Review--Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

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.

Daisy Darker is my first novel by Alice Feeney as it was recommended to me by my cousin and boy was she right to recommend it! I'm still reeling by what I read and just astounded by the story. If this is just a taste of Feeney's style, I cannot wait to read more!

Daisy Darker has always been a bit broken. Born with a rare heart condition, she was never expected to live a very long life and was since sheltered as a child. But when Nana calls for a celebration of her 80th birthday at her house that sits in a precarious place surrounded by waters, it basically becomes inaccessible when the tide is high. The family all comes regardless of their issues and trust me, there are issues aplenty! 

We soon realize that the Darker family really hits the nail on the head with their name. There are some sinister secrets among this bunch. When Nana reveals to them her will, and how she will essentially leave everything to her granddaughter, Trixie, everyone is...dismayed. Then a few hours later, Nana is found dead and the tide is now high, so they are stuck at the house until it lowers and the murderer walks among them.

The family begins to find clues left behind, either by the killer or someone else. Ones that clearly show what kind of family we're dealing with and it is very dark indeed. It's after the first clue they find, yet another of them is found dead. The clock is ticking and the tide is only getting marginally lower, while the killer continues to get even closer.

This book was definitely eerie indeed! Following Daisy around you wonder how such a sweet person survived being raised by such monsters. With parents who were barely there for her and sisters who were either cruel or ignoring her, Daisy really only had her Nana to depend on for any kind of affection. But Daisy also has her own secret, one that she has kept for years and perhaps was the cause of some of the strife she had with her sisters.

The pacing to this book was spot on! We are counting down to when the tide will be low enough for the family to escape, but as time moves on and more secrets and events from the past are revealed, you start to wonder, do we want any of them to survive? We are treated to a slew of flashbacks either through mysteriously left home videos or Daisy reflecting on things the videos did not show. At times, it did feel a little bogged down with so much happening in the past and little being seen in the present. But we will learn it's in the past where the story truly lies.

This is definitely one of those books where you have to be paying close attention in order to see the ending coming. While I was paying some sort of attention, I will admit I was still taken completely by surprise. I mean, I did guess one thing right, lol, but yeah totally blown away by this one's ending!

If you're looking for a mystery that will keep you guessing and leave you with the chills, then I highly recommend checking out Daisy Darker! If all of Feeney's books are going to end up like this then I might be adding a few more books to my never-ending TBR pile!

Overall Rating 4/5 stars