I enjoyed this suspenseful thriller. This is a well written story about a girl who has mulitple personality disorder. This is an easy entertaining story to read. The characters made the story fun to read as they are connectable. This is a story that is full of action and suspense. The twists and turns left me turning pages fast to the end. I enjoyed being pulled in from the beginning. This is a story about Penny. She has a past and her mother feels she is all to blame for Penny's behavior. Her personalities make her dangerous. As her mother and Mitch digs deeper they find secrets that could be dangerous will it put them in danger? This is a great story that I would highly recommend.

3.5 Stars!

If nothing else, I have to commend this author for one of the biggest double-take, shocking, WTF final act revelations ever! Holy whiplash! This is one of those books where, when you get to the end, you want to flip back to the beginning to find all the clues you missed.

I'm a huge psychological thriller junkie and fascinated by the topic of mental illness in general. So when I came across this book on NetGalley, it immediately called to me.

When the book begins, we follow Grace, a mother, as she is arriving home to find the police there waiting for her. Upon arrival, they inform her that they have her daughter Penny in custody who was found at the scene of a crime, covered in the victim's blood. But Penny isn't answering to her name, she is calling herself Eve.

I will say that with this book, you have to be a fan of a story that spends a great deal of time dissecting the details of ONE event. I found that I began getting a bit bored and impatient at times with this element of the story. The book is spent focusing on events that, for the most part, have already happened. I guess I prefer the heart-pounding suspense of not knowing what is going to happen next, personally. I will say that I found the second half of the book to be more fast paced, and I found myself much more glued to the pages and hesitant to put it down.

Secondly, due to the nature of the story, there is also a great deal of time spent debating the truth and authenticity behind Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), in addition to seeing it in Penny/Eve/Chloe/Ruby's character. Again, I grew bored with some of this content personally, but others might appreciate this.

I do think that Penny/Eve/Chloe/Ruby's character was executed expertly well. The narrator did a phenomenal job with all of the voices involved. I also really enjoyed the added layers and vulnerability that Ryan and Adam's characters brought to the story.

This was my first read by this author and I would definitely read his work again.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press who provided me with an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

My Review:

I loved, loved, loved this book. This was by far the best book I read all year. I never read anything by this author before but I’m sure glad I did. The blurb and cover really caught my eye and I knew I had to read it. I will be reading more of this authors books in the future.

I want to start off by saying that I enjoyed reading this book so much. It dealt with subject matter that I find so interesting, the human mind. The way people think and why they do what they do has always been an interest to me. This book dealt with a teenager who supposedly committed a murder and who also had multiple personalities. Her lawyer wanted to show that it was one of her personalities that did the killing. I have never read a book that has dealt with this subject that was so in depth before. This author really did his homework and I learned so much about people who have multiple personalities. Along with the psychological aspect of this book there was also a mystery to be solved. The mystery was not the main focus of the book but it was definitely a shocker to find out what happened a why someone was killed. This book was like a roller coaster ride that I never wanted to end. It had so many twists in the end that I thought I would get whiplash. This book was wrapped up so nice and tight in the end that I didn’t have any questions that was left unanswered. What a great, amazing, awesome, thrilling, book this was.

Between the plot, characters and all the twists in this book it made it an easy and fast read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

This book is the perfect thriller! It kept me guessing until the end and that is hard to do. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to NetGalley and St Martins Press for keeping me entertained for a night

I absolutely loved this story. I could not put this one down. That Ending... just Wow! This is one that I didn't have totally figured out ahead of time which does not happen often for me. D. J. Palmer gave us a fascinating psychological thriller that I will be thinking about for days!

If you have not read anything by D. J. Palmer.. NOW is the time to start!

5/5 Stars! Well Deserved!

Wow DJ Palmer does it again another fantastic read with the twists and turns I’ve come to expect and love. The characters were so vividly described and I found myself thinking about it long after I finished reading it.

I really want to read this one but I can’t download it. I tried emailing but no one gets back to me.

One of the fictional tropes that I really cannot resist is multiple personalities - or DID, as it is better known today. Plus, I have read and enjoyed Palmer's earlier novels, so I really looked forward to this one!

A big part of the focus is on Penny's mental health and her DID diagnosis, especially when the book opens with her covered in blood and arrested for the brutal murder of her birth mother. Her adopted family - both her mother, Grace, still grieving her husband's passing, and her brother, Jack, a film student eager to make a documentary around Penny's case - are steadfastly on her side. But as the case buds, with the help of their attorney and new doctor, more questions than answers arise.

It's certainly an engaging read, but it also feels a bit drawn out to me. The multiple perspectives here serve to slow down the pacing as does some of the mental health details that may already be familiar to readers. The plot certainly holds plenty of red herrings along with some surprises. The climax feels rather chaotic and the concluding chapters unfortunately resemble a TV serial's summation of a case rather than letting the reader feel like they are directly involved in it, or even witnessing it firsthand. I enjoyed the book overall, but honestly didn't love it as much as I had hoped to; I think that a tighter focus on the perspectives would have helped readers connect better to the central characters. The pacing often got bogged down in inconsistencies, as the book hovered in that line between character-driven more literary thriller and a more traditional genre thriller. Still, I am curious to see what Palmer will write next!

D.J. Palmer is always a treat and an excellent writer, but of all his books this is my favorite!! A Must read for sure! I love the story with all the twists and turns I've come to expect from this wonderful author. A wild and exciting ride with a hell of an emotional payout in the end!

Well I did not see this ending at all. This book covered many subjects that interest me. Split personalities. Foster child. Memory loss. Strong Mother figures. I highly recommend this book and I did not mind giving a whole day to shut the world out and devour this book.

A thank you to Netgalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest reveiw.

3.5 A brutal crime, a daughter locked away - the question is, which one of her may be guilty? Overall, an addictive psychological thriller that deftly explores mental illness, the facets of guilt, and the often overly conveluded legal system that's consistently engaging. Occassionally melodramatic (and didn't get quite as swept away as I did while reading The New Husband) but can't say that I wasn't entertained.

Great book! Love any books about personality disorders or any mental illness. Like my husband said, oh youre learning again. I love books that teach me something but also books that keep me guessing the whole time! Fabulous read!

Oh how I love a good plot twist! To say I was blindsided by the ending of this book is an understatement. An interesting, suspenseful, consuming, rollercoaster read! So glad I read this one, 5 stars!!

The Perfect Daughter kept me guessing the entire time and the twist I didnt see that coming. Penny suffers from dissociative identity disorder which we see as different alters. When Penny was found in a park and adopted by the fracone family she was only 4 years old. At 16 her birth mother is murdered and Penny is a prime suspect...

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the chance to read this digital arc. All opinions are my own.

I'm not going to go into plot details because this is the type of book that shouldn't be spoiled. A crime is committed and the perpetrator is obvious. But what unravels is a slick thriller that will keep you guessing until the final pages when the reader is hit with a twist of epic proportions.

This story deals with dissociative identity disorder, or in layman's terms, multiple personalities. This can be a very sensitive and disturbing topic as the disorder is usually precipitated by some devastating circumstances. There's all that in this story.

What looks like an open and shut case is not and The Perfect Daughter gradually unveils the clues through unreliable narrators and dedication on the part of the investigators and mental health professionals.

I'm not sure if I'm a fan of using a mental illness as a plot device since it can prejudice the reader. There were some slow spots where I just wanted things to move along, but that might have just been me.

Overall, if you are looking for a crime thriller with some major twists and last minute reveals, you might like The Perfect Daughter.

A fascinating and wild read!!

I’ve enjoyed D.J. Palmer’s previous novels. After reading the description for The Perfect Daughter, I was excited to get started.

When Grace Francone returns from her evening run and realizes that her sixteen-year-old daughter, Penny is gone, she isn’t all that concerned. However, she’s a bit annoyed that Penny didn’t leave a note and that she’d taken the car without asking for permission. Grace sends Penny a text but doesn’t receive a reply.

A little while later, Grace looks out her window and sees two police cars in her driveway, their red and blue lights flashing. Immediately she wonders if Penny has been in a car accident. She opens the door to two men who introduce themselves as Detective Jay Allio and Sergeant Brent Adams. They ask Grace if Penny Francone is her daughter.

“We came here to tell you that we’ve arrested her”.

But what they say next shocks Grace even more…

“We believe she killed a woman.”

Grace can’t believe what she is hearing. How could Penny be involved in something like this?

Grace is shaking as they tell her that Penny has told them that she can’t remember anything that happened. Then they tell her that Penny is calling herself by a different name from the one on her driver’s license. She says her name is Eve. They ask if it’s a nickname and Grace tells them it’s more complicated than that.

When Penny was very young she’d been found abandoned in a local park. Grace and her husband, Arthur brought her home, eventually adopting her. They were thrilled to have her as a part of their family. Penny had a few strange behaviours along with mood swings and gaps in her memory. But as she got older, her behaviour became more disturbing and she ended up in some trouble after an incident in the ninth grade. When the different “personalities” started to appear, they tried to get help for Penny with little results. Some psychiatrists even thought Penny was faking or putting on a show. But Grace believed in her daughter. There was no way that Penny could consistently fake such realistic personas…Right?

Now Penny is in serious trouble. Grace knows she needs to call someone who can help them.

Could Penny have really committed such a heinous act?

Grace works with Penny’s doctor and lawyer to try and learn more about Penny’s past in hopes that they may find something that will help her case. But they may uncover much more than they expect when those secrets come to life.

Will Grace be able to save her daughter from life in prison?

A thrilling medical and courtroom drama!!

This was a clever and gripping novel that also has some fantastic twists.

We learn a lot about Penny’s mental health and her possible diagnosis of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). I’ve always found the subject of DID interesting. Back when I took psychology it was referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder and was commonly confused with Schizophrenia. Over the years, more has been made known about the disorder and I find it fascinating.

The plot was intriguing and I liked hearing the different perspectives from many of the characters throughout the novel.

The Perfect Daughter has some mixed reviews, but I really enjoyed it. It has suspense, medical drama, courtroom drama, family drama as well as some excellent twists! It was an exciting read for me and I flew through it in just a couple of sittings.

A gripping story about murder, mental illness, secrets, lies, and more!


I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

What a ride! This was my first book by this author, but I will definitely read more! There were a few times I thought I had it all figured out only to be proven wrong each time.

The Perfect Daughter delves deeply into a young girl diagnosed with Dissociate Identity Disorder or DID. Penny was four when she was found abandoned in a park and eventually adopted by Grace and her family.

Fast forward to Penny as a teenager. She has been arrested for the brutal murder of her birth mother. I might add that the evidence against her is overwhelming. The investigation takes the reader deep into her multiple personalities as her doctor must prove she does indeed have a personality disorder.

I found the story kept my attention. There were unexpected discoveries and twists I didn’t see coming and I was not right about who the killer was, which makes it a good mystery.

3.5 stars. Listened on audio. Working in mental health, I question some of the accuracies of this book, but if you aren’t enmeshed in mental health, you’ll probably enjoy it

A young woman has been accused of murder. When the cops come to inform her adoptive mother, Grace, she is devastated.

Grace can't believe her Penny is responsible. She knows Penny wouldn't do it but maybe Eve could.

How can this be?

Well, Penny has DID and maybe one of her personalities is the real killer. Of course, some don't believe in DID. Penny has done things in her past that were questionable and maybe she has a personality disorder instead. Meaning she knew what she was doing and she did it anyway. She knew right from wrong and she decided to end a life regardless.

Grace feels guilty. She should have done something earlier and now she must seek the help of Penny's new psychiatrist, Dr. Mitch McHugh to help her prove Penny has DID before it's too late.

Favorable points: The DID aspect, meaning meeting each of Penny's personalities. Penny's brother's sort of podcasts.

Unfavorable: Grace's decisions. There is one particular decision that she makes that makes me want to shake her. Even her sister-in-law was telling her what she should do but she still decided not to do a single thing about it.

I was not a fan of the last twist. I thought it was way too convenient.

Cliffhanger: No

3/5 Fangs

A complimentary copy was provided by St. Martin's Press via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.