， left me surprised and I enjoyed the thrill thoroughly！A bit of ‘And There Were None’ plot， a whole lot of disturbed characters and dreamlike twists you can expect。 I love how the writing kept me hooked from the first page。 Never gave me a chance to feel bored or restless while reading the book。 Thrillers have to be like this for me otherwise there’s no fun When Alice Feeney doesn’t know how to disappoint！This book entertained me the entire time。Loved the cover， devoured the book cover to cover， left me surprised and I enjoyed the thrill thoroughly！A bit of ‘And There Were None’ plot， a whole lot of disturbed characters and dreamlike twists you can expect。 I love how the writing kept me hooked from the first page。 Never gave me a chance to feel bored or restless while reading the book。 Thrillers have to be like this for me otherwise there’s no fun reading a thriller。Expect the unexpected。 Some parts might be too much or too unrealistic for you but you know you will be thoroughly entertained。The first half explains a lot about the characters and the upcoming plot。 However， it’s the second half that breaks all hell loose。 Yes， expect exactly that。A book hangover？ You bet！ 。。。more
Kate
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I figured out the big “twist” by page 19。 And the secondary twist by about page 60。 Not really into supernatural stories， so wouldn’t highly recommend。
Chelsea
，
Entertaining read， assumed there would be a twist and didn't bite on any of the red herrings。 Still was surprised by the ending - enjoyable， quick read。 Entertaining read， assumed there would be a twist and didn't bite on any of the red herrings。 Still was surprised by the ending - enjoyable， quick read。 。。。more
Gemma Darr
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3。75 stars
Caroline
，
I got back and forth between 3 and 4。 Feeney makes no attempt to disguise that she’s pulling from And Then There Were None， and that’s refreshing。 There’s a great pace of events， that even the flashbacks don’t disrupt。 I was hooked。 I suspected a few of the twists but something always happened to make me change my mind。 Clever writing。
Kate
，
This was a fun locked room beach read overall， but I guessed the “twist” by like page 12 and there were far too many platitudes about family in every single paragraph。
Aly
，
This one had so many twists and turns！！！ I never figured things out until the grand reveal
Janet
，
I love a good Agatha Christie like storyline！ This book made me late for work and consider calling in sick to finish。 Hooked me from the beginning and I truly did not guess this ending。 So good！
Jennifer Posey
，
Actually a 3。5。
Erin Drouin
，
2。5？ 3？ This was so not for me？ The writing here was good in some places， but frustrating in others。 So many times Feeney ended passages with a cryptic platitude that you know what intended to pack a punch but just seemed to disrupt the flow of the writing。 Like just in the beginning， a description of the home that Daisy is visiting is ended with a sentence that reads "Pity fades with age， hate is lost and found， but guilt can last a lifetime。" This book was also a lot of 'flashbacks used as exp 2。5？ 3？ This was so not for me？ The writing here was good in some places， but frustrating in others。 So many times Feeney ended passages with a cryptic platitude that you know what intended to pack a punch but just seemed to disrupt the flow of the writing。 Like just in the beginning， a description of the home that Daisy is visiting is ended with a sentence that reads "Pity fades with age， hate is lost and found， but guilt can last a lifetime。" This book was also a lot of 'flashbacks used as exposition" to show the family's history and how they came to be so despicable。 In comparison to the "And Then There Were None" style mystery going on in the present-day chapters， the flashbacks were quite dull and I found myself skimming through them。 Unlike a lot of people with regard to this book: I didn't predict the twist。 I just found it to be annoying。 。。。more
Yi Liu
，
Thanks for giving me an advanced copy to exchange honest reviesws。 The book has a very interesting plot。 I would recommend it especially if you like both thriller and ghost stories。 I give it only 4 stars simply because myself likes the thriller in reality world。 I was a bit disappointed when I found out ghost is involved in the story line。 Otherwise， it is a very good story。
Katie
，
Interesting to watch the story unfold。 Had some good tension and made me check the locks while reading。
Carolyn
，
Daisy Darker was born with a heart defect， that would cause her heart to stop seven times before she was 13。 Each time she was resuscitated in time， but was told that even with treatment and surgery she would likely not live to be an adult。 Daisy’s mother refused to send her to school like her older sisters Rose and Lily， keeping her home where books were her only companions。 Daisy’s musician father was constantly travelling with his orchestra， so whenever her mother needed a break， Daisy would Daisy Darker was born with a heart defect， that would cause her heart to stop seven times before she was 13。 Each time she was resuscitated in time， but was told that even with treatment and surgery she would likely not live to be an adult。 Daisy’s mother refused to send her to school like her older sisters Rose and Lily， keeping her home where books were her only companions。 Daisy’s musician father was constantly travelling with his orchestra， so whenever her mother needed a break， Daisy would be sent to stay with her somewhat eccentric grandmother， Beatrice。Beatrice， an author and illustrator of children’s books， wrote a popular bestseller， ‘Daisy Darker’s Little Secret’， for her favourite granddaughter。 She also collected clocks in her hallway， one for each birthday， which would all chime at once。 Daisy spent many happy days in her childhood at ‘Seaglass’， her grandmother’s ancient， decaying mansion， on a tiny tidal island on the Cornish coast， cut off from the rest of the world when the tide came in。 Daisy loved it best when her sisters were home from boarding school for the holidays， especially when a local boy， Conor came to play with them。On Halloween 2004， Daisy’s dysfunctional family gathered at ‘Seaglass’ to celebrate her grandmother’s 80th birthday， and also to hear her read them her will。 They all arrived before the island was cut off by the sea， knowing that they would be trapped there for eight hours until the tide went back out。 As the narrator of the novel Daisy recounts the strange and nightmarish events that followed。 The setting is perfect for this Christie-esqe ‘locked room’ mystery。 The crumbling old Victorian mansion， cut off from the world by the sea， with a storm raging outside， sets the perfect tone for an atmospheric gothic mystery。 As the evening plays out with dinner and the reading of the will， the family member dynamics are revealed as their true natures surface along with their insecurities and grudges against each other。 At midnight， just after Beatrice’s eighty clocks have finished chiming， a terrible scream is heard， a body is found and an eerie poem foreshadowing gruesome events has appeared on the board in the kitchen。As the night goes on memories of of Daisy’s childhood are woven in to show how dysfunctional her family are and it becomes clear that Daisy Darker is not the only one keeping a secret。 The atmosphere becomes very sinister and creepy with tension slowly building as the time for tide to go back out approaches。 There are many red herrings along the way and several big twists at the ending， which are sure to divide readers opinions。 For me the twists were unexpected， but felt too contrived in attempting to explain all the events。 Perhaps one less major twist requiring less suspension of belief would have sufficed。 Nevertheless， I very much enjoyed the writing， the evocative prose， the horribly flawed characters， the atmospheric setting and the gothic tale。With thanks to Flatiron Books via Netgalley for a copy to read。 。。。more
Ashley
，
4。5 ⭐️
Mr Michael R Stevens
，
BrilliantI purchased a signed hardback copy of this book after seeing it recommended in a national newspaper， it’s turned out to be one of my best buys。A great story told over the time it takes the tide to go out from the family island home。Full of twists and turns I thoroughly enjoyed the story from first to last page。
Ruby Cornford
，
Truly awful。 I could see the plot twists from the start and if I had know it was going to end the way it does - I wouldn’t have even started the book。 I am so disappointed as I have enjoyed other books by this author … but this just didn’t cut it。I won’t spoil it for people as obviously some people have and will love this book。 But suffice to say it takes a little too much inspiration from And Then There Were None for me， and doesn’t live up to Agatha’s masterpiece in any way。
Leonie
，
2。5 stars。 Every single plottwist was predictable， but the concept of the story was interesting。
Safee-Naaz Siddiqi
，
A pale （translucent） imitation of And Then There Were None， this book is soft core tragedy porn that goes from riveting to ridiculous very quickly。 I don’t even know why I’m dignifying this with detail， but the plot was all over the place， the dialogue was stilted， the characters were irredeemably one-dimensional and stunted， and the writing…As I read， I got more and more confused by the writing。 For example， this quote: “Love is as instinctive as breathing， but we don’t have to give it away。 Li A pale （translucent） imitation of And Then There Were None， this book is soft core tragedy porn that goes from riveting to ridiculous very quickly。 I don’t even know why I’m dignifying this with detail， but the plot was all over the place， the dialogue was stilted， the characters were irredeemably one-dimensional and stunted， and the writing…As I read， I got more and more confused by the writing。 For example， this quote: “Love is as instinctive as breathing， but we don’t have to give it away。 Like our breath， we can hold onto it if we choose to。 But not forever。 Because then it starts to hurt。”The whole book was like that。If it’s still on your TBR list after this review， I’m asking you to remove it， as a kindness to yourself。 。。。more
Emily Lynn Beattie
，
Okay wow， I did not see the ending coming at all！This book started off slow， but by the time you get into it， you're sucked in and dying to know what happens。 There were even times that， while I was reading， I got a little scared。 This was such a good book！ Okay wow， I did not see the ending coming at all！This book started off slow， but by the time you get into it， you're sucked in and dying to know what happens。 There were even times that， while I was reading， I got a little scared。 This was such a good book！ 。。。more
Linda McCutcheon
，
"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， f "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。 。。。more
Becca McDermott
，
A perfect spooky fall book about a dysfunctional family trapped at their old cliff side house on Halloween。 In very Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None fashion， family members start being picked off one by one。 I love a good mystery with red herrings， twists and dark family secrets。 The creepy poems that unfold along the way are another favorite mystery trope of mine， so I really enjoyed this suspenseful read！
Katie Schaffer
，
Like the board game clue but with a family FULL of secrets and murder - ALL taking place on Halloween。
Sarah
，
3。5
Sarah Verghese
，
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 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！ 。。。more
Molly
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Ugh， this is a hard one to rate。 The atmosphere was great。 The use of a poem a la ATTWN was great。 The reveal that Nana wasn't dead and she and Trixie were killing the family off one by one was great。 HOWEVER。 Daisy being dead was completely obvious to me from basically the start。 Blame it on a recent watching of The Sixth Sense and a love of Season 2 of Slasher but the fact that no one ever responded to her or answered her was abundantly clear。 As was the fact that the things she said never rea Ugh， this is a hard one to rate。 The atmosphere was great。 The use of a poem a la ATTWN was great。 The reveal that Nana wasn't dead and she and Trixie were killing the family off one by one was great。 HOWEVER。 Daisy being dead was completely obvious to me from basically the start。 Blame it on a recent watching of The Sixth Sense and a love of Season 2 of Slasher but the fact that no one ever responded to her or answered her was abundantly clear。 As was the fact that the things she said never really mattered。 And so I was just rolling my eyes and waiting for the inevitable "reveal"。 Sure， I didn't guess HOW she had died - and it was honestly heartbreaking。 But still。 Also Conor being Trixie dad seemed obvious simply because there was no one else who would've been any kind of reveal for us。 So that's the issue: the main thread of the book was kind of ruined for me。 There weren't nearly as many twists and turns as I'd hoped - it all kind of hinged on that big one。 And if you've figured it out。。。the book kind of drags。 But like I said， Trixie and Nana being in on it and Trixie being able to see Daisy because of her own brush with death were good twists。 I just wish I hadn't been able to guess the big one。 And it's not Alice Feeney's fault。 And it was still a quick read but it's just a 3 for me。OH！ Also！ It was WAY overwritten。 Every single thought Daisy had was followed by some sort of pseudo-proverb。 Including something about people knowing more about their phones than their bodies which felt odd in a book where it was 2004 and one character had a cell。 Like so many lines could've just bee cut。 It was like it was musing philosophical， which takes away from a thriller when it's overdone。 。。。more
Tam📖
，
There was mixed reviews when I started the audio today but I liked it a lot。 Loved the atmosphere and the twists！ Perfect for Halloween！ I loved and then there was none and this is a beautiful tribute to that book！
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Daisy Darker: A Novel
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Daisy Darker: A Novel&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Daisy Darker: A Novel&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0