This was an enjoyable but ultimately, pretty forgettable story focusing on a dysfunctional family as they gather at their Grandmother's for her 80th birthday on Halloween. A homage to Agatha Christie's 'And Then There Were None', I enjoyed the various different murders and thought they were quite creative. The reveals were all a bit lackluster for me and overall, I found this to be quite generic but a fun time nonetheless.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for the ARC copy.

Daisy and the rest of the Darker family gather at Seaglass, the Darker family home, to celebrate nanna Darkers eightieth birthday. The trouble with Seaglass is it is set on an island so once the tide comes in they are cut off from the mainland which would be fine if there wasn't a killer in the house.

This was great story of a troubled family each with their own secrets and complex relationships. Eccentric nanna, separated parents, quarrelling siblings, introverted niece and 'adopted' family friend. Which one has a secret to kill for?

I really enjoyed this and the more I read I realised the twist which carried on all the way to the end. Each character had good points and other times they all needed a good shake. My only fault would be the ending seemed to just finish. I would have liked a more but that's just personal choice and it didn't stop me enjoying the book.

A great thriller which I listened to on holiday, only to stop to cool off in the sea! I challenge you to read this and not imagine yourself on an island, with no access for hours with a killer on the loose and how you'd deal with it! Would you try and swim away from harm or would you try and find the killer! An ending I didn't see coming, I loved it!

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Pan Macmillan in exchange for an honest review.

There are some books when you start reading them, you know you are going to fall in love. Daisy Darker was one of them.

The tone of this book is much more gothic than thriller. Daisy has been summoned to her grandmother's house for her 80th birthday. Her grandmother was told she was destined to die at the age of 80, and so she has gathered the entire Darker family for a reading of her will. Her grandmother lives on a remote island which gets cut off by the tide periodically, so once the family arrive they are immediately trapped there. After the will reading goes badly, terror strikes when one of the family members is found dead. And it doesn't end there...

This book has incredible atmosphere. It really reminds of What Remains of Edith Finch, both in tone and plot. I was completely sucked into the sleepy, subtly creepy story being woven. From the offset it is very clear there is something deeply wrong with the family, but there is also this fantastic unwillingness to address the abnormality. There are hints of Agatha Christie with the huge, isolated house and the unhappy family residing inside.

I don't want to say too much about this book, but it does have a certain plot element which I think makes it a bit like Marmite. It's actually the kind of thing I usually hate, but I think it is executed well here and I personally enjoyed it a lot. I think it did knock it down from a 5 star read and I understand why people aren't a fan, but for me personally it wasn't enough to spoil the book.

Overall, I strongly recommend this book if you enjoy creepy, gothic horror/murder mystery vibes. It absolutely delivers on that front and manages to have a unique identity of its own whilst evoking other work in a welcome way. I know I will remember this book for a long time and it has definitely become one of my favourites

Overall Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Alice Feeney's writing is always fantastically dark and Daisy Darker is yet another book which lives up to both its name and Alice's usual gripping twisted style.

The book follows the Darker family as they reunite at the family home for their Grandmother's 80th birthday, for any normal family this would be a pleasant and joyous occasion. However, it's quite clear from the offset that the Darker family are no ordinary family and all is not as it seems. Indeed, this family is bursting with characters that you just love to hate and it's almost fun to see their panic and demise as the body count rises.

The story is told in alternate timelines with plenty of atmospheric gems to keep you suitably uneasy throughout. Those 80 ticking clocks really gave me the shivers and also can we take a moment for that eerie repetitive nursery rhyme!

There's no doubt that Feeney is a master of the plot twist and she sure does land one hell of a twist in Daisy Darker. Unfortunately for me, it was the twist in this book that I just didn't love. Maybe it's an 'it's me, not you' moment as it's a trope I can't stand but it dropped the book from a 4 star to a 3 star for me. Don’t get me wrong I enjoyed this book and would still recommend it as a good read, I just didn’t love it as much as her others!

What I Loved
• Dark, atmospheric writing style
• The setting of the quirky Sea Glass House on the remote island was perfect
• Some great jaw dropping moments
• Audiobook narration was fantastic and really amplified the sinister feel

What I Didn’t Enjoy
• The plot twist
• Middle section lagged a little

Read If You Like
• Locked room mysteries
• Unreliable and unlikable characters
• Spooky reads
• Big twists

For Fans Of
• Sarah Pinborough
• Riley Sager
• JP Delaney

Favourite Quote
“Books saved me, and I ran away inside the stories I read as a child. They were the only place where I could run, and swim, and dance without fear of falling and not being able to get back up. Books were full of friends and adventures, whereas my real childhood was cold, and dark, and horribly lonely.”

Daisy Darker has gone back to her Nana's home to celebrate her Nana's 80th birthday, but this leads to seeing her family who no longer speak to her.

It's not long before it starts getting sinister. One by one family members are being killed off but why and by who.

Told through the first person narrative of the main character Daisy this fast-paced narrative switches between the past and present coming around in full circle giving you a twist that will leave you falling off your chair

Omgosh. I have finished this and feel broken !! It was brilliant! This is the second novel I have read by Alice Feeney and my mind is again blown! I saw nothing coming and am just wowed by the narrative

Very mad at myself for waiting so long to pick this up. I started it back in June last year and put it down for one reason or another, but only just got back to it. I absolutely loved this. The twists and turns were fantastic and the reveals towards the end really took me by surprise. When THE reveal was made, I wanted to start the book all over again in that moment to see if I could pick up on the easter eggs. Blew me away, one of my favourite thrillers of the year.

Well written and reminiscent of Agatha Christie and Cluedo, I enjoyed this murder mystery. With plenty of characters, an isolated location and a whodunnit, it kept my attention and had twists and turns to keep you guessing.

One of the best books I've ever read I love this author and has become one of my favourites her world building and twists and turns kept me hooked and up all night and that ending omg you must read this book if it's the only book you ever read

If you like psychological thrillers then this is a great read. From the eerie setting on an isolated island, the good mix of characters and the duel timeline it will have you turning the pages long into the night. I did unfortunately guess one twist but not another, but it didn’t take anything away from this very clever book. I will certainly be reading more from this author. Thank you to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan, Macmillan for letting me read and review this book.

An 80th birthday party, a family reunion and a secluded house on a cut off island - what could go wrong !!

Daisy Darker’s family are a dysfunctional collection of characters. All are hiding some secrets and nothing is quite as it seems. The family are all gathered for Nana’s 80th birthday and due to the tide they are stuck at Nana’s house for the next 8 hours.

Suddenly one of the family are found dead. An hour later another family member dies …….. what is happening, who is murdering the family one by one ? What do they want ?

Gradually via flashbacks and present day the truth is revealed. There are plenty of twists and a brilliant ending !!

Thank you to Pan Macmillan and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book.

With family like this, who needs enemies! Imagine staying with your whole family on a remote island, I promise you I can see why someone might get killed in the process! The setting alone gives you a clear idea of the intriguing and entertaining plot line that keeps the reader glued until the end. Recommended.

I found this a fun read, the location was really interesting and unique. I loved the back story of the family and all the drama that occurred.
I felt like the ending was a bit forgettable.

A dark twistly thrilller which kepy me guessing all the way through the book. I enjoyed the rhymes which we an important part of the story. To be honest, the twist and revelation spoiled this book a little bit for me. I felt it became somewhat far-fetched, but if you can suspend belief and enjoy the book for what it is, fiction, then it is an enjoyable read!

🌼👻 Daisy Darker

⭐️⭐️/5

“But if I do know more than most, it's because I read. Books will teach you anything you want to know, and they tend to be more honest than people.”

📖 Daisy Darker is at her grandmother's isolated house in Cornwall for her 80th birthday. The Darker family haven't been in the same place for over a decade, and when the tide comes in they'll be cut off from the rest of the world for 8 hours. Before the tide goes back out, there will be at least one murder within the family. But who did it?

💭 This book just wasn’t it for me. A classic closed-room whodunnit, this was a creepy dysfunctional family fairy tale of a novel, as you tried to work out which member of the family was the killer.

I loved the eerie setting of this haunted old house on a Cornish island, but that really was the highlight for me. Everything else missed the mark. I found it extremely repetitive and thought that the big ‘twist’ at the end was ridiculous. I was so disappointed, especially because I know another of Alice Feeney’s books - Rock Paper Scissors - is so highly rated! I’ve got that one on my bookshelf, so maybe I’ll give that a try and hope it tops this one! 🤷🏻‍♀️

Big thanks to @netgalley for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review! 🫶🏼

Wow this was incredibly gripping and I absolutely did not see that plot twist coming! I loved/hated the characters, in that there was a good variety but their characteristics and the way they treated Daisy made me cross. I genuinely was unsure when I first started reading it but I’m glad i persevered and finished it

Some Secrets Can Kill You...................................

Sometimes, I wonder what a good mystery and thriller should have? My answer would be " Daisy Darker". Be it the characters, the plot or the twists, everything was a blast. The plot absorbed me right away with the mysterious characters. I am, definitely, not going to feel the same way after reading this book. Full of twists and turns, the author hits the right note. The characters are mind blowing. My favorite character would be Nana, who plays a pivot role to give justice to her loved one. Praise is more but words are short.

Definitely, 5 stars for the book. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me with an opportunity to read and review the book.

I was a little apprehensive starting this book because of the mixed reviews but I could not put it down. I love the isolated Setting/closed circle thrillers and this one did not disappoint.

Going to Seaglass for Nana's 80th birthday we see the Darker family gathering for dinner. During the dinner Nana reads her will and then at midnight she's found dead.

I loved everything about this book; dual timelines, a book within a book, the poems and cast of characters we have no idea who we can trust.

The twist had me absolutely shocked and did not want it to end. I would highly recommend this book.

I felt like the book started off slow, introducing the characters etc and it was a good 20% in before anything actually happened other than people arriving at a house!

I guessed the plot twist about Daisy quite early on but was still intrigued to see how it would be uncovered… I was a bit disappointed to be honest. The other twist (who was helping the murderer) was also disappointing and not in line with how the character had been portrayed - I guess it was for shock factor but for me it ruined it a little.

So the start and the end didn’t quite hit the mark for me but all the stuff that happened in between was well written and did keep me guessing!

I picked up Daisy Darker because I had read and enjoyed Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney. I was hoping to find myself with another great read. I wasn’t disappointed. Daisy Darker is just that – great. Why? Daisy is a wonderfully complex character and unreliable narrator. You can’t help but like her. But it’s hard to trust her version of events. Something just doesn’t sit right. But what?

Slowly, each member of her dysfunctional family’s side of the story of just what happened to have them all fall out is told. And you can begin, as a reader, to unpick the truth. And what a truth. The twist at the end was brilliant – the kind you sort of see coming but can’t quite nail down.

It’s one of the things I loved most about the book if I’m honest – the ending (I sometimes think I read too much to every be truly surprised). It’s also why it feels hard to write this review. I am not sure how much to share without spoiling it for others.

So I’ll keep this one short and sweet. Daisy Darker is a great book. Well written. Well plotted. Full of wonderfully screwed up characters. And with a brilliant twist at the end to make you feel that picking this book up was well worthwhile. Five stars!