Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney

Hello everyone.  I hope you're having a good day.

My mother loved the holidays, one of the reasons is that the family was around.  She loved the pandemonium of all her kids and their spouses being home.  I think maybe she felt surrounded by love.  Gosh, that's a happy thought.  A few years ago, my sister, her husband and two charming children came here for Christmas.  They had a bit more time off than usual and were going to be able to stay for three or four days.  I, like my mother, was in all my glory. We had the decorations ready, the cookies, food for days, and loads of games to play.  Then my dream happened.  In coastal North Carolina we had a Christmas snowstorm, a doozy.  Snow here is rare, on a holiday, rarer still, then you add I had a house full of family, the fireplace going, tree lights sparkling and snow falling that amounted to NINE inches, it was absolute perfection.  That being said family visits aren't so wonderful for all families.  You know there is that saying about company stinking in a few days, like fish.  I feel sorry for those people.

I recently read Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney.  I loved Rock, Paper, Scissors so I was very excited for this new book.  Daisy Darker does not disappoint.  This is the story of Daisy Darker, who goes home to her family's gothic house that sits, crumbling, on an island only reachable when the tide is out.  I know, I know, I was willing to buy the book for the location alone!  The entire Darker family is gathering to celebrate the birthday of Nana, who is turning 80.  Unfortunately, this family gathering is not pleasant as they do not get along.  The tide comes in, and they are stuck there...getting Agatha Christie vibes yet?  The clock strikes midnight and they find poor old Nana dead.  She is not the last, the bodies start piling up like firewood.  Who could possibly be responsible and why?  

This fast-paced read is filled with twist and turns. Despite having quite a few characters, they are easy to keep straight especially as the story gives the reader glimpses into the past and what made this family so hateful. The setting, though limited to one house, adds an immeasurable amount to this book.

This would be the perfect fall read, perhaps out on your porch with a slight chill in the air.  When you go back inside, you may find yourself giving your family a second look.....you never know.

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

A few days ago, it was National Book Day! Who knew there was such a thing? There is a day for everything now. Not that I'm complaining. Heck NO! AND as luck would have it, dear darling hubby came home from work with a gift. Seems his last meeting was shorter than expected so he ventured out to Barnes and Noble to pick up Shari Lapena's new book An Unwanted Guest for me. Alright, this is where you all chime in together..."awwwww."  I know, he's a keeper...usually. I'm surprised he actually listened to me the ninety-five plus times I mentioned the book, pouting like a 2-year-old that I had too much to read already and would wait until it came out in paperback. Okay, now you and I, as book junkies, know that was never going to happen, but it made it look like a valiant, self-sacrificing effort to show some control. I know, funny, huh?!

So, hubby arrives home not only with a new novel but a salad for lunch. After literally snatching the book from his arms, a gasp of glee and quick peck on the cheek (generous aren't I?), I'm reading. This book is supposed to be a modern retelling of Agatha Christie's and Then There Were None, set in the Catskills of New York. I admittedly have a soft spot for the Catskills, so am already intrigued. The plot dives right in, introducing characters as they travel to the inn where they are to be weekend guests. The story moves quickly, we learn of the imperfection of each person and motives they have for crime. When someone ends up murdered, they all suspect each other, rightfully so. The author is masterful, shining the light of suspicion on one person, then as soon as I'm sure they are guilty, she moves the spotlight to someone else who seems just as plausibly the murderer. The book races to a classic "whodunnit" finish with a little extra twist on the very last page, just for good measure. Loved it. Despite my self-confessed pokey reading I was done in less than twenty-four hours, admittedly it kept me up much of the night. God Bless my booklight!

A couple of side notes, that have nothing to do with An Unwanted Guest.

I've read both of Shari Lapena's other books, A Stranger in the House and The Couple Next Door. I really liked both of those stories as well, so if you enjoy this perhaps you'll find them worth a look. Next, there are so many funny takes on this Agatha Christie story in TV and movies that you might like. Family Guy does a great episode, also a couple of older movies come to mind. Clue, with Leslie Ann Warren and Tim Currey. Also, the famous Murder by Death by the genius Neil Simon loaded with talent like Maggie Smith, Peter Sellers, Peter Falk, David Niven, Alec Guinness, Eileen Brennan, Elsa Lancaster, James Cromwell, Nancy Walker, Truman Capote, James Coco, and more. This satire pokes fun at how some authors cheat at the end of mysteries. The characters in the house for the weekend are take offs from books, with names like Dick and Dora Charles, Sam Diamond, etc. It is very funny.