On The Table Read Magazine, “the best entertainment eBook magazine UK“, Deady by Daney Parker is darkly witty thriller, unveils a twisted tale of family secrets and murder during the Covid-19 lockdown, probing the chilling psychology of ordinary people pushed to shocking extremes.
Deady
In Daney Parker’s gripping new novel, Deady, the Covid-19 lockdown serves as more than a backdrop—it’s a pressure cooker that unearths buried family secrets, tests moral boundaries, and pushes seemingly ordinary people to shocking extremes. This darkly witty, unsettling thriller captures the psychological toll of the pandemic while weaving a twisted tale of control, complicity, and survival.
Released at a time when the world is still grappling with the emotional fallout of lockdown life, as evidenced by the ongoing government Covid inquiry, Deady feels both timely and timeless, tapping into the unease that lingers from those strange, isolating days.
Set in October 2020, the story begins with a chilling premise: Sarah and her husband discover Sarah’s father dead in his bathroom—and they’re not shocked. They’re relieved. The death appears to be the culmination of a carefully orchestrated plan to murder him. But what drives “normal” people to such a ghastly act? As the narrative unfolds, Parker, an accomplished journalist and author of the Ink Book fiction prize-shortlisted The Push Over, masterfully peels back the layers of her characters to reveal the psychopathy, secrets, and simmering tensions beneath the surface of domestic life.
The Covid-19 lockdown, with its claustrophobic restrictions and fractured relationships, amplifies the strain on Sarah, her husband, and their student children. The novel probes the darker corners of human nature, asking unsettling questions: What happens when the pressures of extraordinary times unravel the facade of normalcy? Does it take a psychopath to kill a psychopath? Sarah’s father, a clear psychopath, is only the beginning—hidden truths emerge, suggesting others in the family may harbor their own chilling tendencies.
Parker’s narrative is a twisty exploration of relationships, where no one is quite who they seem. The novel’s sharp, darkly funny tone balances its disturbing themes, making Deady both thrilling and impossible to put down. It’s a story that resonates with the collective unease of the pandemic while delving into universal questions about the secrets families keep and the lengths they’ll go to when pushed to the edge.
As we continue to unpack the long-term effects of the Covid-19 crisis, Deady offers a provocative lens into how those strange times brought out the good, the bad, and the shocking in us all. For readers seeking a thriller that’s as thought-provoking as it is entertaining, Daney Parker’s Deady is a must-read.
Daney Parker
It may be about a dark subject, killing your father, but everyone says the book is very funny too. I had to wait until my father died before I could publish this (though I didn’t kill him, honest) as many of the stories in the book are true.
Subjects I cover in the novel are how lockdown destroys relationships, being in denial about your drinking, how therapy can help and how we are all so self-deceptive. Killing a relative is something many people fantasise about, but few admit.
–Daney Parker
Daney has enjoyed working with words for as long as she can remember. Her career has mainly been working as a journalist for magazines, but her passion is making up stories. There is always some truth in the novels she writes – for example, in The Push Over the wedding reception is held on the same boat that Daney had her wedding reception on. Thank goodness, though, no one died during the real wedding party.
As well as writing, Daney likes chatting and has a habit of getting people to reveal their deepest, darkest secrets. So if you ever meet up with her, be careful what you reveal.
Daney writes in the Isle of Wight, has two children, one husband and two cats.
Find more from Daney Parker now:
Kindle: https://amzn.to/3ZUcBtk
Paperback: https://amzn.to/4krGvNQ
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