Daisy Darker: A Novel

Daisy Darker’ is Alice Feeney’s latest and what a fantastic mystery! I complemented my reading with its unabridged audiobook edition narrated by Stephanie Racine. First this is definitely a novel that I would advise be 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 again 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 the 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. With respect to the audiobook, Stephanie Racine is one of my favourite narrators. Her voice is rich and clear and she effortlessly brings the novel and its characters to life. She is always a pleasure to listen to. 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.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by the wonderful Alice Feeney, wonderfully narrated by Stephanie Racine - 5 stars! Daisy Darker's entire family is assembling for her Nana's 80th birthday at her gothic manor located on a tidal island. Once the family assembles and the tide comes in, it will be 8 hours before they can leave. The family arrives - Nancy (never called Mom), their father, the three Darker sisters (Rose, Lily and Daisy), their niece, and family friend, Connor. But by the time the first of Nana's 80 clocks strikes midnight, Nana is dead. An hour later, another family member is also dead. And so it goes on... I was so thrilled to get lost in another Alice Feeney world - and this one was fabulous! I love a good locked room mystery, where the atmosphere is tense and a part of the plot, and everyone is suspect. Everyone is holding on to secrets from their past as well as a whole lot of family dysfunction. Clear your calendar and do not miss this book!

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.

Alice Feeny is a master at creating suspense and Daisy Darker is spectacularly suspenseful. I adored this. It’s great fun, horribly gruesome, extremely surprising and utterly gripping. Peopled with believable characters, this is an Agatha Christie-style story in which only one of a limited group of people could possibly be the perpetrator. The Darker family has gathered to celebrate Halloween and Nana’s 80th birthday—her last, according to a palm reader some years ago. Also at the celebrations, rather surprisingly, is Conor, an honorary member of the family. The family is secluded at Nana’s island home, cut off from civilization by the tide for the next eight hours. And then the celebrations start going tragically wrong after Nana decides to reveal the contents of her will. Daisy was born with a ‘broken’ heart which meant childhood heart surgery and a limited life expectancy. Her father has been largely absent from her life, her mother seems totally uninterested in her and her two sisters are both pretty ghastly – one a narcissist and the other damaged. The only two family members Daisy loves are her wonderfully zany Nana and her niece, Trixie. I adored eccentric Nana – just wait until you read about her utterly bizarre recipes. Short, snappy chapters, headed with ominous reminders about how many hours remain before the mainland can be reached, add to the suspense. This story is packed with intrigue, fascinating side themes, crazy food and loads more. Recommended.

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.