The Perfect Daughter
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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. Meet Ruby, who speaks with a British accent. Then there’s Chloe, a perfectionist who strives for straight A’s in school. And along comes Eve, who is spiteful and vicious. All of them live inside Penny... Or do they? 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? Already reeling from tragedy after the sudden passing of her beloved husband a few years before, now Grace is on her knees, grateful that Massachusetts doesn't allow the death penalty. As Penny awaits trial in a state mental hospital, she is treated by Dr. Mitchell McHugh, a psychiatrist battling demons of his own. Grace’s determination to understand the why behind her daughter’s terrible crime fuels Mitch’s resolve to help the Francone family. Together, they set out in search of the truth about Penny, but discover instead a shocking hidden history of secrets, lies, and betrayals that threatens to consume them all. The perfect daughter. Is she fooling them all?
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Suspense thriller. Teen daughter with multiple personality disorder accused of killing her birth mother. But did she? If so, which one of her? Or was it someone else? Fearless fighter adoptive mother, kind and compassionate psychiatrist, defense attorney not who he seems to be. Two night read. Compelling.
If you liked Steena Holmes' THE PATIENT or Kerry Lonsdale's EVERYTHING series (all excellent books that you should absolutely read if you haven't yet)...
You're definitely going to like this one. Palmer takes a similar base idea and puts a spin on it that neither Holmes nor Lonsdale did. This is somewhat of a slow burn, but the mystery is compelling throughout. And then that last 10% of the book (well, from roughly 90% - roughly 98%) is some explosive courtroom stuff straight out of John Grisham's best works.
And if you were already a fan of Palmer... this may be his best one yet. Seriously.
I have been a fan of DJ Palmer since absolutely loving The New Husband, which I picked up after reading great reviews.
Now he's done it again! In The Perfect Daughter, 16-year-old Penny had been accused of murdering her birth mother. Found and adopted as a toddler by Grace Francone and her husband, Grace immediately felt a connection to this child and refuses to believe she is capable of such a thing. With the help of Dr. Mitchell McHugh, a psychiatrist at the facility Penny is being held at, she is determined to prove her daughter is innocent even though all the evidence points to otherwise. Found covered in blood, with the weapon...
Once again I was hooked from the start. I've always been intrigued by multiple personality disorders, or disassociative identity disorder (aka DID), so I was interested in this one immediately. Once again I left on the edge of my seat and as one would hope, never saw that ending coming!? Will absolutely be back for more!
