This is the second book I read by D.J Palmer and I loved them both.
This story starts a bit slow and I was slightly confused at the beginning till I realized that part of the story is been told by one of the brothers who is collecting material to make a movie about his sister multiple personality disorder. Shortly it gets better and better as you read on to a point that it becomes hard to stop reading. Within the story you get a feel for the shortcomings of our mental health system. We have a bit of family drama and court procedures. It is informative about drug addiction and mental health. How parents tend to blame themselves in these case. The what if question often comes to mind? All this together made a great psychological thriller with a lot of twist and an unsuspected ending.
Highly recommend this book.

The Story: Sixteen year-old Penny Francone goes missing but is later found in the victim's apartment alone, covered with blood, and holding the murder weapon. She is arrested for murder and has all the motive to commit such violent crime. Penny's mother, Grace, believes it was not her who did it but one of her alters as Penny has Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). While waiting for her trial, Penny is being treated by Dr. Mitchell McHugh who does not believe in DID. But both him and Grace are working together to uncover the truth about Penny and what they soon find out will change everything they thought they knew.

My thoughts: This is a WOWZA story! It is my first book by this author and will not be my last! I absolutely loved the plot that centers around DID and also explore other mental health issues. It was really well done.

I always enjoy a story that is told from different POVs. Penny's character is so believable and I was going back and forth forming my own theories about her and the entire plot! This book really hooked me right from the beginning and was unputdownable. Every chapter ends with a cliffhanger and this me so invested in the story!

I ended up enjoying this thriller more than I'd expected! Excellent writing, twisty plot and an I-did-not-see-it coming ending, this is a must read book!


Pub. date: April 20th 2021

***Thank you St. Martin's Press, author D. J. Palmer and NetGalley for this review copy to read and review.***

What a wild roller coaster ride that was! I love a good psychological thriller, especially one loaded with shocking secrets and lies. After a somewhat slow build up, this book then really took off.

In “The Perfect Daughter”, sixteen-year-old Penny Francone is arrested for a murder. She was found covered in the victim’s blood and holding the murder weapon. What would otherwise seem to be an obvious conviction is complicated by the fact that Penny suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID, AKA Multiple Personality Disorder). But does she really? Or is this all an elaborate manipulation?

Penny was adopted by Grace and Arthur Francone after she was found abandoned in a park. Her mother Rachel was a drug addict and her father was not known. Penny immediately became a loved member of Francone family.

The story is told from the perspectives of Grace, Penny’s adopted mother; Jack, one of Grace’s biological sons; and Dr. Mitchell McHugh, the psychiatrist assigned to Penny’s case in the state mental hospital.

The characters were well written. I especially liked Dr. Mitchell McHugh. Penny’s alters were easily identifiable as she transitioned from one to another. But you are still guessing as to whether this is all just a hoax. I thought the author did an excellent job with explaining the complexity of DID.

I was kept guessing until the end. Was Penny really the killer? Or was it one of her alters? I really enjoyed the entire book. There are subtle hints dropped along the way.

I received an advance e-galley of this book by St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. Opinions expressed here are my own.

A psychological drama with an ending you will not be expecting. The Francone family is torn apart when their daughter Penny is accused of murder. The story is told in multiple character voices which lend to its poignancy. The author does a really great job of explaining all the medical and legal terms while keeping the reader focused on turning the pages. It is definitely a book to add to your must read shelf.

There are times when you find a book that you just can not put down. The Perfect Daughter is one of those books. When widow Grace Francone came home from a run she found her sixteen year old daughter was gone. When police arrive they give her the news that Penny has been arrested for murder, but nothing will convince her that her daughter is guilty of the crime. Penny is the daughter that she always wanted. She found her abandoned in a park when she was only three. When her birth mother gave her up, Grace and her husband welcomed her into their family. It was not until several years later that she began displaying different personalities and was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Now she has been accused of murder and the victim is her birth mother.

Confined to an asylum until her trial, Penny is working with Dr. Mitch McHugh to confirm the diagnosis and find answers. Mitch deals primarily with Eve, the darkest personality who is sarcastic and uncooperative. He also encounters Chloe, a perfectionist, and Ruby, who is distinguished by her British accent. Mitch believes that there is also another hidden personality that the others were formed to protect from an early childhood trauma.

D. J. Palmer alternates scenes of Penny’s experiences in the asylum with Grace’s attempts to prove her innocence, while also trying to keep the family restaurant open. Her son Ryan dropped out of college to run the restaurant. His relationship with Penny has been uncomfortable since her diagnosis and after hearing the evidence against her he believes that she is guilty. Grace’s other son Jack continues at college where he is working on a documentary about Penny’s life. He is protective of his sister and is trying to help his mother in her quest. Jack’s film follows Penny’s early years, the early discovery of her DID and an earlier encounter that she had with the law. Palmer ends her story with Penny’s trial where you finally meet the traumatized three year old child. There are revelations that are heartbreaking but it is the last few pages that reveal what really happened and will leave you gobsmacked. For an edge of your seat read, I highly recommend this book. I would like to thank NetGalley, Scene of the Crime and St. Martin Press for providing this book for my review.

Okay, I’ll be honest. I was very very skeptical going into this. I like DJ Palmer as an author, please don’t get me wrong. However, I was worried when DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) was mentioned, it’d be the cliché of DID and not the real information regarding DID. I thought it was done well with enough information to help debunk what we usually see in entertainment media. I think Mitch’s conversations with Grace really explained some of the best misconceptions about DID.

The Perfect Daughter had me guessing every single chapter. What is happening? What’s the deal with Jack and Ryan? Which personality are we getting now? What really happened to Rachel? This was a mother freaking wild ride. I am still at that, “WHAT?!” reveal. It made perfect sense and yet, I had no idea it was about to smack me in the face.. with a belt buckle 😏

I feel as thought with each DJ Palmer book I read, they get better and better. It’s always a wild ride with an absolute over the top shebang of a reveal. I really enjoyed The Perfect Daughter and am so happy it hits shelves today, 04/20. Thank you Sf. Martin’s press for the gifted copy!

4.5 stars

Although I haven't had a chance to read The New Husband by D.J Palmer, I was hopeful that The Perfect Daughter would be just as good as Saving Meghan, which I really enjoyed. Well, I lucked out, because it's even better! I had to give this one 4.5 stars because I didn't see that twist at the end coming and even though I had to suspend some belief with it, it was just too good not to thoroughly love!

This is the story of Penny, a young 17-year-old girl who has been accused of a vicious murder, the murder of her birth mom. The police arrive at her home and tell her mother Grace that Penny has been arrested and charged with murder. But Penny says she's innocent and doesn't remember how she came to be found covered in blood and holding a bloody knife.

We learn that Penny was found when she was only 4 years old by Grace and her son. She'd been abandoned in the park by her birth mother, so Grace and her now dead husband adopted her. They didn't know anything about her background, her mother, or who her father was, but they gave her a loving home with their two sons.

When Penny was 13, she was diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder or DID, where she has several personalities: Penny, Eve, Chloe, and Ruby. She's sentenced to a psychiatric hospital until her trial while Grace searches for the truth of what could have happened, and psychiatrist Dr. Mitch McHugh works with Penny to see if she really does have DID and if so can he connect with one of her alters to discover the truth of that night.

This really is an outstanding storyline that's different from the usual thriller. The way that DID is written about is well-researched and educational, as well as written in a respectful way regarding mental illness.

Another fantastic thriller by Palmer!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the DRC. All opinions are my own.

I mainly read thrillers and lately they are all starting to run together, but this one stood out. This is my first DJ Palmer book, so I have nothing to compare it to but I am planning on reading more.

Grace and Arthur adopted Penny when she was found abandoned in the park. Or should I say Eve, or maybe Ruby or Chloe. The focus of this book is DID, or dissociative identity disorder. This is also known as multiple personalities and these all belong to Penny or so she claims. Penny is accused of killing her birth mother and none of her personalities remember much, but claim they didn’t do it, but Penny was found drenched in blood holding the knife.

Throughout the book, I was trying to figure out if Penny had DID or was faking. And I waffled back and forth with this in addition to trying to figure what other crimes she may or may not have committed and if it really wasn’t her, who did it. The plot is well thought out. The story is complex with all Penny’s alter egos, her step brothers, her psychiatrist with his own issues and her mother yet the author never leaves a piece of the plot dangling.

And to not mislead, this isn’t a pulse pounding thriller, but more a methodical game of chess. Moving the story along piece by piece. I really enjoyed the slower pace of this book. It gave me time to analyze all that was happening.

I really recommend this book for all the thriller lovers out there.

Thank you so much St. Martins Press for the e-arc of this book, in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first book by this author, and it won't be my last! I really enjoyed it! Without giving too much away, I really liked what the author explored in this book, in regards to mental illnesses. I learned alot! I was also a bit enraged/shocked at how some of the characters were treated in the place they were staying- the author did a great job at showing how lack of funding from the government really shapes how a place is run, and any amount of publicity (good or bad) can make or break a place. I read this book in two days because I had to know what happened next! I was so shocked by the twist at the end the author did a great job of keeping you guessing.

With what the author does with mental illness, if gives a really good unreliable narrator - as you can't really trust what the main. character is thinking. Even the mother, another main character, seems to question her own mind at times!

Overall, a great thriller that explores some really important and complex issues in today's society! Hghly recommend checking out this author!

The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer was a very well written thriller about multiple personalities even though the ending takes us on a different route.

Grace Francone along with her young son made a stop at a park on the way home. It was there that Grace found a little girl all by herself, who wouldn't tell her a thing. The little girl was taken to the hospital, where Grace would visit and read books to her. Later, the little girl was placed in child protection, where Grace, having overcome her husband's apprehensions, chose to adopt the little girl.

The little girl became known as Penny Francone.

Penny, now sixteen years old, should've been home, and Grace discovers the Chevy Caprice missing. As Grace is stewing how her daughter didn't request permission to take the car, she sees the police arrive. Grace panics thinking there's been an accident, only she is about to learn it's much worse than she can imagine and her world is about to fall apart.

Penny has been arrested for murder, and the victim is her birth mother. Penny is calling herself, Eve.

The story is told from varying points of view, Grace's, Penny's brother, and Dr. Mitchell McHugh. Grace hires an attorney, but must reveal that Penny has dissociative identity disorder (DID) and there are three alters, that they know of. Eve is the most aggressive. To make matters worse, Penny and a friend had been arrested prior, and the reasoning did not bode well for Penny's current situation.

Penny's brother is making a film about her, where he believes she is guilty, but also, knows about her strange behavior. Jake feels that finally, Penny will get the help she needs.

Dr. Mitchell McHugh took a job at Edgewater State Hospital not out of choice but necessity. McHugh is dealing with his own issues, along with that of his son, and it is his issues that have landed him at Edgewater.

Penny, and her alters, reveal bits and pieces, but not enough for anyone to piece together the events of the night of the murder. It was interesting how each alter came forth and behaved differently. Eve is the most prominent. McHugh feels that there may be more alters, but time is running out as the trial date nears. An important detail comes to light, where Grace insists that Penny be put on the stand, against her attorney's advice. The consequences can influence the jury's favor, or have a devastating effect. It's a chance that Grace is willing to take!

I went back and forth on thinking that Penny was guilty and just making up the alters until the important detail had me rethinking things. Grace is a hero in this story, she never gave up on Penny, despite some of her ideas were downright dangerous and could've gotten her killed. I love the family mantra: Better together!

I received a complimentary copy and I have voluntarily reviewed this book.

Grace would do anything for her daughter. Her husband died tragically years ago and ever since then her children are her priority. The problem is that her daughter, Penny Francone, age sixteen, is a murderer. Her guilt is beyond doubt: she was found alone in the victim’s apartment, covered in blood, holding the murder weapon. The victim’s identity and her secret relationship to Penny give Penny the perfect motive, sealing the deal. All the jury needs to decide now is where Penny will serve out her sentence. Will she be found not guilty by reason of insanity, as her lawyer intends to argue? Or will she get a life sentence in a maximum-security prison?

The problem is that Penny suffers from a multiple personality disorder or DID. There is timid Penny, Ruby who speaks with a British accent and encourages everyone, Chloe the perfectionist and then there is Eve. Eve is the spiteful one who is the protector. The problem is that none of them have any recollection of a murder. Is Penny guilty or is she being set up?

I read this book in a weekend. It had some interesting plot twists. The book was well written and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Penny Francone is only a teenager when she finds herself--or is it Eve, or Chloe, or Ruby--charged with murder. Penny, having been previously diagnosed with DID or Dissociative Identity Disorder, can’t remember committing the murder, yet it seems like a pretty open-and-shut case; she was found covered in the victim’s blood and her prints are on the knife used to kill the woman, but no one can figure out why she would have committed such an unspeakable crime. Can Dr. Mitch McHugh, a psychiatrist at the state psychiatric hospital, with the help of Penny’s mother, Grace, uncover the truth locked inside Penny and her alters, or will she find herself locked up for life?

While I really enjoyed The Perfect Daughter, I didn’t feel as though it measured up to Palmer’s prior two novels. There were plenty of times that I found myself at the edge of my seat, seemingly unable to turn the pages fast enough, but then there were other parts that just seemed to drag on and on. I found the basic premise of The Perfect Daughter interesting and quite unique and the ending was definitely a surprise; what a big reveal at the end! It was easy to get wrapped up in the characters, hoping that everything works out for them. The sections about Jack and his film seemed like kind of a waste to me; other than maybe providing another perspective they didn’t seem to serve much of a purpose or add much to the story. Overall I think that, with how much I loved Saving Meghan and The New Husband, I came into The Perfect Daughter wanting a little more, but that’s not to say it isn’t a good book.  

If you enjoy a good thriller with an interesting mystery, check out The Perfect Daughter, releasing this Tuesday, April 20th! 

Thank you to D.J. Palmer and the DJ Palmer Author Group, as well as St Martin’s Press, for sending me an advanced copy of The Perfect Daughter, given in exchange for an honest review; all opinions are my own.

As a mother of two boys, Grace dreamed of having a daughter. When she found Penny, all alone in the park, she knew it was meant to be. Soon Penny began to adjust to living with Grace's family, calling her mom. Life was perfect.
Then Penny's other personalities started to emerge. Of all of her alters, Eve is the one to fear. Eve is the defender, and is ok with doing bad things. So of course, when Penny is caught standing over her lifeless birthmother, Eve is the one to blame.
Now Grace has to prove to everyone that Penny really has Dissociative Identity Disorder, and is not faking it. It may be the only way to set her daughter free.

This book is so screwed up, but in the best thrilling way. Penny is the ideal character for crazy. Her personalities are each unique and intriguing. I was sucked into the story strictly because of my interest in who was going to show up next!
The story is from the point of view of the mother, Grace, who loves and defends her daughter under the worse conditions. It can't be easy claiming your daughter is innocent when she is covered in blood and going in and out of different personalities. I loved the fight that Grace had, and her persistence to clear her daughters name. Her motherly love was intense.
This was a great thriller. I had no idea where it was going to go, and when it got there I was shocked. The big twist blew my mind and made me actually gasp. lol. DJ Palmer is really good at slipping in the last minute surprise, making his books awesome. I loved this book, and suggest you add it to your tbr.

The premise of this book intrigued me. A young girl, Penny, is accused of murdering her biological mother in a gruesome act of violence; but this is not a traditional case of homicide. Penny has DID. Penny’s mother, Grace is trying everything that she can to prove her diagnosis to her attorney and to the psychiatrist that is treating her.

This was a roller coaster of a book. When Penny’s alters switch, you can see the distinction of each personality. After reading this book, I remembered it as if it was a movie; it was so well written. I cannot say that the portrayal of DID was completely accurate as I am not a expert, but it was explained well and was researched.

This was a thrilling read.

From my blog: Always With a Book:

This is the third book I've read by D.J. Palmer and once again he has managed to write a twisty thriller that keeps you on your toes all the way through. As much as I have loved his previous books, this one might be my new favorite!

I loved that this one explores so many different topics, yet does so in such a compelling, captivating way. It literally opens with such a shocking scene, one that grabs your attention immediately and from there things take off, with no real lulls in the book at any time. The use of multiple points of view really keeps things moving and gives different us different lenses from which to view everything.

I loved that this was such a unique story all the way around. I'm always fascinated when an author decides to use DID (Dissociative Identity Disorder) with a character because it always calls into question whether that is truly the case or whether the character is just psychotic. Then there where other mental health issues addressed and the emotional toll that all that was happening was taking on the family members was just fascinating to watch.

Every time you thought things were moving forward, that the doctor was making progress with Penny, a new twist would pop up that would send things sideways. I never knew what to expect with this book and I absolutely loved it. And that ending was one that I never would have predicted - it completely blew me away! So much so that I almost want to reread the book right away to see how I missed it!

This book had everything I love in a thriller - a complex, multilayered plot with relatable, flawed characters. The writing is addictive and pulls you in from the start, and the intensity is there from the beginning, amping up as the book goes on to a thrilling conclusion. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to see what D.J. Palmer writes next - he is absolutely on my must-read list!

Penny is found standing by her dead birth mother- holding the knife, dripping in blood. She has no memory of that night.
Penny has 3 alters - Eve, Chloe and Ruby.
Grace, Penny's mother, devotes her energy to Penny's defense, desperate for any information.
I thought it was too long. Great build up - slow burn, author spent serious time building characters and suspense. But such a long book.
This book exams mental health and family dynamics. So much guilt - both parents and children.

This was honestly even better than I expected it to be. D.J. Palmer took on the controversial topic of dissociative identity disorder and I think did a good job looking at it both compassionately and critically. It was very intriguing to see this play out on the page. I will also say that while I had some suspicions on what was going on with some characters, I didn't predict the full picture, which is always a treat in a story that very cleverly uses some twists (and I'll say that all along I just assumed the ending would include a certain "twist" that it did not, and I think it's a much more effective story without it).

This book is absolutely amazing! DJ Palmer is now becoming one of my favorite authors, as I loved his book, Saving Meghan.

Grace's adopted daughter, Penny, has multiple personalities and is finally diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). When Penny is sixteen, she takes the family car to secretly visit a stranger. Later, Penny is found holding a knife and covered with the slaughtered women's blood. It looks like a clear cut case of murder but who really murdered this woman? Was it Penny or one of her other personalities and how can Grace save her daughter from prison?

With the help of psychiatrist, Dr. Mitch McHugh, who works with Penny at the facility where Penny is being treated before she goes to trial, each of Penny's different personalities gives insight to things that have happened in Penny's past. Grace will go to the end of the earth to clear Penny of murder charges or to at least keep her from a life in prison. I wasn't too impressed with some of the things Grace did, hoping to shift the blame off her daughter. Grace takes dangerous risks and is also willing to have another teenager blamed for the death when it was her own daughter holding the knife.

But it's very interesting learning about DID and it is very scary being inside a facility that houses mentally ill people who need guards to keep the peace and to attempt to keep the residence safe from harm. We have other suspects hinted at or openly named and we are even shown that Penny's coddling, because of her diagnosis, has caused problems within her adoptive family. The ending comes with a huge twist that throws everything into a new light.
If you are looking for a super twisty thriller, this is definitely the one to pick up!

So, this was a really good book but there was too much added stuff that distracted from the story. Penny dealing with her daughter and all her "alters" and the chance that one of them killed someone was good. I could even have gone for more character development for the sons/brothers. Based on this book, it could easily be understood that they felt ignored by their parents in favor of Penny. A bit too much delving into the whole more medical mental health issue, but at least this supported the ongoing plot of the book. However, I think the book needed a really good edit to remove an entire storyline along with the epilogue and its morality speech. The whole story with Dr. Hugh and his son added nothing to the book for me and tripped the flow of the main story.