Member Reviews

I received a free copy of thus book. I'm leaving my honest review.

This psychological suspense involves a young girl with a psychological disorder accused of murder. Her mother never stops believing in her innocence and corals her family, and a psychiatrist to help her establish her daughter's innocence.

The author clearly did homework on the psychological aspects prevalent in the book.

The suspense is handled adroitly. I didn't foresee the conclusion.

The characters are a bit flat. Caricatures rather than charactèrs. It was difficult to relate to any of them.

Despite its flaws this is an entertaining psychological suspense novel.

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I really enjoyed this book! It is the first book that I have read with a character that had multiple personalities. The book kept me guessing until the very end. I have read every book by DJ Palmer and have enjoyed them all. Thanks to @netgalley for the ARC!

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This book was fantastic! It was fast past, dark and somewhat disturbing! It touches on mental health, murder, dissociative identity disorder, drug use and family chaos!

Grace is surprised when her teenage daughter Penny isn’t home when she returns from work. She quickly notices her deceased husbands car missing. Penny is not supposed to leave home. She already suffers from psychological issues that recently got her in trouble because she wrote a murder bucket list that went viral. Shortly, afterwards, a knock at the door. A policeman saying Penny has been arrested. She was discovered, covered in blood, holding a weapon and standing over her birth mother’s dead body.

At age four, Grace found Penny abandoned at a park. Soon after, Grace and husband Arthur choose to adopt Penny. They are aware she could have had a troubled past but they love her and want her to be part of their family. As Penny grows older she begins to develop a trend of multiple personalities. Her parents seek medical and psychiatric advice to only be told Penny is faking or lying. The truth has never been more urgent than now! The murdered victim is Penny’s biological mother. Eve, an alter personality is believed to have committed the murder yet Penny has no memory of the murder. She is admitted to a psychiatric hospital under the care of Dr Mitch Mc Huge. He needs to evaluate and determine if Penny really suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) or is she a psychopath.

Did Penny kill her biological mother or does she really suffer from DID? The big reveal towards the end was a tad bit unrealistic! I had hoped for a bit more.

Each chapter is told by several different perspectives. Grace, Dr McHuge and Penny’s brother Jack. I really enjoyed Jack’s blunt honest insights.

If you enjoy a great thriller that will keep you engaged.......This is a must!!! I don’t want to give any more away than I have. I definitely recommend it!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book for my honest review!

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This a thriller that explores the truth or lies behind a teenage girls multiple personality disorder......
This author does not disappoint. Story is so interesting and suspenseful!..
Will definitely be reading more from this author.!

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Absolutely loved it! Great characters and story! I am just loving this author, and I think she’s becoming one of my favorites. Kept me on my toes, and I couldn’t put it down.

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Fast paced page turner about a teenage girl accused of the brutal murder of her birth mother. Penny was found abandoned in a park by Grace and eventually adopted by her. While Penny was loved and accepted by her new family, she still struggled with past abuse and repressed memories. As these memories start to come out Penny develops multiple personalities, many of which have major behavior issues. When Penny is charged with a brutal murder that she has no memory of her family must try to unravel the mystery. Fast paced, full of twists and turns, this excellent novel is not to be missed.

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Definitely an enjoyable read. A delightful twist and a great ending. It had good character development and kept me intrigued through the whole book.

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Another good read from the author. You know there will be a twist but can’t put your finger on it. I enjoyed the DID aspect and the bravery of the mom and her sister. It definitely kept me guessing. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC

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The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer was definitely a fast read and I had a hard time putting it down. The story revolves around a girl who has a Dissociative Identity Disorder. I found her story fascinating. Truly the only issue that I had with this book was the ending. For some reason, I wanted more of a cliffhanger or a shocker, and the ending was kind of a dud. Besides that, a solid 4-start book and I would definitely read other books by this author.

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I really enjoyed this book, specifically all of the “alters” as different characters. The ending was quite an interesting twist.

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Grace’s daughter Penny is in a psychiatric hospital, awaiting by trial on the murder of her birth mother. But Penny’s case is complicated by the fact that she has DID, or what is more commonly known as multiple personality disorder. This is an intense, twisting story that really kept me guessing right up to the end.

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Oozing with suspense and twisty turns. This book is told through individual unique view points. It has an insightful plot that delves deep into what was commonly called multiple personality disorder. The story and the characters gripped me and I followed the storyline with bated breath. This book was a great psychological thriller: guaranteed to make you think and wonder while simultaneously making your heart pound.
This one is a fantastic read start to finish

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This book was a bit of a let down. The overall story line was great. Penny is a teenager accused of murdering her birth mother, but she has Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) and doesn't remember anything about that night. Her adoptive mother Grace fights tooth and nail to prove Penny's innocence, recruiting an attorney, her sister in law, and her older sons into the mission as well. When Penny ends up at a psychiatric hospital, her new doctor Mitch is hesitant to confirm the DID diagnosis without seeing it for himself, and he dives right in prioritizing Penny's care.

The investigation, the research into Penny's alter personalities, and the plot twist were all well done. But there were secondary story lines that just didn't seem to mesh with the main plot. There were chapters from her brother Jack's perspective discussing making a movie about Penny that never really resolved itself. Mitch's backstory seemed to be there to show why he was so motivated to help Penny, but that wasn't really fleshed out. And there was a weird dynamic with her brother Ryan that was sort of just there also. The end result was a great storyline that was dragged down by unnecessary subplots.

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The Perfect Daughter was quite the page-turner. It kept me guessing until the very end. Penny has come to live with Grace and her family when she was just 4. They found her alone in a park in the rain screaming. Turns out Penny has Disassociative Identity Disorder (DID). The book does have a lot of information regarding the disorder in the book, so don't worry about not having all the facts on the diagnosis. Penny is found holding a knife with her birth mother brutally killed. Penny is sent to a psychiatric hospital while she awaits trial and that part of the book is so crazy. I was just flipping along and couldn't put it down. Grace is Penny's biggest fan and will fight until the bitter end. This was a 5 star read for me and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to the author, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for a gifted ebook arc. This is my honest review.

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This was my favorite D.J. Palmer book. The book explores DID or Dissociative Identity Disorder. Penny is arrested for killing her birth mom, Rachel, and has no memory of doing it at all. Her adoptive mother Grace believes her and is will do anything to prove it.

Penny is sent to Edgewater State Psychiatric hospital and is put under the care of Mitch McHugh. Mitch explores all of Penny's alters, Eve, Chloe and Ruby. Did one of them kill Rachel? Does she really have DID or is she faking it? You'll have to read to find out. The ending left me speechless!

This is a brilliant, edge of your seat thriller that I think many people will enjoy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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Another snowstorm, another book devoured in one day. DID, or Dissociative Identity Disorder, is the major theme of this terrific mystery.
Penny is a teenager who was found wandering in a park as a.five year old. She was adopted by a loving couple and their two sons. After a few years, signs of other personalities emerge and as she enters puberty the troubles start. At the age of sixteen she is found covered in blood, with a knife in her hand, and her dead birth mother beside her. She is sent to a sanitarium for crimminals to get treatment and await trial. Who will help Penny remember what happened the night of the murder and possibly save her life? Will it be her psychologist, her brothers, her lawyer, or her mother. The final revelations will astound you!

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I had higher expectations for this book as this author’s previous books were soooo good! While this book was not bad, it seemed to drag a bit for me. Penny was found by the perfect family at the age of 4 in a park abandoned. When she is adopted by the new family they certainly were not aware of her past turmoil. The book starts with Penny being found at the apartment of her birth mother covered in blood and being arrested for her murder. This book goes back and forth and deals with multiple personalities of this young girl and at times gets to be repetitive. However, the last few chapters reveals what really happened that night and the twists and turns made it worth reading. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and #NetGalley for the ARC. #ThePerfectDaughter

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An excellent thriller! I especially appreciate the extensive research that must have gone into this book. I will be thinking about this story for months!

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

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A mother and son are shocked to find a small child abandoned in a park on a cold, rainy night. They take her home, clean her up and call authorities. When no one claims the girl, Grace Francone believes it's a sign from above. This is the daughter she's always wanted, and the family is elated when the adoption goes through. With two sons and now a daughter, everything is perfect . . . until it isn't.

Years later, a knock at her door leaves Grace flabbergasted and in denial. Her adopted daughter has been arrested for murder. Penny was discovered in shock and covered in blood, standing over the mutilated body of the birth mother she's never known. Grace is horrified and dismayed as evidence quickly mounts against the young teen. When Grace finally speaks with Penny, she's alarmed to find it's not Penny talking to her, but Eve - one of the alters that have surfaced over the years since Grace brought Penny into their home. Grace believes Penny has Disassociate Identity Disorder; however, after several sessions with psychiatrists, her diagnosis remains undefined. Penny is relegated to Edgewater Psychiatric Hospital for observation and study while awaiting trial for murder. Convinced of Penny's innocence, Grace hires an attorney and begins an investigation of her own unknowingly rattling some old cages. If Grace can't prove Penny has DSD - meaning she can't be held accountable for her actions, then she'll be convicted and sent to prison or . . . someone is framing her for murder. Who?

A young teen's identity crisis and a family in turmoil spiral out of control in this dark, startling thriller. As Grace tries to save her daughter from life in prison, her family and world fall apart around her. Through skillful prose, Palmer tells the story of a protective mother's secret guilt - her worry that she may have invited catastrophe into her family when she chose to make Penny her own and her determination to make things right. Told through multiple points of view, readers are charged with discovering the truth. Is Penny's disorder real or an elaborate ruse? Is she mentally ill? Or a murderess?

The Perfect Daughter delves into the social stigma and prejudice surrounding mental disorders and the public, legal system and health professional's tendency to doubt the existence of DSD. Clearly, Palmer has done intensive research into Dissociate Identity Disorder including typical treatment options as well as the often horrifying conditions of mental hospitals of old. Through past/present chapters, Palmer expertly weaves an edgy, complex, taut story elevating the pace and intensity as readers race toward a surprising ending. The emergence of Penny's alters during trial is fascinating - a window into the psyche of a emotionally fragile girl. Penny either has DSD, or she's a skilled psychopath. The Perfect Daughter is a riveting, intense, highly entertaining thriller. Highly recommended to fans of suspense and psychological thrillers!

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I was really involved in this book. I have always been fascinated with DID. I believe my mother suffered with this disorder but is was called multiple personality disorder then. This author did an awesome job of explaining how a person acts with this disorder. I felt for the whole family as everyone tried to cope with the reality of Penny’s upcoming trial. There was enough proof throughout the book to believe that several people could have killed Rachel. I was so immersed in this book that when the twist came, I was shocked! I will not spoil it. You will have to read this book yourself and decide if you are as shocked as I was.

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