In an homage to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, the dysfunctional Darker family has come together, at Beatrice (Nana) Darker’s invitation, to celebrate her 80th birthday - on Halloween, no less! Her son, Frank, his ex-wife, Nancy, their three girls, Rose, Lily and Daisy, Lily’s 15-year-old daughter, Trixie, and an old family friend, Conor, have all arrived to this small tidal island and Nana’s home, Seaglass, for that purpose, but as you can guess … it’s never that simple. The book opens with a note from the authors’ agent said they received the manuscript of this story wrapped in brown paper, and that the author has been dead for some time.

THANK YOU ALICE FEENEY FOR GETTING ME OUT OF MY BOOK SLUMP!!! Ms. Feeney proves, with her lyrical prose and well described characters, that you don’t need overly descriptive gore and violence to deliver a great thriller!!! In fact, it may be because of this that she has chosen this birthday to gather her entire family, including her son, Frank, ex-daughter in law, Nancy, three granddaughters, Rose, Lily and Daisy, one great-granddaughter, Trixie and a man named Connor, who has been a sort of unofficial member of the Darker family for years, to air some things.

Daisy was never allowed to attend school, make friends or do any of the normal things that kids do. Daisy spent the school year alone with her books which transported her and inspired her. To be fair, Rose goes to vet school AFTER that and still thought Nana was dead, which is weird. Nana says some nonsense about a meditation class in Bhutan that taught her how to breathe very slowly. Okay, Nana. Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. Bird knows to not ask too many questions, stand out too much, or stray too far. For a decade, their lives have been governed by laws written to preserve “American culture” in the wake of years of economic instability and violence. To keep the peace and restore prosperity, the authorities are now allowed to relocate children of dissidents, especially those of Asian origin, and libraries have been forced to remove books seen as unpatriotic—including the work of Bird’s mother, Margaret, a Chinese American poet who left the family when he was nine years old.

Lily thinks that perhaps Frank killed his mother and then took his own life. Daisy asked why he would move Nana‘s body. I feel like Feeney's novels are getting better and better with each one and can't wait to see what she comes up with next. Feeney explained that Daisy Darker is her favorite of all the books she wrote… I’m sorry to say that’s the one I enjoyed the least, but I can see why it will attract many readers. Don’t waste your life wishing to be like someone else, decide who you are and be you.” FINAL THOUGHTS AND RATING At the party, Daisy caught Connor and Lily having sex. When she ran into Rose, Daisy blurted out what she saw.Conor goes upstairs but calls down to say he found no one. Rose turns off the lights in the library and the three of them wait. Victims #6 and #7: Conor and Rose 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. 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.” Lily announces that she can’t find her missing diabetic kit. Also, she can’t find Trixie. Nancy suggest to Lily that Trixie is asleep somewhere, as she and Lily put a sleeping pill in Trixie‘s tea. 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.