Daisy Darker

The setup is a classic mystery: an estranged family reunites at a crumbling, tide-locked house for their grandmother's birthday, a storm cuts them off from the mainland, and then people start dying one by one - And Then There Were None-style. I totally appreciated this nod to Agatha Christie. The atmosphere is genuinely great and a big part of what makes this book - the isolated island, the countdown structure, the nursery-rhyme motifs all build a nice sense of dread. I also enjoyed untangling the family's decades of secrets and resentments.

It still features Alice Feeney's signature twisted family dynamics and unreliable narration. And the characters, although unlikeable, are complex and relatable.

Though I love Feeney's signature twisty style in books like His & Hers and Rock Paper Scissors, this particular story traded her usual psychological tension for a classic Christie locked-room formula, making it a fun nod to the past. Even if it isn't my favorite of her work, it's still a solid, entertaining read.

*INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER* "Alice Feeney is great with TWISTS and TURNS." -Harlan Coben

The NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR of Rock Paper Scissors, My Husband's Wife, and the #1 Netflix show His & Hers returns with a locked-room mystery when a family reunion leads to murder in a delightfully twisty and atmospheric thriller, as seen on the TODAY show.

"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 Days

Daisy Darker was born with a broken heart. Now after years of avoiding each other, Daisy Darker's entire family is assembling for Nana's 80th birthday party in her crumbling gothic house on a tiny tidal island. The family arrives, each of them harboring secrets. When the tide comes in, they will be cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours.

But 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 goes out and all is revealed. As seen on the TODAY show and picked by Book of the Month, Daisy Darker's family secrets and Alice Feeney's trademark shocking twists will keep readers riveted.

From the publisher Cardinal | Dec 2, 2025 | 416 PAGES | ISBN-13 9781538776308 | Women's Fiction

1. "I was born with a broken heart." That's the first thing we learn about Daisy Darker at the start of the novel. What were your first impressions of Daisy and how did you feel about her by the end of the book?

2. "Pieces of blue-green glass still decorate some of the exterior walls, sparkling in the sunlight and gifting Seaglass its name." The story is set on a tiny tidal island just off the Cornish coast, in an old Victorian house with a turquoise roof. Did you enjoy the setting in this novel?

3. Who was your favorite character and why?

4. The Darker family has gathered to celebrate Nana's eightieth birthday. Beatrice Darker is an eccentric author of books for children who has stopped paying her phone bill because she doesn't want to be disturbed. She has a sweet tooth and lives in a crumbling old house with a library, a hallway full of clocks, and a dog called Poppins. What did you think of Nana?

5. "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." Nana likes to write poems in her books and on the chalk wall in her kitchen. What did you think of the poems about the Darker Family?

6. There are a lot of references to the 1980s in Daisy Darker, especially when the family is watching old home movies. Did you enjoy the nostalgia?

7. Nana has eighty clocks "as a reminder to herself and the world that her time is her own." Time is a big theme in this book. When the tide comes in, the characters are cut off from the rest of the world for eight hours. Did you feel the constant sense of a ticking clock throughout the story? Did it inform your reading experience?

8. Alice Feeney has described this novel as her own little tribute to Agatha Christie, one of her favorite authors. Did you notice the nods to And Then There Were None? What did you think of them?

9. Daisy Darker is a locked-room mystery. How does it impact the tension when all of the characters are trapped together, including the possible perpetrator(s)?

10. "Every family is a fortress that few outsiders get to see inside." Let's talk about the Darker family. Who was your least favorite? Do all families have secrets?

11. "It's always important to have adventures, even if only in your imagination. Sometimes those are the best adventures of all." Daisy enjoys reading and says that her childhood friends were Agatha Christie and Stephen King. There are recurring themes of isolation and loneliness in the book (which was written during the Covid pandemic), but is being alone the same as being lonely?

12. All of the illustrations in this novel are bespoke. From the Seaglass floorplan at the start to the chapter headings and Scrabble drawings included throughout. Alice Feeney has had illustrations in some of her other novels, too. Have you ever seen drawings in a psychological thriller before? Did you like them?

13. "Don't waste your life wishing to be like someone else, decide who you are and be you." It can be hard being the youngest child in a family, but Nana gives Daisy a lot of good advice growing up. What did you think about Rose and Lily and the sibling rivalry in the novel?

14. Have you read any of Alice Feeney's other novels? (Sometimes I Lie, I Know Who You Are, His & Hers, Rock Paper Scissors). If so, which of her books did you enjoy best and why?

15. What was your favorite twist in the book? And let's talk about the ending!

Book Club Talking Points:
Book clubs that enjoy mysteries will love this Agatha Christie-style locked-room mystery. A family gathers in a remote house during a storm, where they are killed off one by one. This will spark lively discussions about the plot twists, secrets, and complicated family relationships. And the ending is also sure to spark conversation.

"A novel with tons of delicious twists and secrets...Alice Feeney is an author you need to check out." -Harlan Coben, on the TODAY show

"Daisy Darker qualifies as a worthy, if bonkers, addition to this endlessly entertaining genre...[Readers] will be familiar with her habit of diligently engrossing us in a story and then wrenching it in a new direction with a shocker of a twist." -New York Times Book Review

"This book is all kinds of twisty, and it's SO much fun." -Cosmopolitan

"Daisy Darker is clever, compelling, confounding and absolutely delicious." -Lisa Jewell, bestselling author of The Family Upstairs

"I absolutely loved it. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. It was an absolute thrill." -Taylor Jenkins Reid, bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

"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." -Booklist, starred review

"Wow! Echoes of Christie's And Then There Were Nonebut turned into something wonderfully original and wrapped in a genuinely creepy dysfunctional family fairy-tale of a novel, this takes Feeney to the next level. I LOVED IT!" -Sarah Pinborough, bestselling author of Behind Her Eyes and Insomnia

"With an overarching sense of doom and danger lurking at every turn, Feeney has created something both entirely creepy and completely riveting in Daisy Darker. I couldn't put it down! A thrilling locked room mystery." -Mary Kubica, bestselling author of Local Woman Missing

"Daisy is twisty, loaded with gloomy atmosphere, and what's more fun than watching a family rip each other to bits? It's like Christmas in August." -CrimeReads

"So many nasty secrets. And that's before the bodies start to pile up! I've been an Alice Feeney fan--but I think she's outdone herself with this startling murderfest!" -R.L. Stine, author Goosebumps and Fear Street

"Daisy Darker is an astonishing book, packed with incredible characters and a lot of surprises. I devoured this in record time because I had to know what happened next. Alice Feeney is one of my absolute favorites." -Samantha Downing, bestselling author of For Your Own Good

"Daisy Darker is a first rate, gripping thriller. Alice Feeney's gorgeous writing will sweep you up like a runaway train. Hold on for the ride!" -Sarah Pekkanen, bestselling co-author of The Wife Between Us

"What a book! A dysfunctional family meets Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None with a truly gasp-inducing twist. Exceedingly clever, stylish, and emotionally astute, your visit to Seaglass is one you won't soon forget. This is the book you've been looking for." -Catherine Ryan Howard, bestselling author of 56 Days

"Clever, sinister, claustrophobic, beguiling and utterly compelling. I was totally hooked from the first sentence." -Peter James, bestselling author of the Roy Grace novels

"A dark, twisty tale about a dysfunctional family...Feeney's nod to Agatha Christie's classic mystery And Then There Were None adds a delightful twist to this quirky thriller. Aficionados of locked-room stories and family dramas (plus Feeney's large fan base) will enjoy this highly recommended title." -Library Journal

"Evocative prose, fully realized characters, and an intimate, insightful first-person narrative. Flashbacks add depth while expanding the suspect list, and twists abound. Sarah Pinborough fans, take note." -Publishers Weekly

"BANANAPANTS." -Book Riot

"Come for the dysfunctional family fun. Stay for the wicked twist at the end." -The Optionist newsletter

"May just be her crowning achievement...In a modern take on And Then There Were None, Alice Feeney presents twist after twist after twist." -Teen Vogue

"A beautifully written, suspenseful, and twisty tale told through Daisy's eyes...Alice Feeney has outdone herself here. Read this novel very carefully. It will keep you turning the pages as the tension (and the body count) rises." -Deadly Pleasures, Grade A

"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." -Heat magazine (UK)

"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." -Daily Mail Online (UK)

"Completely riveting." -Good Housekeeping (UK)