Daisy Darker

Daisy Darker, the sheltered, 29-year-old narrator of this tempestuous homage to Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None from bestseller Feeney (Rock Paper Scissors), and her dysfunctional kin—divorced parents, two older sisters, and 15-year-old niece, Trixie—rarely gather thanks to an incident nobody will discuss. Regardless, Daisy’s grandmother, Nana, maintains she’ll die this year, so the group grudgingly visits Nana’s Cornish tidal island estate on her 80th birthday. The mood sours after Nana reads her new will, which bequeaths almost everything to Trixie, but since the island’s causeway is accessible only at low tide, everyone must stay put. When Trixie finds Nana dead in the kitchen, most assume it’s an accident—never mind the macabre poem on a nearby chalkboard. Then Nana’s body vanishes, and someone murders another family member, leaving the trapped survivors distrustful and terrified. Feeney elevates a familiar setup with 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. Agents: Jonny Gellar and Kari Stuart, Curtis Brown. (Aug.)