What a fascinating subject! I've always been intrigued by books dealing with DID (Dissociative identity disorder) and there were some really interesting angles in this book like the fact that smell can trigger an alter to appear.


Grace Francine comes home to find her 16-year-old daughter not home and the car missing. Then the police rock up to tell her that Penny was arrested for murder. She was found covered in blood with her birth mom dead next to her. She was stabbed 25 times. Oh, and she is calling herself Eve. It looks like an open and shut case.....but is it?
"Are you ill......or are you evil?" Does she have different personalities or is she faking it? What happened to her as a child?

I had a few issues here and there with the story but nothing major and the ending was WOW! What a curveball!

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and the ending? I was not expecting it at all but DJ Palmer tied it all up together nicely.

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer is an absoutely fantastic thriller.
I have read previous books by this author that were fantastic and this one does not disappoint.
The characters were complex and well fleshed out.
The twists kept coming at you until the very end.

Highly recomend.

I have mixed feelings about this thought-provoking psychological thriller that explores a teenage girl's multiple personality disorder. This is not a genre I normally read because I tend to get totally immersed in the books I read but "The Perfect Daughter" had twists, turns and surprises that kept me on my toes. This is the first book I have read by D.J. Palmer but I hope to read more by this gifted author. I received an advance reader copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Wow! The Perfect Daughter by D.J Palmer proved to be a brilliant, twisty, suspenseful psychological thriller. With heavy themes of mental illness, specifically Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), murder, corruption and the relationships between adoptees and their families, this book has everything to keep the reader intrigued from the start.

Found alone on a playground, 4 year old Isabella has no recollection of how she got to the playground, who her parents are or even what her name is. In fact, she doesn't even speak. Adopted shortly after she was found, her new family names her Penny and begin to live life as if she had always been a part of it. Fast forward a few years and things start to change. Penny starts to portray herself in different ways, talking different, acting different. Then there's the murder. With Penny being found at the crime scene covered in blood, her family has to work diligently to prove what they believe is her innocence.

This book was very well written in a way that kept the reader engaged from the very beginning. It seemed to be well researched and informative on the condition of DID. Overall, it was a fantastic book! However, with such a heavy focus on mental health and some more detailed aspects of the murder, it may be sensitive content for some readers.

A really good thriller keeps you guessing till the very end. With the thousands of thrillers I have read, three quarters I have solved half way through, even the best writers leave little bread crumbs of clues.

@djpalmerauthor didnt do that..I kid you not I was blown away with this ending..there really is statistically only so many characters that a murder is committed by..this I didnt see coming.

The Perfect Daughter
@djPalmerauthor
Publisher @stmartinspress
Marketing @netgalley
Pub date 4/20/21..go get this book!
5💫💫💫💫💫

I have liked his other books, I enjoyed Saving Megan, but this book took all the enjoyable elements of Law and Order..the detective ( in this case the mom..because the police did nothing), the psychologist..the character Mitch I really loved as much as the Law and Order psych doctors, he was human with his own character ARC, flawed..but desperately wanted to break through to Penny/Eve/Ruby/Chloe..he was supportive and in the end I think he did more to solve this than anyone.
The author did a phenomenal job portraying DID in a sensitive light, caring for the character giving each individual personality their own moment to shine in the story as individuals just as important as the next. Mental Health needs to be normalized, it isnt, and shouldnt be a taboo topic. The brothers in the story loved their adopted sister, and they each had their own unique story as all family members do within a complex trauma. And then you had the round of potential suspects..the high school sweetheart of the murder victim, that suspiciously was back in the picture.
And the attorney..the generous patron of the family restaurant, the brother Jack who is filming for a documentary..why is he a reliable narrator?

This has bumped up to my fave Thriller of 2021. Bravo!!👏👏👏
Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my ARC. Go ask your indie bookstore to buy ! It is my fave book of

Holy Shooty Balls! Compulsive, brisk, & action-packed!

THE PERFECT DAUGHTER by D. J. PALMER is an absolutely fabulous, compelling, and haunting psychological thriller that was absolutely unputdownable. Once I started reading this one I was hooked and so absorbed in this storyline that I was swiping those pages as fast as I possibly could.

D. J. PALMER delivers an intense, twisty, well-written and impressive story here that is told in several points of view. The characters were complex, relatable, and well-developed. I felt so much emotion and compassion for some of them to the point where my heart hurt.

The suspense at times had my heart-pounding and on the edge of my seat. The ending was jaw-dropping, unexpected and totally surprised me. The epilogue was fantastic and so touching to read.

The storyline kept me completely hooked all the way through making this book almost impossible to put down. Would highly recommend it!

Thank you so much to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and D. J. Palmer for my review copy.

This book started out with a very intriguing premise that kept my attention. The characters are interesting and there was obviously a lot of research done on the topic of different identities which was fascinating.

The middle of the book really slowed down for me and felt like nothing much was happening. There were a few rather unrealistic scenes (Grace and Annie as 'investigators') that I found hard to believe. Then towards the end, everything speeded up - almost too much so. I did guess the ending shortly before it was revealed but it seemed a bit contrived. The whole thing of Jack talking throughout the book about the movie he's going to make seemed unnecessary - even distracting. I couldn't see the purpose of it.

I went into the book thinking it would be a 5 star and it didn't quite make it - - but it's still a good book!

Penny Isabella Francone, 16-years-old, languishes at Edgewater State Hospital for the criminally insane while awaiting trial for the murder of her birth mother, Rachel Boyd. Believing that her adopted daughter has Dissociative Identity Disorder, Grace and her attorney, Greg Navarro, are frantically trying to get Penny acquitted by reason of insanity. They are fortunate in that a new psychiatrist at the facility, Dr. Mitchell McHugh, has willing to examine and treat Penny in hopes of finding information that will prove that Penny dd not commit the heinous crime. NO SPOILERS.

I see that I am in the minority with my rating of this novel. I had so many issues with the whole premise from the outset -- the most difficult hurdle being the fact that DID is such a rare condition and is so often misrepresented in literature and film. Though it is true that females are more likely to have the condition, I just didn't buy into the whole story as I should have. I couldn't stand Grace and honestly do not believe that she could possibly have been as involved in the whole situation as she was considering the crime and the incarceration. The book was far too long and extremely repetitive with way too much inane detail that didn't add a thing to the narrative. I guess all I can say is that it didn't work for me and I didn't enjoy it. Sorry! And that ending -- oh come on. I like a good twist now and then, but this came out of nowhere and it was totally unbelievable considering all that had gone on.

I do appreciate and thank NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review.

Started this several times and just couldn’t get into it unfortunately. Given the length, I wasn’t able to commit to it. I liked the premise but just couldn’t stay “in it”.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I found this book on the dry side, predictable, and some parts read more like a case study than a thriller.

Grace wants to raise a daughter, after having 2 sons. She comes across an abandoned little girl in a playground and talks her husband into adopting. They name her Penny....but then there is Ruby, Chloe and hardened Eve. This book delves into Dissociative Identity Disorder, which was just in the news today with a popular actress coming out to talk about her diagnosis. After Penny’s biological mom is found brutally murdered, and Penny found covered in blood, she is sent to a local psychiatric hospital for evaluation and to await trail. I found Grace selfish to a point, willing to fight for her daughter but at what cost to the rest of the family. On a whole, the book is OK just not as much a thriller as I would have liked. But, it’s a good vacation read that others might find unputdownable!

Thanks to Mr. Palmer, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

The Perfect Daughter by DJ Palmer is a thriller that explores the truth or lies behind a teenage girl’s Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Penny Francone is 16 years old and suffers from DID. She has three alters or personalities: Ruby, the one with the British accent, Chloe,the perfectionist who strives for straight A’s in school and then Eve, a spiteful, vicious and vindictive one. They all live in Penny or do they? Grace Francone’s world falls apart when her daughter, Penny, had been accused of murder. To some, her guilt is beyond any doubt as she was found alone in the victim’s apartment, covered in blood and holding the murder weapon. The victim’s identity and her secret relationship to Penny provides the perfect motive. With everything so cut and dry, All the jury needs to decide is where Penny will serve her sentence: a secure mental institution or a maximum-security prison. As Penny awaits trial in a state mental hospital, she is treated by Dr. Mitch McHugh, a psychiatrist who is battling his own demons. Fueled by Grace’s determination to understand the why behind her daughter’s terrible crime, they set out in search of the truth. Is Penny truly mental ill or is she playing them all?
Last year, I read and reviewed DJ Palmer’s The New Husband and loved it. When the opportunity came to review his new release, I couldn’t wait. It was so worth it. The Perfect Daughter is another great book by DJ Palmer. Many in the psychiatric community don't believe that Dissociative Identity Disorder even exists and that the “alters” or split personalities is just the clever ploy of a highly manipulative mind of a psychopath. Mr. Palmer doesn’t shy away from the ins and outs of this horrifying crime and takes an honest look at DID and the possible reasons why the mind may split the way it does. He also delves into the stigma of mental illness and the snap judgment of those who do not understand the mentally ill. It is a haunting and terrifying story with twists and turns that no one will see coming. The story will keep you guessing and on your toes. You will be hooked from the opening chapter until the very end when the shocking truth is revealed. After reading The New Husband, I would expect nothing less from DJ Palmer. I highly recommend The Perfect Daughter.

The Perfect Daughter will be available April 20, 2021 in hardcover, eBook and audiobook.

I am so sad I did not like this, because everything was the perfect setting for me, the base of the story was written perfectly, the DID seemed really interesting, but somehow I did not liked it. It was really slow pacing, and the characters were to flat for me. However, I don't say this is a bad book, it was well thought and nicely written, just the style was not for me.

Four and a half stars for The Perfect Daughter by D. J. Palmer. I was immediately pulled into the vortex and enjoyed every minute. Penny, a four year old Grace found abandoned in a park, captured my heart from the very beginning. The events leading up to her eventual DID, or Dissociative Identity Disorder, were hinted at throughout the read and to me that was an even bigger draw than determining who actually killed her birth mother, Rachel. Having long been intrigued about multiple personalities I now feel I need to spend some time researching it. The snippets of information shared by the alters was fascinating to me and trying to use them to figure out both Penny’s back story and the murder kept me reading well past midnight. So identified with Grace’s putting Penny first and believing in her despite all the evidence. Found myself wondering if this would have ever been solved without Grace’s involvement. Settings in both the prison and the courtroom added to the tension that built throughout the story. The shocking twist at the end was right out of left field. The only criticism I had is the lengthy and graphic passage about the cat. It really sickened me and for me, personally, it detracted from the book.
Another excellent read by D. J. Palmer. Many many thanks to D. J. Palmer, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for affording me the opportunity to read an arc of this powerhouse thriller. Keep writing!

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer is a suspenseful mystery thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat. A thrilling read that is sure to keep you up at night.

I took some risks here, and they absolutely paid off. First, I don’t read a lot of thrillers, but this storyline sounded really intriguing, and, I have read and enjoyed another book by this author (Saving Meghan). I like thrillers with a medical/mental health component. Second, I am just beginning to branch out of non-fiction for audiobooks; this seemed long and I was worried it wouldn’t hold my attention. Boy was I wrong-I listened to this over the course of 4 days (cleaning, cooking, driving, walking, sitting in my car, ...)! The narrators were incredible and made the story come alive for me and that definitely contributed to my 5 star rating.

Here’s what I enjoyed about this book:
-The narrators in the audio format
-The information about Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID, formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder). A big part of this book is the controversy around DID (is it real or not?) and the courts/psychiatrist determining if Penny really has it. I loved learning about it (if you’re not interested in that kind of background/learning in a book, this might not be for you).
-The chapters are told from multiple perspectives which is nice (Grace (Mom), Mitch (the psychiatrist), and Jack (Penny’s brother)
-I found the pacing engaging, was invested in what was happening, and wanted to know what was going to happen next.

Thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan audio for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Holy Cow...Wow... This is a psychological thriller that just had me guessing and totally pulled into the storyline the whole time. I love that this book had me guessing and puzzle the whole book, and the ending of the book just had me totally floored. I have to say I loved trying to really get into Penny's head. This book was so well written. The characters in this book was developed through out this book, and that was really why this book was so very good. This was a slow built up thriller, and this is not a fast pace thriller. I normally love a fast pace thriller, so I am shocked that I love this book so much. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (St. Martin's Press) or author (D.J. Palmer) via NetGalley, so I can give honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for my e-arc.
Hmmm what can I say about this book.
This was one hell of a story! I did not see that twist coming at all!
I do however feel like there was alot of useless information about the doctor and his son. Now in saying that, before anyone says anything..I do like having a bit of backstory on characters, thats character development, just maybe not so much on certain ones.
Any hoo overall this was a great thriller that will keep you questioning right up until the end.
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Usually books and movies that take place in mental institutions scare me but this one I got through. A teenage girl is accused of brutally murdering her birth mother in this thriller. It turns out she has multiple-personality disorder and her Doctor, mother and brother are intent on proving her innocence.

Although it was a bit long and wordy, I overall was very taken with this book and enjoyed the story. A solid thriller!

3.5 stars, rounded up
This is the story about Penny, who is arrested at the beginning of the book. She's covered in blood, holding a knife, and her birth mother is lying dead at her feet. It's an open and shut case, or is it? Penny suffers from DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) and is remanded to criminal mental hospital while she awaits trial. Her adoptive mother, Grace, believes that Penny is innocent and sets out to prove it.

In general, I cannot stand books that use DID as an explanation for committing murder. I feel like it's usually lazy writing--can't figure out who to blame? Just blame it on another personality. This book, on the other hand, actually handles the diagnosis in a believable and thoughtful way. Whether you believe that DID is a true diagnosis or not, this book gives both sides and provides some astute observations about it.

Now to the actual story. I alternated between the audio book and the print copy, and both provided a great experience. I will give a bit of an edge to the audio book because the chapters are narrated mostly by January LaVoy (love her narration!) and occasionally switches to Dan Bittner, who gives Jack's (Penny's brother) first person point of view. When I was reading on the page, it wasn't always clear when we were switching to Jack's POV and I had to go back and start some chapters over once I figured it out.

When everything came together it was kind of an "a-ha" moment. It's not difficult to figure out, but it does come as a surprise nonetheless. I liked how the author tied things together in the end and explained clues that were left along the way. I really didn't like Grace as a main character. Some of the things she does are annoying, hysterical, and reckless and didn't seem realistic, thus my grade down a half star.

Overall I did like this mystery/thriller and recommend it. It was a very fast read/listen for me, if you like audio books this one is a winner in that format.

I voluntarily reviewed both the audio and print versions of this book. All opinions are my own.