Genre: Suspense Thriller
Publisher: St. Martins Press
Release Date: April 20, 2021
Preorder Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble
My Rating: 4 Psychotic Hearts
Special thanks to St. Martins Press for an arc of this book.
The Perfect Daughter is a thriller that explores the truth or lies behind a teenage girl's multiple personality disorder, from D.J. Palmer, the author of The New Husband.
Review:
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!
Synopsis:
Grace never dreamt she’d visit her teenaged daughter Penny in the locked ward of a decaying state psychiatric hospital, charged with the murder of a stranger. There was not much question of her daughter’s guilt. Police had her fingerprints on the murder weapon and the victim’s blood on her body and clothes. But they didn’t have a motive.
Grace blames herself, because that’s what mothers do—they look at their choices and wonder, what if? But hindsight offers little more than the chance for regret.
None of this was conceivable the day Penny came into her life. Then, it seemed like a miracle. Penny was found abandoned, with a mysterious past, and it felt like fate brought Penny to her, and her husband Arthur. But as she grew, Penny's actions grew more disturbing, and different "personalities" emerged.
Arthur and Grace took Penny to different psychiatrists, many of whom believed she was putting on a show to help manage her trauma. But Grace didn’t buy it. The personas were too real, too consistent. It had to be a severe multiple personality disorder. One determined psychiatrist, Dr. Mitch McHugh, helped discover someone new inside Penny—a young girl named Abigail. Is this the nameless girl who was abandoned in the park years ago? Mitch thinks Abigail is the key to Penny’s past and to the murder. But as Grace and Mitch dig deeper, they uncover dark and shocking secrets that put all their lives in grave danger.
Grace blames herself, because that’s what mothers do—they look at their choices and wonder, what if? But hindsight offers little more than the chance for regret.
None of this was conceivable the day Penny came into her life. Then, it seemed like a miracle. Penny was found abandoned, with a mysterious past, and it felt like fate brought Penny to her, and her husband Arthur. But as she grew, Penny's actions grew more disturbing, and different "personalities" emerged.
Arthur and Grace took Penny to different psychiatrists, many of whom believed she was putting on a show to help manage her trauma. But Grace didn’t buy it. The personas were too real, too consistent. It had to be a severe multiple personality disorder. One determined psychiatrist, Dr. Mitch McHugh, helped discover someone new inside Penny—a young girl named Abigail. Is this the nameless girl who was abandoned in the park years ago? Mitch thinks Abigail is the key to Penny’s past and to the murder. But as Grace and Mitch dig deeper, they uncover dark and shocking secrets that put all their lives in grave danger.
Meet the Author:
Pseudonym for author Daniel Palmer
D.J. PALMER is the author of numerous critically acclaimed suspense novels, including Delirious and Desperate. After receiving his master’s degree from Boston University, he spent a decade as an e-commerce pioneer before turning his attention to writing. He lives in New Hampshire where he is at work on his next novel.
D.J. PALMER is the author of numerous critically acclaimed suspense novels, including Delirious and Desperate. After receiving his master’s degree from Boston University, he spent a decade as an e-commerce pioneer before turning his attention to writing. He lives in New Hampshire where he is at work on his next novel.
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