Reviews: Daisy Darker (66)

A dysfunctional family meet on Halloween, which also happens to be their grandmother's 80th birthday, at the family's remote home on an island cut off from the mainland when the tide comes in and covers the causeway. Then the deaths begin... I thought this was a good mystery thriller, deliciously gothic, atmospheric and a bit spooky. I worked out some of what was going on quite early on, but I still enjoyed seeing how the story developed and more of the Darker family secrets unfolded. With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Daisy Darker takes the traditional murder mystery set in an isolated location with no chance of escape and catapults it in a whole new direction with a series of clever twists that elevate the story to a whole new level all of its own.
Taking inspiration from Agatha Christie's classic story And Then There Were None, Daisy Darker is a highly addictive, clever and at times sinister story that will have you questioning everyone and everything you thought you knew as you race towards a spell binding conclusion and a series of plot twists that will leave you speechless.
It's nearly Halloween and Daisy Darker has traveled to Seaglass, a crumbling house on it's own private island to attend a family reunion in honor of her grandmother's eightieth birthday. However Daisy's Nana believes it will be her last and has invited the Darker family including son Frank, ex wife and mother Nancy and the three Darker children Rose, Lily and Daisy and Lily's daughter Trixie to celebrate and more importantly hear her new will which leaves everyone speechless. Sure enough later that night a body is found accompanied by a sinister poem and as more killings follow, the survivors fear they are trapped with a murderer on the island or perhaps even more frightening, the killer is one of them.
Daisy Darker is an absolute classic from start to finish and Alice Feeney has done a wonderful job in taking the traditional Agatha Christie setup and transforming it into something new, clever and exciting.
Filled with suspense, chills, family secrets and very imaginative characters, Daisy Darker is a thriller not to be missed and is certain to capture the imaginations of those who like there murder mysteries both traditional and new.
Absolutely captivating with raw emotion and a very clever story. Daisy Darker is a wonderful highlight and should be enjoyed on a dark and stormy night, if you dare!

I thought this was a really interesting take on a locked room murder that had a nice twist at the end which I wasn't really expecting. The author hid the surprise about the main character well and it was only when looking back that I noticed the clues along the way. This is a tragic story with some triggering things but overall a good fast paced thriller.

When Daisy Darker's family all gather at her Grandmothers Cornish house set within it's own private island with connecting causeway, to celebrate her eightieth birthday, no-one could imagine what was to follow. This is the first time the family have all been together for many years. Each member of the family has their own story, their own secrets and a past which has great bearing on the events of this weekend. When the tide comes in and cuts them off from the rest of the world, a killer strikes and it has to be one of those gathered for the birthday.
I enjoyed this book although I did find it a bit unbelievable at times, however I did become engrossed to discover who the murderer was and this is a novel I recommend.

Daisy Darker starts off with a lot of potential. The claustrophobic atmosphere and complicated family dynamics are ripe for an interesting thriller. For me, the majority of the characters were quite one-dimensional and the twists while interesting in theory didn’t hold up to much scrutiny.

This was an easily digestible, quick read that was entertaining but not one I had much investment in or would reread.

Daisy Darker is basically a homage to Christie's And Then There Were None with Alice Feeney putting her own peculiar twists in this tale of a dysfunctional family, cut off from the mainland and dropping like flies.

Great writing, it was wildly entertaining. Daisy Darker is a strange and ethereal narrator and the Darker family are mostly hugely unlikeable although they do have the occasional redeeming feature. The best part is probably the setting, a house full of clocks on an island from which there is no escape during high tide.

The story twists and turns its way to an atmospheric finale and although I saw the major twists coming I still thoroughly enjoyed this from first page to last.

Alice Feeney’s “Daisy Darker” can best be described as a mash-up of Agatha Christie (specifically her story “And Then There Were None”) and Gothic chillers such as “The Turn of the Screw”, with a big dollop of “Dark Shadows”. Essentially it is a “locked room” mystery in the traditional sense.
Most of the members of Daisy’s family, who reunite to celebrate her grandmother’s 80th birthday in her suitably creepy mansion, are enjoyably disagreeable, and there is a satisfying atmosphere of tension created by Feeney’s accomplished writing. The location feels real and believable and you get a vivid picture of a crumbling mansion overlooking the sea.
The story does become fairly predictable later on and the twists won’t tax the brain too hard, but despite this, “Daisy Darker” is a solid, creepy and often chilling tale, perfect for winter nights.

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 harbouring secrets. Then at the stroke of midnight, as a storm rages, Nana is found dead. And an hour later the nest family member follows....

Daisy darker's entire family descend on a small island to celebrate Nana's 80th birthday party. The tide comes in and the entire family are stranded on the island. This book reminded me of Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None. Nana was the first person to die, and soon there was a second body. The story is told from Daisy's point of view. There's secrets and surprises. Each family member has reasons for disliking other family members. But someone among them is a killer....

I would like to thank #NetGalley #PanMacmillan and the author #AliceFeeney for my ARC of #DaisyDarker in exchange for an honet review.
dAISY

Only a handful of thriller authors can consistently catch me off guard these days and after finishing Daisy Darker, I can confirm that Alice Feeney remains one of the very few.

In Seaglass, an isolated coastal cottage cut off from the world by the ebbing tide, the Darker family reunite for the first time in years to celebrate Nana's 80th birthday. Tension, secrets, and lies permeate the cracked walls. When disaster strikes at midnight, the family are forced to confront their pasts and each other. As the hours tick by, it seems no one can be trusted. Because Seaglass is home to more than just old secrets. It's also home to a killer.

This is probably my favourite Alice Feeney novel to date. It's creepy AF, filled with untrustworthy characters that make it near impossible to know who's telling the truth, and keeps you on the edge of your seat right up to the very last page. Similar to Girl on the Train, it's one of those novels with few characters, so you know someone is to blame but you're still completely caught off guard when the twists start unravelling. This, to me, is the sign of a truly great thriller writer. The best part for me was the motives - they were rock solid which is something I often find lacking in the genre, making the twists less believable and inauthentic. This was the complete opposite.

In true Feeney style, there was an abundance of highlight-worthy quotes that made the copywriter in me insanely jealous (how do people even come up with these crazy good metaphors?) It made the book even more devourable, which is certainly the word I'd use to describe this novel.

All in all, her best one yet. A top recommendation to those that find thrillers lacking substance these days - believe me when I say Alice Feeney will never let you down.

I toyed a lot with whether to rate Daisy Darker 4 or 5 stars, but in the end, I found my first 5 star rating of 2022! I even knew before I read this book that I would enjoy it, but maybe not as much as I did. Of course, the synopsis is what drew me into this book, and from then on, I knew I’d love it, and here we are.

Daisy Darker follows the Darker family on the one night a year when they get together in order to celebrate Nana Beatrice Darker’s birthday, and this year, she is turning 80, with almost all of the family thinking it may be her last one. The only thing about her home though, is that the tide comes in at night and cuts anyone there off from the rest of the world for eight hours. An amazing setting for a murder mystery if I do say so. Oh, and it’s also Halloween… Even better.

Beatrice is an author and illustrator of children’s books, with Daisy Darker being her most popular, named after her granddaughter, and because of this, Daisy seems to have been pushed out from her family, with them having not spoken to her for years on end. It’s only her niece who goes out of her way to make Daisy feel included.

I have always loved a good mystery, and this one just excelled at it so well. Even though I did guess the twist that had been teased throughout, I was still shocked when it was confirmed. I also had my speculations about the one carrying out what was happening, but was dissuaded of this, so I was also shocked at this reveal.

I love a mystery where a group of strangers get together in a closed off location, but it is even better when it is family or friends, as everyone assumes that they can trust each other, but it is books like this that prove that is not the case. It is usually either hit or miss with a book with a large cast of characters, as attention to detail needs to be spread across more people, which opens up space for plot holes, but Alice Feeney has done an exceptional job with writing these characters, and even though some of them aren’t the nicest people, you still learn enough about each of them throughout.

If you’re like me, and you pay close attention to detail, you have your ideas as you’re reading as to where this book can end up, and somehow, I managed to crack it long before the reveal, which isn’t common for me.

Daisy Darker kept me hooked from the very first sentence: – “I was born with a broken heart”, which doesn’t give away any ideas for what the book could be about, but with short chapters and each of those ending on a small cliffhanger, you can only keep reading. It is such a fast paced book, and I think I can see myself reading more from this author in the future, especially if they’re anything like this one.

Nothing but praise to Feeney for this book!

Thank you to Pan Macmillan for the ARC!

A fantastically dark tale that certainly keeps you on your toes! The family secrets are delicious, as is the narrative voice. The simplicity and childishness of the narrative really adds to the macabre atmosphere whilst simultaneously building the protagonist’s character. The only thing that let it down for me was that the wave illustration at the beginning of every chapter didn’t render well in the ebook version. A really good read with an excellent ending!

My thanks to Pan Macmillan for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Daisy Darker’ by Alice Feeney.

This was fantastic! Definitely a novel I would advise to read ‘cold’ for maximum impact.

It is Halloween and Daisy Darker arrives at Seaglass, her grandmother’s crumbling Cornish home. The house sits among granite rocks and is only connected to the mainland by a sand causeway. During the hours of high tide, it is in essence, a private island.

The Darker family is gathering for the first time in a decade for Nana’s 80th birthday. A fortune teller’s reading many years ago has led Nana to believe that she will not survive the day. Some members of her family have accepted her invitation only because they are keen to get their hands on her considerable fortune. As the hours of high tide progress, mysterious things happen…

‘Daisy Darker’ has a classic Christie-like premise and while I do not want to stroll into spoiler territory, I just want to applaud how brilliant it is.

I have read three of Alice Feeney’s previous novels and she quickly became a ‘must read’ author. On completion, ‘Daisy Darker’ has become my favourite of her novels. Indeed, it is also Feeney’s, as confirmed in her Acknowledgments. She also shares that she first had the idea for this novel in 2015 and it took five years to write. Given the intricate plotting, I can appreciate that.

Aside from all the great plot elements, Seaglass and the surrounding landscape was vividly described, which added to my sense of immersion in the narrative.

Overall, this is one of my top mysteries of 2022. Reaching the final page, I was tempted to turn to the beginning and read again. I can hardly wait to share my love of it with my bookish friends.

Very highly recommended.