Thank you Flatiron Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of Daisy Darker in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Published: August 30, 2022
Summary:
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.
My thoughts:
I have been a fan of Alice Feeney ever since reading her 1st book, Sometimes I Lie. She is not called the ‘Queen of Twists’ for nothing! Every book is written with such intricate plotting and while I have loved each one, this new one might be my new favorite!
Of course, with thrillers it’s hard to say too much without giving anything away and that is definitely the case here, but what I can say is that I loved the exploration of the dysfunctional family and how that played into this story – it certainly provided motivations for murder! Secrets abound in this book and it really kept me on my toes as to who was ultimately behind the murders and of course, there are the twists…once again, I was left shook by this one and now I find myself wanting to go back and reread this book to see how I missed it. So well played Alice Feeney, so well played!
This is just such an atmospheric, addictive read. The isolated island that is cut off for hours and the richly drawn characters that may or may not be likeable just keeps you reading to see what will happen next. I loved the poem that helps further explore some of their character traits and keeps you reading to see who is going to be the next victim and the reasoning for it. It reminded me a little bit of a game of Clue and kept me on edge the entire time.
This is the second book I’ve read with the nod to And Then There Were None, the other being Nine Lives by Peter Swanson, which I also really enjoyed. Before I read another – and I have to say I do love all these different takes on this classic – I am determined to read the original!
This would be the perfect book to add to your spooky season tbr if you haven’t read it yet. It is a page-turner for sure and will keep you guessing all the way through!
