I was thinking FOUR ⭐️ for much of the book, but after I finished and saw how it all came together, I had to bump it up to FIVE STARS! Her home on the Cornish coast was the setting for my happiest childhood memories. And my saddest. It was where my sisters and I spent every Christmas and Easter, as well as the long summer holidays after my parents got divorced. I’m not the only one with a broken heart in my family. I don’t know whether my parents, or my sisters, or even Nana’s agent take the palm reading about her imminent death seriously, but I do. Because sometimes the strangest things can predict a person’s future. Take me and my name for example. A children’s book called Daisy Darker’s Little Secret changed my family forever and was a premonition of sorts. Because I do have a secret, and I think it’s time I shared it.

Daisy Darker: A Gripping Psychological Thriller With a Killer

Daisy Darker’s family were as dark as dark can be, when one of them died all of them lied and pretended not to see . . . Quotes and thoughts to ponder? You'll get a PLETHORA. This is somewhat of a Feeney trademark for me, and I can't think of another author in the genre who gets me to think and reflect as much as she does while I'm ostensibly reading a thriller book. She is so thoughtful, so observant, and just BRILLIANT. Her words have such a magnetic quality: every analogy is spot-on and is nothing short of hypnotizing. Brutally honest at times, but it's those kind of stark observations and willingness to look at the good, bad, and ugly of human nature that takes her books up yet ANOTHER notch. I love the ominous rhyme on the wall. It's probably my favorite part of the book. The last part of it goes like this...😬When one family member is found murdered every hour, the rest must solve the puzzle before they wind up dead. I think knowing you might die sooner rather than later does make a person live life differently. Death is a life-changing deadline, and I'm forever in debt to everyone who helped me outstay my welcome. I do my best to pay it forward. I try to be kind to others, as well as to myself, and rarely sweat the small stuff these days. I might not have much in terms of material possessions, but that sort of thing never really mattered to me."

Book Review | Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney - READ TO RAMBLE Book Review | Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney - READ TO RAMBLE

Sometimes when people try too hard to be more than they are, they end up being less than they were.Ok, I'll give you that they sound good. But what do they mean? I sure don't know. A sinisterly satisfying play on Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None...Readers will be intrigued by the setting, the action, and the question of whether or not they can trust narrator Daisy.” A gripping mystery full of twists and turns you won’t see coming - well worth losing yourself in while you wait for the tide to change.” A dysfunctional family meets Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None with a truly gasp-inducing twist. This is the book you've been looking for.” — Catherine Ryan Howard, bestselling author of 56 DaysWith a nod (and a wink) this story pays homage to Agatha Christie’s famous closed room mystery, “And, then there was none” which used the the nursery rhyme “Ten Little Indians” to count down the deaths of the guests in her Classic story. Of course, Alice Feeney has her own very distinctive style-using lots of clever metaphors such as “Secrets are like unpaid debts; they pile up and too much interest is best avoided.” to weave her suspenseful tales. I don't get it. So many readers loved this, but Daisy Darker has got to be one of the most boring thrillers I've ever read. Nana then killed Nancy by poisoning her tea, Lily with poisoned perfume ( I loved that the book mentions that Lily’s favorite perfume is Poison.) and Conor by pushing him down the stairs.

Thriller Book Review: ‘Daisy Darker’ by Alice Feeney — What

It was not a typical Alice Feeney and there was one aspect of the book that I was really not expecting. I love being surprised! When Nana is turning 80-years old on Halloween and invites you to visit her at her tired, gothic-feeling home on a tiny, tidal island, you go. Even if you can't stand the rest of your family, you go. Rose accused Daisy of ruining her dress. Daisy ran off onto the cliffs. She heard a car coming but couldn’t get out of the way and Conor hits her with his car. Talk about Seaglass. It was not only the name of the home, it was a tangible asset of the setting. What was the significance of sea glass? In recent years, I have so enjoyed looking for sea glass at Jersey Shore. I love the symbolism that for it to be truly refined and beautiful, it takes so much tumbling and so much time.Nancy and Frank Darker: These two characters are the girls parents and honestly some of the worst parent characters I’ve read about in books. I thought the father was such a bastard (excuse my French) for abandoning Daisy so many times because of her “broken heart”, and the mother… don’t even get me started. What an awful, contrived, egotistical character. I don’t think she cared for or anyone but herself, but these two were both interesting in the grand scheme of the plot. Trixie Darker: Trixie is Lily’s teenage daughter and she was such a cute and bookish character. Her mother is awful, but Trixie isn’t and I think that’s why I really enjoyed reading about her, especially because I feel like she and Daisy had a good relationship as they were both kind of outcasts in their family.

Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney - Goodreads Editions of Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney - Goodreads

The summers, however, were spent at her Nana’s gothic mansion, Seaglass, on a small island that was only accessible at low tide. She and Nana had a special and loving relationship. Summers were the highlight of Daisy’s life. All are not necessarily pleased by Nana's proclamations, but what can they do. What's done is done, isn't it? In family life, love is the oil that eases friction, the cement that binds closer together, and the music that brings harmony.” I don’t want to say much about the plot, as it is best to go in blind. Filled with twists and turns, I was a busy reader trying to solve the puzzle about what was happening to the Darker family. There is a major twist that got me good!To share any more of the plot would spoil this wonderful mystery but I would like to leave you with a taste of Ms. Feeney’s beautiful prose : “ We spend our youth building sandcastles of ambition, then watch as life blows sands of doubt over our carefully crafted turrets of wishes and dreams, until we can no longer see them at all.”