If you’ve spent any time in the "BookTok" or thriller-obsessed corners of the internet lately, you’ve definitely seen that moody, floral cover. You know the one. Alice Feeney's Daisy Darker basically took the classic "locked-room" mystery, dipped it in Gothic ink, and left every reader questioning if they can actually trust their own eyes.
Honestly, it's a lot.
Alice Feeney is kinda known for pulling the rug out from under her readers—remember Rock Paper Scissors?—but this book is a different beast entirely. It’s a love letter to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, but with a family dynamic so toxic it makes a pit of vipers look like a petting zoo.
The Setup: Seaglass and a Tidal Nightmare
Basically, the whole story takes place at Seaglass, a crumbling, spooky mansion on a tiny island off the coast of Cornwall. It’s owned by Nana, the family matriarch and a famous children's book author. She’s turning 80, and because a palm reader once told her she wouldn't live past that age, she gathers the whole clan for one last hurrah.
Here’s the kicker: the island is only accessible when the tide is low. Once the water rises, you’re trapped for eight hours. No boat. No phone service. Just you and a family that clearly hates each other.
The Darker family consists of:
- Daisy: Our narrator. She was born with a "broken heart" (a congenital heart defect) and spent her life feeling like the invisible outsider.
- Nana: The eccentric grandmother who wears only pink and purple and has 80 clocks in her hallway.
- Rose and Lily: Daisy’s older sisters. Rose is a vet who prefers animals to people; Lily is... well, she’s a lot. Self-obsessed, rude, and basically a nightmare.
- Nancy and Frank: The divorced parents. Nancy is cold and superficial; Frank is an orchestra conductor who was never around.
- Trixie: Lily’s 15-year-old daughter, who is surprisingly the most level-headed person in the house.
At the stroke of midnight, things go south. Fast. Nana is found dead at the bottom of the stairs. Then, a poem appears on a chalkboard in the kitchen, and it becomes clear: someone is picking the family off one by one, an hour at a time.
What People Get Wrong About the Twist
Let’s talk about that ending. Spoiler territory ahead, obviously.
If you felt a bit "Sixth Sensed," you aren't alone. The big reveal is that Daisy Darker has been dead the whole time. She isn't just the narrator; she’s a ghost. She died on Halloween in 1988. Most readers spend the first half of the book thinking, "Why is everyone ignoring her?" or "Wow, her family is really mean for not talking to her." But the reality is much darker. They weren't ignoring her because they were mean (though they were mean); they weren't talking to her because they literally couldn't see her.
Only Trixie and Nana could see her. Why? Because Trixie had a near-death experience as a kid, and Nana... well, Nana was just special.
Wait. It gets worse.
The person actually doing the killing? It wasn't some mysterious intruder. It was Trixie, with Nana’s help. They were seeking "justice" for what happened to Daisy back in 1988.
The 1988 Incident: What Really Happened?
This is where the book shifts from a simple whodunit to a tragic family drama. On that Halloween night years ago, Daisy hid in the trunk of a car to go to a party she wasn't invited to. She saw things she wasn't supposed to see—specifically, her sister Lily and the family friend Conor together.
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When she tried to run away, Conor (who was drunk) accidentally hit her with his car. Instead of calling for help, the sisters and Conor decided to throw her body off a cliff to protect their own futures. The most haunting detail? Daisy’s heart actually restarted right as they threw her over. She was alive when she hit the water.
That level of betrayal is why the murders are happening in the present day. Nana knew the truth. Trixie found out. And they decided the family finally needed to "pay" for their silence.
Why This Book Hits Differently in 2026
We’ve seen a lot of thrillers try to do the "unreliable narrator" thing, but Feeney’s prose is what keeps Alice Feeney Daisy Darker on the best-seller lists years after its release. She uses these punchy, one-liner "pearls of wisdom" that feel like they belong on a dark Pinterest board.
"Families are like fingerprints; no two are the same, and they tend to leave their mark."
It’s stuff like that. It’s atmospheric. It’s moody. It’s perfect for a rainy weekend.
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However, some critics—and honestly, some readers on Goodreads—find the "I was a ghost all along" trope a bit of a "Deus ex machina." It can feel a little cheap if you’re a hardcore mystery fan who wants to be able to solve the crime with logic. Since Daisy is a ghost, she’s technically an impossible narrator.
But if you view it as a Gothic fable about grief and the weight of secrets, it works beautifully.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Read
If you’ve already finished Daisy Darker and are looking for that same high, or if you’re about to start it, here is how to get the most out of this specific sub-genre:
- Watch the Tenses: When reading Feeney, pay close attention to when she shifts from "now" to "then." She hides clues in the way Daisy describes her physical interactions (or lack thereof) with objects.
- Re-read the First Chapter: Once you know the twist, the first ten pages of Daisy Darker read like a completely different book. Every "clue" about her being dead is right there in plain sight.
- Check out the "Big Three": If you liked the "trapped on an island" vibe, you need to read the inspirations. And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie is the blueprint. One by One by Ruth Ware is the modern snowy equivalent.
- Analyze the Names: In this book, names matter. Daisy, Rose, Lily—the "flower" sisters. Flowers are for weddings, but they’re also for funerals. The symbolism isn't accidental.
The fascination with Alice Feeney Daisy Darker isn't just about the murder mystery. It’s about that uncomfortable realization that the people who are supposed to love us most are often the ones capable of the most damage. It’s a dark, twisted, and ultimately heartbreaking look at what happens when a family decides that a secret is worth more than a life.
If you're looking for your next "can't-put-it-down" book, this is it—just don't expect a happy ending. Or a living narrator.
To further explore the world of psychological thrillers, you can check out the latest releases from authors like Lucy Foley or Riley Sager, who often utilize similar locked-room environments and unreliable perspectives to keep readers guessing until the final page.