Finished: Daisy Darker (Feeney) A very good book, and the first one in a long, long time that had a twist I didn't see coming at all! Daisy Darker was born with a broken heart. That's her first line in the book as she narrates her story. She's the daughter of Frank, an orchestra conductor, and Nancy, an actress who gave up acting to have children. They are already the parents of two daughters, Rose and Lilly, when Daisy is born. She's born with a serious heart defect, and despite surgery, they are told that she probably won't live past the age of twelve. Both Frank and Nancy are awful parents, but particularly awful to Daisy. They end up divorced and Frank travels the world with his orchestra, rarely seeing anyone in the family. Nancy shows favoritism to Lilly, but it very critical of all the girls. She is truly more concerned with herself than her children. When Rose and Lilly are sent off to boarding school, Daisy isn't even allowed to go when she's old enough. She's never allowed to attend school at all and simply teaches herself how to read using Nana's immense library. The only solace that Daisy finds as she grows older is spending time with her Nana (Frank's mother). Nana lives on a tiny island in the only house on the island...an old gothic house named Seaglass. Every day, twice a day, when the tide comes in, the island is unapproachable except by boat. When the tide is out, you can walk across to the beach along the coast. Daisy is Nana's favorite of the girls because she is kind and loving and curious. Rose and Lilly are both very self-centered and mean-girlish. They each do things to little Daisy when she's a baby, like wishing her dead or putting a live rat in her bassinet. Rose does grow up to be a veterinarian, but remains unmarried. She seems to prefer animals over people. Lilly was so spoiled by her mother (and her father) she was never told no and never made to get a job. She gets pregnant as a teenager and has a daughter, Trixie, but still does not work. She just mooches off of Nancy and Frank, and at times, Nana. As our story opens, Daisy is now 29. Rose and Lilly are both in their 30's and Trixie is 15. The entire family is about to gather at Seaglass for Nana's 80th birthday. Daisy is nervous because the family really hasn't been all together in years. What's more, Nana had a fortune teller read her fortune and she told her that she would die when she turned 80. By the way, you can see that Daisy lived past the age of twelve! As it turns out, we find out later, at her last hospital appointment, the last time her heart just stopped, the doctor told her mother that there was a surgery they could do that would fix her heart. However, for whatever reason, her mother refused to have it done and never told Daisy there was new hope. It's as if she really just wanted Daisy to die. :-( Everyone converges at Seaglass for Nana's birthday, and thankfully, they all make it across before the tide comes in...even Frank, who you never know if and when he will show up. There are many awkward moments as the family falls into old patterns. Nothing is more awkward, though, than when Nana decides to go ahead and tell the entire family what is in her will. As it turns out, she leaves nothing to Frank or Nancy or Rose or Lilly. She's generous with Daisy, but what Daisy had really hoped for was to be left Seaglass. It had been her sanctuary so often for her entire life. Nana leaves Seaglass to Trixie, knowing that she'll have plenty of years to love it as much as she has. Needless to say this doesn't sit well with anyone in the family. When a young man named Conor, who is Rose's age, shows up by boat, Nana welcomes him with open arms. The rest of the family has various reactions, as nearly all of the girls had had crushes on him when they were younger. Conor had been ignored and abused by his father at a young age, after his mother died. Nana had taken him in whenever he needed and even paid for his father to go to rehab. He's got a history with each family member, so it's fitting that he is there for Nana's 80th. Then...the evening changes dramatically and people start dying!!! Nana is the first one to be found dead in the kitchen! With each death, there is an old VCR videotape full of old family movies left for the rest of the family to watch. Everyone is shocked and upset at Nana's death, and Nina decides to take Conor's boat across the water to alert the police. When she comes back in and says the boat is gone and the rope was cut, the family realizes they are in for a long, scary night. One by one, the family starts to die as we go back and forth between the murders, and the past, as we see the family movies unfold. I'm not saying anymore. :-) It's a book that should not be spoiled, but it was a really good one! So much so that I'm going to read another Alice Feeney book next!