Woohoo! What a fun thrill ride. I loved "The Perfect Daughter" by D.J. Palmer. I loved the fast pacing. The mental health aspects. The legal side. The family drama. I was rooting for our protagonist, Grace, and her daughter, Penny, who has Dissociative Identity Disorder. I learned so much about multiple personalities, especially how they happen and why certain identities protect the person who experiences trauma. The storyline, the characters, the drama, the ending ... it was all unexpected. This is a unique crime mystery and I highly recommend it!

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press for an advanced digital copy, via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This is a great read and a well detailed plot that kept me engaged from the very start.
I really liked the well thought out characters and found them to be believable. I cannot wait to read what the author brings out next.

I'm a hardcore romance reader, but I love to mix in some psychological thriller and suspense novels in here and there. I enjoyed D.J. Palmer's The New Husband last year so I was excited to dive in to The Perfect Daughter. I have been fascinated by multiple personality disorder, or dissociative identity disorder as it is now called, since reading and watching Sybil in the 80s. This book was filled with interesting characters, 0=twists and turns and quite a few red herrings. I found the writing compelling and was immediately drawn in. The ending was a surprise to me and wrapped the loose ends up nicely. What a ride!

It’s official.. D.J Palmer did it again in her newest novel The Perfect Daughter. This thrilling book had me up into the early hours of the morning NEEDING to know what would happen.

This was my second read from this author, having read her previous book The New Husband I was completely hooked on that one so I was extremely happy to have received an early copy of her newest book as well.

Mental disorders have always interested me (psychology major over here) and this book just made my love for the field even greater. Having just finished this book, all I can say is that we all need a Dr. Mitch & a mother like Grace, who work tirelessly to prove the innocence of a young girl plagued with trauma. All of these characters were immensely enjoyable to read & after that ending which left me gasping aloud I can fully say that I’ll keep recommending this book to everyone who will hear me.

I cannot wait to read what comes next for this author because after New Husband & Perfect Daughter.. D. J. Palmer has easily become an auto-read author for me.

Grace is spending a normal day with her son at a park when she encounters a young girl, Isabelle, who appears to be lost. After not being able to find out who she belongs to they decide to adopt her.

Life appears to be normal until she gets arrested for creating a kill list. One of the people in that list turns out to her mother. One night years later Isabelle is found covered in blood, holding a knife and standing over her dead mother. She is immediately arrested and charged with murder.

Grace cannot believe that her daughter to this and leads the charge to try to find out the real killer and save her daughter.

This was a fascinating read and the opening scene hooks you in quickly. The concept of multiple personalities was also really very different from other books I’ve read. The chapters alternate at times between Grace’s, Isabelle’s and her son, Josh’s perspective. I’m not sure I loved the Josh storyline of him making a movie about his family. I also didn’t love the ending although it was completely surprising to me. This was my first read by this authors and I will certainly try to read more

The Perfect Daughter by DJ Palmer was a thrilling and captivating read from start to finish. Grace’s daughter is accused of a murder. A murder that seems clear-cut, but is it? Is Penny suffering from multiple personalities and if yes, who truly committed the murder? Grace will do what it takes to help her daughter. Though Penny is not the most stable narrator, she will pull you into her story and will sit at the edge of your seat while reading and wondering how it will all end!

Happy reading!

Young Penny was found abandoned in the park and was taken in and adopted by the Francone family. Now a teenager and discovered cover in blood, Penny stands accused of killing her birth mother. Penny claims she doesn't remember anything about what happened. It could have been one of her alternate personalities the English accented Ruby, the perfectionist Chloe, the abrasive Eve, or another alternate personality that has yet to be revealed that committed the murder. Then again, it could be that Penny is just faking her Dissociative Identity Disorder to try and get away with it. Unless, there is some other explanation, and she really didn't do it. This rare gem of a book is completely original and not all predictable. It is a scintillating thriller that will keep you guessing until its completely surprising conclusion. It really is an exciting read.

“I hold a beast, a celestial being and a maniac inside of me. It’s up to you which one you meet.” -Karl Wiggins

This mystery-thriller, crime-suspense had a lot going for it. The “#metoo” movement, murder, multiple personality disorder and broken families. It started out really good and then it just died like a boat motor in the middle of a lake. It wasn’t moving. It would drift a little and then stop. I couldn’t get a good understanding of the family dynamics. I didn’t even like the family. I wondered why we had to know anything about the psychiatrist. Wasn’t there enough going on? I just wasn’t invested. And I really wanted more. I hope this is helpful.
I’m voluntarily leaving my review.
Happy Reading.

This is such a fascinating read! I loved the idea of the book and the mental health issues it dealt with (Multiple personalities. The book overall was a pretty good read for me. I loved the tension and trying to figure out what's really going on. I did think there was a bit too much dialogue though. I definitely didn't have any real idea what was going on until the very end.

This is the first book I've read by D.J. Palmer and it wasn't too bad. The sister angle seemed normal at first and it was hard to get into the characters but the ending was sweet. Thanks to Netgalley for a digital copy in exchange for a review.

Gripping mystery/thriller

Once I started this book, I couldn't put it down.
The story focuses on Penny, a 16-year old with dissociative identity disorder (DID) accused of murder, as told through three points of view.
Her mother, Grace is seeking the truth, when everyone else seems to have accepted the straightforward, obvious conclusion.
Penny's brother is one of those with no doubts about the crime. His only question is why she killed - is she ill... or evil? Jack is a film student and plans to make a film about his sister's case - not for the publicity, but for himself.
Dr. McHugh at the mental hospital for the criminally insane has his own personal issues which forced him to take the unwanted job. But he cares about the truth, and works to dig deeper into the mind of Penny and her alters to discover what really occurred on the night of the murder.
The journey is perilous and thrilling, with a conclusion which completely surprised me and made me want to read the book again to catch the clues I had missed the first time through.
Highly recommended!
(I was given an advance copy of this book to read by the publisher)

Four-year-old Penny is found alone in a park by Grace. Grace feels a connection to Penny and eventually adopts her. She appears to be The Perfect Daughter to join Grace’s family of her husband and two older boys. But something is different with Penny, who is ultimately diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) aka multiple personality disorder.

One morning, the police inform Grace that her daughter has been found covered in blood holding a knife over her murdered birth mother. She says her name is Eve. Eve doesn’t remember anything about the crime other than she felt a shadowy presence. Penny/Eve is sent to a psychiatric facility to try and determine if she was legally insane at the time of the crime. Or is the whole DID excuse a sham?

Because of my lifetime fascination with mental disorders (I read the psychologist’s bible, the DSM, from cover to cover at least once), I enjoyed reading the long-winded investigation into Penny/Eve’s mind. Well more than half the book was spent doing that investigation so if that doesn’t interest you, you should probably skip this book. Be aware, however, that you will be missing the amazing wham-bam courtroom conclusion. Overall, The Perfect Daughter deserves 4 stars.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another great read by D.J. Palmer! The Perfect Daughter is a story about 16 year old Penny who suffers from Disassociative Identity Disorder. When she is found covered with blood and a knife in her hand it looks like an open and shut murder case. But is it? You'll have to find out for yourself because with every mystery I read I don't want to give away an clues as to what happens. You need to read and enjoy it for yourself. And believe me this one is worth reading! Thanks to NetGalley for an early copy.

A Murder Suspect with Dissociative Identity Disorder

Penny was adopted by Grace and Arthur under unusual circumstances when she was a small child. Although Arthur seemed uncomfortable with the arrangement, Grace was determined to make Penny a part of the family and a sister to the boys, Jack and Ryan. However, there are things that Grace doesn’t know about Penny’s early childhood.

At sixteen Penny takes the family car to visit an unknown woman. Later that night, she’s found in the house, covered in blood with the dead woman. Penny is incoherent and appears to be suffering a dissociative state where other personalities emerge. The district attorney thinks he has an open and shut case, so Penny is locked in the Edgewater State Hospital to await trial.

Grace wants to save her daughter. She hires an attorney, Matt Navaro, who frequents her restaurant and offers a reduced fee. Grace also befriends Dr. Mitch McHugh, at the hospital. Together Grace and Mitch try to get to the bottom of Penny’s multiple personalities. Grace is convinced that her daughter didn’t commit the murder and the answer lies buried in Penny’s dissociative personalities.

This is a fascinating thriller. I particularly liked all the psychological details the author presented about Dissociative Identity Disorder. It was the best part of the book. The scenes at the trial and the state hospital were well done and very convincing.

I found some of the characters not so convincing. Grace seemed to be in her daughter’s corner, but she took incredible chances that could have turned out badly. I also found Grace’s sister-in-law, Annie, less than convincing. However, this is a clever thriller with lots of twists. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, this is a good one to read.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Publishing for this review.

[3.5/5] When Grace’s daughter Penny – who has dissociative identity disorder – is arrested for murder, Grace is desperate to prove her innocence. But are Penny’s ‘alters’ truly separate identities, or is she lying?

This story had a great concept and was solidly executed, with relatable (if not a bit cliched) characters. I do think there was something missing that didn’t make it stand out quite as much as I’d hoped, though. It also felt drawn out at times. Maybe it was a little more procedural than I like? (But some people might prefer this!)

With that being said, I liked how the subject of mental health was handled. I also really liked how everything ended. There was at least one thing I didn’t see coming, and I always appreciate when a book can surprise me!

Overall, I enjoyed this book, but it didn’t blow me away or draw me in as much as I hoped it would. I’ve seen a lot of glowing reviews though, so I may be an outlier here. Be sure to check out other reviews if you’re intrigued!

This is suited for readers who would be interested in multiple personality disorder concepts in suspense novels. The main theme of the plot is to identify the truth from all the statements made by our main character Penny who is diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. I felt the culprit was right in front of us all the time but we had no clue at all about that person. It felt like it came out of nowhere literally as there weren't many clues earlier.

Though the writing did not hook me in, I did push through to know who the villain was. It has good bones but felt the writing let it down a bit. It did have decent twists at right intervals.

Rating: 3.5
This book had so much potential and I was engrossed from the beginning. I think the plot was clever and it had great suspense. But the ending, while it was a twist, just didn't unfold well. It seemed jumbled to me, I had a hard time following and had to go back and reread several sections. Maybe I was preoccupied but I think the ending could have been better.

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

🌟🌟🌟🌟💫 4.5/5 stars
Publication Date: 4/20/21

The Perfect Daughter is another excellent thriller from D.J. Palmer. When I read the premise of this book, I knew I would love it. I love movies featuring (dramatized) cases of DID, like Split and Identity, so a thriller featuring multiple personalities was something I needed to read.

The Perfect Daughter centers around Grace and her adoptive daughter, Penny. When Penny is accused of murdering her biological mom, Grace immediately knows that if her daughter committed murder, it was one of her “alters” (other personalities). Grace, along with her son, sister in law, and Penny’s doctor, Mitch, work against the clock to prove Penny herself was not guilty of this crime.

I love the plot of this novel and how Palmer chose to tell it. Chapters alternate between the points of views of Grace, Mitch, Jack (Grace’s son), and others. All of the twists and turns culminate in an explosive finale that you have to read. I love when I’m absolutely shocked by a mystery and this one definitely surprised me. I cannot wait to read whatever Palmer writes next.

Overall, The Perfect Daughter is a twisty, complex, and addicting read that is perfect for fans of Peter Swanson and Aimee Molloy. Make sure to check this mystery out when it releases on 4/20/21!


ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Grace is desperate to find out what happened the night her daughter Penny's birth mother Rachel was savagely murdered - with blood literally on Penny's hands. But was it Penny or one of her alter-ego's? Or is Penny a master manipulator/liar and has everyone fooled to believing she has Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)? Dr. Mitch McHugh is determined to find out.

What an amazing, page-turning book! The story is told from multiple POV's and will keep you guessing until the very end. While Grace is trying to keep her family together and on the verge of losing the family restaurant, Mitch is battling his own personal demons as he is compelled to help Grace solve the mystery of what happened the night Rachel was murdered. As they put together Penny's past, things take a shocking turn when all the puzzle pieces fall into place. This was a great read and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thank you Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book.

Grace Francone believes in family above all. She works at her late husband’s pizza restaurant and is taising their 3 children. Ryan is about to graduate college and move to law school. Jack is in college, studying filmmaking, and Penny is still in high school.

But when Penny is accused of murder, Grace’s world threatens to come apart at the seams.

Penny is adopted. Grace had found her alone at the park when she was only 4. At that point, stranded in the rain, the little girl couldn’t speak or answer any questions. She couldn’t even say her name. Eventually the police found out that she was Isabella Boyd and was abandoned by her mother. Grace had felt a connection to her, so she fought to be the family who fostered her and later adopted her.

They were a happy family for many years. But when Penny started showing some odd behaviors, they took her to a therapist. Penny’s diagnosis: Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). Previously known as Multiple Personality Disorder, DID is extremely controversial. Many mental health professionals refuse to believe it exists, writing it off as a sociopath pretending to have several personalities to avoid taking responsibility.

Penny has demonstrated 3 alters—Eve, the dark protector who serves to shield Penny and the other alters from those who want to hurt her; Chloe, a compulsive perfectionist; and Ruby, who speaks with a British accent.

But it was Penny who was arrested, covered in blood, at the scene where Rachel Boyd, her birth mother, had been brutally stabbed to death.

As Penny works with a new doctor at the mental facility where she’s being kept, Grace works with an attorney she knows from the restaurant. Jack decides to make a film about Penny and her situation, and Ryan drops out of school to come home and run the restaurant. With the family pulling together, Grace is certain that they can figure out a way to show that Penny is innocent of the murder.

However, as the new doctor tries to find out Penny’s secrets, her dominant personality’s as well as her alters’ secrets—he comes across information that could change the entire defense strategy. Can they prove that Penny has DID, or will the jury think that she’s faking it to get away with murder?

D.J. Palmer’s The Perfect Daughter is a taut thriller about the intricacies of mental health and the defenses we come up with to protect ourselves from evil. There are the questions of who killed Rachel as well as the deeper dive into Penny and her alters. Does she really have separate personalities, or is she faking? Could she have killed her birth mother for abuse that happened before that day Grace found her on the playground? Or is she just a sociopath? Where does the truth lie?

I’ve been a fan of D.J. Palmer for years, but I have to say that The Perfect Daughter is my favorite Palmer book so far. I thought it was well written, with fascinating characters, and the story logic was strong. The story is told from Grace’s perspective, along with Penny’s doctor, and a first-person account from Jack in the diary he keeps for the film he plan on making. I liked the switch between the third-person and first-person storytelling, but I do wish more had been done with Jack’s diary and film. I felt like that was a missed opportunity in this story. But I still really liked The Perfect Daughter, and I’d recommend it to anyone who loves a good thriller or who is interested in learning more about Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Egalleys for The Perfect Daughter were provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley, with many thanks.