Daisy, the youngest of the granddaughters, has always been Nana's favorite, even though she's been mistreated by the rest of her family for years. Trixie says that despite her heart condition, she hopes to live to twenty-five and wants to travel the world. Daisy is wearing childish clothes because those are the clothes she wore the day that she died. Nana wanted Daisy to write her own story. Daisy uses Conor’s computer to start writing her story. This novel has a truly gasp-inducing twist. Some readers may say it breaks the “rules” but I say let’s smash them all into smithereens if it’s to this spectacular of an effect. What I particularly love about Feeney’s writing is that her twists are always only the garnish, never the main meal. Even if you guess it or suspect it, there’s still so much deliciousness to enjoy in her clever, stylish, and utterly gripping novels.

stars : Many readers are eager to read this book and (almost) everyone describes it as exceptionnal, but I was far from impressed. And yet, it explored some of the same themes she likes: troubled, slightly twisted relationships, dark secrets, people trying to out-maneuver each other. In my opinion, the best part of this book will be the one-liners (which we never usually expect in thrillers) told by the characters in multiple parts of this book. I think there are more than fifty one-liners in this book. I found each one informative, and these pearls of wisdom are placed in correct intervals and correct areas in the most effective way by the author. I will share a few of them here. Nana Darker– owns Seaglass and is the author of Daisy Darker’s Little Secret, a successful children’s book. The story is narrated by granddaughter, Daisy Darker, Nana’s favorite, a baby born with a heart condition which caused her to die eight times before the age of thirteen.-something she said she would be concerned about-if she were a cat. 😼Don’t waste your life wishing to be like someone else, decide who you are and be you.” was sage advice from Nana to Daisy. How can you apply this advice to your own life? Isn’t this what we try to impart to our kids all of the time? Be your own person. Be your best self, your own self, and love who you are. My nana is the only person in my family who loved me unconditionally. So much so, she wrote a book about me, or at least about a little girl with the same name. If mine sounds familiar, that is why. Daisy Darker’s Little Secret is a bestselling children’s book, which my nana wrote and illustrated. It can be found in almost every bookstore around the world, often nestled between The Gruffalo and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Nana said she chose to borrow my name for the story so that—one way or another—I could live forever. It was a kind thing to do, even if my parents and sisters didn’t think so at the time. I suspect they wanted to live forever too, but they settled for living off the book’s royalties instead. Told from the point of view of Daisy, there is family drama galore and many surprises. One thing I figured out in advance and the other major surprise I should have figured out but I was just going along for the ride, so I was thrilled when all was revealed. As the hours pass with the family stranded with no means to communicate with the outside world, and then the bodies start accumulating--and then disappearing--it's difficult to know who is lying and who is telling the truth, and that's one of the most exciting parts of this mysterious tale. I enjoyed every intricately plotted minute of this novel and while wanting to race ahead to the finish, forced myself to take more time with it just to prolong the pleasure of reading the author’s wonderful prose. A palm reader once told Nana that she wouldn’t live past 80 years old. Convinced this is her last birthday, she invites her estranged family members to Sea Glass to celebrate.

I can count on Feeney to bring such a wonderful atmosphere to every book I read so far. Daisy Darker takes place on a private island off the Cornish coast.

Need Help?

Many years ago, a palm reader predicted that Nana, Beatrice Darker, wouldn't live beyond the age of 80, and so she has invited the entire family to her island estate of Seaglass to celebrate the momentous birthday. Her son Frank, his ex-wife Nancy, their three daughters: Rose, Lily, and Daisy, and Lily's daughter Trixie, along with old family friend Conor are in attendance. But every member of the Darker family is hiding secrets, some more sinister than others. Something I think a lot of authors forget — specifically in the thriller genre — is that just because a character is “unlikeable,” it doesn’t automatically mean they’re interesting. Case in point: most of the characters in Daisy Darker, Alice Feeney’s latest, are horrible, awful people, yes, but even worse? They’re boring. But Conor said that Daisy would have died soon anyway, because of her heart condition. He suggested they cover up their involvement by throwing Daisy over the cliff. Rose and Lily agree that this is the only choice. They fling her off the edge of the cliff into the sea. Daisy Darker’s family wasted far too many years lying, they spent their final hours together learning lessons before DYING…” Fans of Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None will savor this, but Feeney makes it so much more than a witty homage.”

The narrator, Daisy, was born with a heart condition that totals several times she died, but successfully resuscitated. She reveals the secrets and gives insight to each character as suspicions rise over the course of the book. The beauty, strength and audacity of her beautiful sisters will have you feeling sorrow for her and her weaknesses. But I didn’t see the Trixie twist coming. All the “B” clues she left (Trixie is short for Beatrice apparently. Not Beatrix?) went right over my head. The way people spoke in this drove me bananas. Especially Nana. It's as if Feeney wanted her portrayed as the wisest woman to have ever walked the Earth.

The novel is inspired by Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" so you know how it goes, a character is killed one by one. My life was never the same after I died a second time because that’s when everyone knew for sure what I think they already suspected: that I was broken.

Daisy Darker and her whole family assemble to celebrate Nana's 80th birthday at her mansion, "Seaglass," on a tiny island.The main character, Daisy, is a girl with a heart condition, a girl who heart has stopped multiple times. As a result, she’s been a bit overprotected by her family. The plot didn’t grab my attention until the 50% mark, but it was too little too late. I can’t give a high rating to a book I didn’t have fun reading. Also, I was so bummed to guess the 3 FINAL TWISTS. The explanations for the murders were interesting, but so far-fetched that it fell flat. I really had to suspend my disbelief. Connor, the man mentioned above, is a large part of these childhood memories, as that's when he first came on the scene and essentially became a member of the family.