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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
I love how this book is constructed - with different points of view in each chapter, but all telling the same story. It's interesting to see how Penny - the perfect daughter - ends up accused of a crime she doesn't remember committing (thanks to her dissociative identity disorder), and how her family, especially her mother, will work hard to prove her innocence - or at least prove that she couldn't understand what was happening due to her mental illness. But the story is not necessarily linear with just one narrator, and that's what makes it more compelling. There's Penny point of view, there's the mother's point of view, there's the psychiatrist point of view, and also there's the brother's point of view. From each one of them, we learn a bit more about that happened and especially about how it happened.
Check out my super FUN Elevator Ride Q&A with Daniel!
Author D. J Palmer returns following The Perfect Husband (2020) and Saving Megan (2019) with his most intense and gripping domestic suspense yet —THE PERFECT DAUGHTER.
"Emotionally explosive, fast-paced, action-packed, and haunting. Palmer is at the top of his game!
Cleverly plotted, a twisty, multi-layered complex psychological thriller on steroids, with an explosive heart-pounding and jaw-dropping court scene—when all is revealed.
My mouth is still hanging open. You may have to go back and re-read when you get to this part. Trust me, it is, “award-winning” and you will not see this coming!
Truly EPIC, Mr. Palmer.
If you are looking for a unique thriller that stands apart from the rest, this is the one! Now let’s get into the details.
Set in Swampscott, MA, an average family, which turns into anything but ordinary. Parents Grace and Arthur Francone live in the suburbs and have two sons, Jack and Ryan. Grace always wanted a girl. One day at the park, her wish came true.
She discovers a poor little girl alone in the park, hiding. Her parents, nowhere in sight. Being the good mother, Grace, of course, calls the authorities and stays connected to the case. Finally leading to adoption.
Penny was only four years old, and they did not know the sort of mental illness that existed until much later. She was around twelve or thirteen when she started taking on different personalities.
As the book opens, Penny (the name they gave her) is now sixteen-years-old and has been arrested for murder. The person that has been murdered is the biological birth mother, Rachel Boyd. The police believe it a homicide.
There is a history here, and Palmer provides all the details filling in the blanks from the time they found Penny until today.
Penny has DID, Dissociative identity disorder. We will find out just how complex this is for family, legal, and medical.
Which personality murdered the mother and why? Or was it someone else?
Penny does not speak. However, to help save her, her mother is very protective, and now she must hire a criminal defense attorney and try and find a doctor specializing in this condition. An attorney falls into her lap.
However, one of Penny’s friends is very dark – Maria and very manipulative when looking over the past. There is a lot of evidence that does not help her case from the past with violent fantasies the girls secretly shared with a hit list of targets and murder.
Back then, Penny’s psychiatrist came to the rescue but now murder. One of those targets happened to be Ryan (the other son), who had difficulty with his sister and Rachel Boyd was the other.
How much trauma did Penny actually experience before coming to live with her adopted family? This time she has a bloodstained knife in her hand but has blacked out the events with no memory. Real or fake?
Grace, the mom is tenacious and does not believe Penny is a murderer. She must find a professional who can work with her to prove this. However, they can never get to speak to Penny. She is always turning into another personality to guard her. Time is running out before going to trial. Greg Navarro was hired as the attorney. Penny’s brothers Jack and Ryan attend college in Boston.
Were the personalities really a psychopath inventing alternate characters to justify and explain away the crimes and this time murder? Is she playing them? Is she damaged or deranged?
With her alters taken over and locked up in Edgewater State Hospital, which less a healthcare facility and more housing for the criminally insane. They must seek a competent a psychiatrist who can get through to her.
There are hints that someone else was there. There are many clues if they can put them together to help re-enact that night to bring back Penny to determine what happened. She is in a fugue state. Penny has no memory of how she had come to be at the hospital.
There is the bad shrink, and also one of the brothers is acting weird, and many red herrings having readers suspecting everyone. Jack, the film student, seems to be helping but not Ryan, who is acting weird.
The family pizza restaurant is failing and there are money problems. Ryan drops out of college. The husband dies (suspicions there), and now all of this is left on Grace to bear the burden. Jack is making a film which makes it more intriguing.
A new doctor takes over the case, Dr. Mitch McHugh (adore him). He has his own tormented family past, and just maybe he can reach the real Penny to determine what happened that night. However, there are behind the scene forces, clues, and faint memories. As the book moves on with more twists than the Pacific Hwy, we arrive at the explosive court scene.
Will, they put Penny on the stand, and what if one of her personalities takes over? It could hurt the case. What comes next will have your head spinning and jaw-dropping! Out of nowhere, nothing is as it appears.
Wow! This was one intense and highly entertaining impeccable suspense thriller. No one does complex mental health issues mixed with domestic family drama better than Palmer. An unlikely pair of broken people come together to solve a murder.
Palmer adds a nice tie-in to the story with the doctor and his family seeking redemption. He is compassionate and determined, with his own mental problems and drug issues- son and family.
Fans of Author, Michael Robotham’s (a favorite), will enjoy this one; especially, fans of his Cyrus Haven series. THE PERFECT DAUGHTER is a perfect spring and summer read. I am hoping for a sequel or series. I want to see more of Dr. Mitch McHugh.
If you have not read D.J Palmer or Daniel Palmer, you better move them to the top of your list. Of course, this is Daniel and Michael Palmer (long-time fan) which are the BEST.
Now writing under a new name D.J., combining the best of father and son with domestic suspense combined and medical thrillers for a winning-combo. He just keeps getting better and better. His writing is stellar. Your dad would be proud!
Highly recommend!
#JDCMustReadBooks
Top Books of 2021
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and #NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.
Author D. J Palmer returns following The Perfect Husband (2020) and Saving Megan (2019) with his most intense and gripping domestic suspense yet —THE PERFECT DAUGHTER.
"Emotionally explosive, fast-paced, action-packed, and haunting. Palmer is at the top of his game!
Cleverly plotted, a twisty, multi-layered complex psychological thriller on steroids, with an explosive heart-pounding and jaw-dropping court scene—when all is revealed.
My mouth is still hanging open. You may have to go back and re-read when you get to this part. Trust me, it is, “award-winning” and you will not see this coming!
Truly EPIC, Mr. Palmer.
If you are looking for a unique thriller that stands apart from the rest, this is the one! Now let’s get into the details.
Set in Swampscott, MA, an average family, which turns into anything but ordinary. Parents Grace and Arthur Francone live in the suburbs and have two sons, Jack and Ryan. Grace always wanted a girl. One day at the park, her wish came true.
She discovers a poor little girl alone in the park, hiding. Her parents, nowhere in sight. Being the good mother, Grace, of course, calls the authorities and stays connected to the case. Finally leading to adoption.
Penny was only four years old, and they did not know the sort of mental illness that existed until much later. She was around twelve or thirteen when she started taking on different personalities.
As the book opens, Penny (the name they gave her) is now sixteen-years-old and has been arrested for murder. The person that has been murdered is the biological birth mother, Rachel Boyd. The police believe it a homicide.
There is a history here, and Palmer provides all the details filling in the blanks from the time they found Penny until today.
Penny has DID, Dissociative identity disorder. We will find out just how complex this is for family, legal, and medical.
Meet Ruby, who speaks with a British accent.
Then there’s Chloe, a perfectionist who strives for straight A’s.
And along comes Eve, who is spiteful and vicious.
All of them live inside Penny… Or do they?
Which personality murdered the mother and why? Or was it someone else?
Penny does not speak. However, to help save her, her mother is very protective, and now she must hire a criminal defense attorney and try and find a doctor specializing in this condition. An attorney falls into her lap.
However, one of Penny’s friends is very dark – Maria and very manipulative when looking over the past. There is a lot of evidence that does not help her case from the past with violent fantasies the girls secretly shared with a hit list of targets and murder.
Back then, Penny’s psychiatrist came to the rescue but now murder. One of those targets happened to be Ryan (the other son), who had difficulty with his sister and Rachel Boyd was the other.
How much trauma did Penny actually experience before coming to live with her adopted family? This time she has a bloodstained knife in her hand but has blacked out the events with no memory. Real or fake?
Grace, the mom is tenacious and does not believe Penny is a murderer. She must find a professional who can work with her to prove this. However, they can never get to speak to Penny. She is always turning into another personality to guard her. Time is running out before going to trial. Greg Navarro was hired as the attorney. Penny’s brothers Jack and Ryan attend college in Boston.
Were the personalities really a psychopath inventing alternate characters to justify and explain away the crimes and this time murder? Is she playing them? Is she damaged or deranged?
With her alters taken over and locked up in Edgewater State Hospital, which less a healthcare facility and more housing for the criminally insane. They must seek a competent a psychiatrist who can get through to her.
There are hints that someone else was there. There are many clues if they can put them together to help re-enact that night to bring back Penny to determine what happened. She is in a fugue state. Penny has no memory of how she had come to be at the hospital.
There is the bad shrink, and also one of the brothers is acting weird, and many red herrings having readers suspecting everyone. Jack, the film student, seems to be helping but not Ryan, who is acting weird.
The family pizza restaurant is failing and there are money problems. Ryan drops out of college. The husband dies (suspicions there), and now all of this is left on Grace to bear the burden. Jack is making a film which makes it more intriguing.
A new doctor takes over the case, Dr. Mitch McHugh (adore him). He has his own tormented family past, and just maybe he can reach the real Penny to determine what happened that night. However, there are behind the scene forces, clues, and faint memories. As the book moves on with more twists than the Pacific Hwy, we arrive at the explosive court scene.
Will, they put Penny on the stand, and what if one of her personalities takes over? It could hurt the case. What comes next will have your head spinning and jaw-dropping! Out of nowhere, nothing is as it appears.
Wow! This was one intense and highly entertaining impeccable suspense thriller. No one does complex mental health issues mixed with domestic family drama better than Palmer. An unlikely pair of broken people come together to solve a murder.
Palmer adds a nice tie-in to the story with the doctor and his family seeking redemption. He is compassionate and determined, with his own mental problems and drug issues- son and family.
Fans of Author, Michael Robotham’s (a favorite), will enjoy this one; especially, fans of his Cyrus Haven series. THE PERFECT DAUGHTER is a perfect spring and summer read. I am hoping for a sequel or series. I want to see more of Dr. Mitch McHugh.
If you have not read D.J Palmer or Daniel Palmer, you better move them to the top of your list. Of course, this is Daniel and Michael Palmer (long-time fan) which are the BEST.
Now writing under a new name D.J., combining the best of father and son with domestic suspense combined and medical thrillers for a winning-combo. He just keeps getting better and better. His writing is stellar. Your dad would be proud!
Highly recommend!
#JDCMustReadBooks
Top Books of 2021
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press and #NetGalley for an advanced reading copy.
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. The concept seemed interesting so I was looking forward to seeing how it would play out. The story was slow to begin with, and I found at times it did drag, but I feel like every few chapters there was a new revelation and something that had not been discovered quite yet. It’s not one of those thrillers that you need to pay attention to every little detail, all of the new information is given an explanation.
This book read like a movie or TV show in that I don’t think we really got into the characters heads. It was more like watching the story unravel from afar. It did work for this story, which was more of a plot driven book rather than character. It’s a thriller though, so it does work.
The ending had a few extra twists and turns, one that was definitely unexpected. I enjoyed the storytelling, sometimes I wished it went a little bit faster but it didn’t decrease my enjoyment.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.
This book read like a movie or TV show in that I don’t think we really got into the characters heads. It was more like watching the story unravel from afar. It did work for this story, which was more of a plot driven book rather than character. It’s a thriller though, so it does work.
The ending had a few extra twists and turns, one that was definitely unexpected. I enjoyed the storytelling, sometimes I wished it went a little bit faster but it didn’t decrease my enjoyment.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.
I thought I was really enjoy this book. I didn't hate it but I thought it was gonna to be better. This is the third book that I have read written by DJ Palmer and this was just okay. I didn't see the twist at the end until the last couple of chapters. It was a great story but it was boring at times. The killer will surprise you though.
Wow! What a story! The Perfect Daughter is the perfect thriller that keeps you guessing from start to finish. The story centers around Penny, who has dissociative identity disorder, also known as multiple personality disorder. Penny is accused of killing her biological mother after she is found covered in her blood. Penny's adopted mother Grace is certain that her daughter is not a murderer but how can she prove it when Penny, herself, has no memory of the night in question.
DJ Palmer has written another amazing story. His characters come alive with his words and the story keeps you on the edge of your seat. The twists and turns left me surprised with the ending. I did not see that coming at all.
I couldn't put this book down because I had to know how this was going to end. I absolutely loved this book and look forward to reading more books from DJ Palmer.
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.
DJ Palmer has written another amazing story. His characters come alive with his words and the story keeps you on the edge of your seat. The twists and turns left me surprised with the ending. I did not see that coming at all.
I couldn't put this book down because I had to know how this was going to end. I absolutely loved this book and look forward to reading more books from DJ Palmer.
Thanks to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for the advanced copy of the book. The opinions are my own.
The Perfect Daughter by D.J. Palmer
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.
Pub April 20th 2021
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
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.
Pub April 20th 2021
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC.
2.5 stars, really. It's not as bad as the ones I give 2 stars to, but it doesn't really deserve 3 stars, either.
I knew early on that this book wasn't going to be amazing. I stopped at Chapter 5 and explained my dilemma to my fiancé: the plot is intriguing and I'm curious to see where it goes BUT the writing leaves a lot to be desired and really annoys me. I ended up finishing the book but now that I have, I'm rather upset that I wasted my time.
Like I said, the premise is interesting. Penny, a teenager with DID (dissociative identity disorder) has been arrested for the murder of her birth mother. All signs point to her being guilty but no one knows why she would do something like that. Her mother, naturally, thinks she is innocent. We get to follow everything from the arrest to her treatment at the prison hospital where she resides to her trial. It has shades of Primal Fear and I was into it.
It all falls apart in execution, though. The author kept explaining things that didn't need explaining, very obvious and clear things. Or we'd be reminded of a trivial detail yet again, as if we could have possibly forgotten about it. Some of the dialogue was beyond awkward. There are times when the story is told from the POV of Jake, one of Penny's brothers. His chapters didn't seem to serve more purpose than as a convenient plot device.
But my biggest issue is that this is a mystery. In a good mystery, the author doles out enough oblique clues for the reader to have some kind of theory as to what happened, even if the characters haven't reached that conclusion yet. When the lead is buried as deeply as this one was, the big reveal doesn't read so much as a shocking twist/satisfying conclusion as it does convenient, disappointing plot device. I skimmed the last several chapters because I felt cheated and just wanted it to be over.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
I knew early on that this book wasn't going to be amazing. I stopped at Chapter 5 and explained my dilemma to my fiancé: the plot is intriguing and I'm curious to see where it goes BUT the writing leaves a lot to be desired and really annoys me. I ended up finishing the book but now that I have, I'm rather upset that I wasted my time.
Like I said, the premise is interesting. Penny, a teenager with DID (dissociative identity disorder) has been arrested for the murder of her birth mother. All signs point to her being guilty but no one knows why she would do something like that. Her mother, naturally, thinks she is innocent. We get to follow everything from the arrest to her treatment at the prison hospital where she resides to her trial. It has shades of Primal Fear and I was into it.
It all falls apart in execution, though. The author kept explaining things that didn't need explaining, very obvious and clear things. Or we'd be reminded of a trivial detail yet again, as if we could have possibly forgotten about it. Some of the dialogue was beyond awkward. There are times when the story is told from the POV of Jake, one of Penny's brothers. His chapters didn't seem to serve more purpose than as a convenient plot device.
But my biggest issue is that this is a mystery. In a good mystery, the author doles out enough oblique clues for the reader to have some kind of theory as to what happened, even if the characters haven't reached that conclusion yet. When the lead is buried as deeply as this one was, the big reveal doesn't read so much as a shocking twist/satisfying conclusion as it does convenient, disappointing plot device. I skimmed the last several chapters because I felt cheated and just wanted it to be over.
I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone.
This is not your typical psychological thriller. Four year old Penny was found in the park where she had been abandoned by her mother. She is adopted by the family that found her in the park. Now, Penny is 17 years old and her mother is visited by 2 police officers with some disturbing news. This book starts with excitement and there are twists and turns throughout. I found the psychology and the complexities of dissociative identity disorder very interesting. Palmer did a great job giving each of Penny’s alters a distinct voice.
DNF @40%. This was a slog to even get to that point. The writing is not for me. Too many conversations that were just about letting the reader know things (for example the mom talking to the new Dr so much about DID and multiple personalities and stuff...). Or the brother's chapters a lot of time felt off to me. Like they were trying to get information to us, but it felt like that not like the story if that makes sense. I finally had to give up as it wasn't working for me.