"January LaVoy, woman of a thousand voices, is a great match for this twisty thriller about a teen with multiple personality disorder...LaVoy creates striking characters in fierce Grace and the troubled doctor, while giving Penny and her many alters distinct yet complementary voices. Narrator Dan Bittner voices journal entries by Penny's brother, Jack, which contextualize events in an earnest, vulnerable tone as he begs listeners to try to understand his sister." (AudioFile Magazine)

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 16, 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?

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

Listening Length

11 hours and 42 minutes
Author

D. J. Palmer
Narrator

Dan Bittner, see all
Audible release date

April 20 2021
Language

English
Publisher

Macmillan Audio
ASIN

B089XMXBXN
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
See all details

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Product details

Listening Length	11 hours and 42 minutes
Author	D. J. Palmer
Narrator	Dan Bittner, January LaVoy
Audible.ca Release Date	April 20 2021
Publisher	Macmillan Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B089XMXBXN
Best Sellers Rank	#14,979 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) #401 in Psychological Thrillers (Audible Books & Originals) #1,064 in Psychological Thrillers (Books) #1,100 in Suspense (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5

721 global ratings

5 star		49%
4 star		30%
3 star		14%
2 star		4%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from Canada

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Lara

Very slow.

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 27, 2022

Verified Purchase

It was so slow that I started speed reading just to get through the book.

Helpful

Mackenzie

A page turner from the start!

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 2, 2021

4.5/5 stars!

To say that I didn’t see that coming would be an understatement.

Recommend for: lovers of psychological thrillers, suspense, mystery, fiction, books with mental health aspects.

The Perfect Daughter had me hooked from the beginning. It’s truly a page turner. It centers on the gruesome murder of
Rachel Boyd, by Penny, her biological daughter who has mental health issues, specifically Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). I don’t know much about DID, but the author seems to have done a significant amount of research to make this novel, and specifically this character, to be as authentic as possible.

We see the story told from Grace’s (Penny’s adoptive mother) viewpoint, with some select chapters in Jack’s (Grace’s son) and Dr McHugh’s viewpoint. We watch as Grace tries to prove her daughter’s innocence by uncovering all that she can surrounding the murder and potential people involved, with Dr Mitch McHugh as a helping hand. However, the more secrets they uncover, both from Penny and from the case, leaves them with more questions than answers.

The writing of this novel is captivating from the get go. The big reveal was SPECTACULAR! I can’t say any different, my mind was going in one direction and the author brought me to another place, one I would never, EVER have guessed. That makes for a great book in my opinion.

The characters were all really well done. I thought the story told from Grace’s perspective was interesting and a good way to get to know Penny and her different alters, without the story becoming too unreliable. I found Penny to be fascinating and enjoyed finding the cues that indicated she was switching to a different alter. I find mental health to be a very interesting domain, and a topic I wish to know more about.

The only thing that was a slight let-down for me, was the wrap-up. Putting all the pieces together and understanding how they all fit and the why for things was good. I didn’t really vibe with the epilogue that was focused on Dr Mitch and his son, Adam. Yes we discussed their relationship from time to time, and how it was impacting Dr Mitch...but I never felt close to Adam, so I’m not sure where this was all coming from I guess.

Anywho, all in all, I highly recommend getting your hands on a copy of this book! I’ll definitely be on the look-out for more of Palmer’s work!

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this advanced digital copy for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review! All opinions expressed are my own. Upon publishing of this novel, I will also be posting my review to Amazon Canada.

Helpful

Paulina Medeiros

4. 66 stars

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on May 29, 2021

I listened to The Perfect Daughter as an audiobook, and Macmillan Audio delivered again. I listened to this book in one sitting; I simply couldn't get enough of Dan Bittner's and January LaVoy's narration. Their pacing was impeccable, and I didn't miss a full cast at all between the two of them. They brought the story to life, and each and every character had their own personality emoted through the narration.

In my humble opinion, this was an excellent plot that was executed well. It takes a certain amount of courage to have a mental disorder as the center of a story, and The Perfect Daughter could have gone wrong in so many different ways. Still, Palmer knew what he was doing and delivered a strong, entertaining, unputdownable execution that got me turning the page at the edge of my seat. I liked the care he put into Penny's character and how beautiful Grace's love for her was. The whole book was permeated with some excellent parent-child relationships in both its purest and most unhealthy ways. I would say those relationships were my biggest takeaway from the book. I was so happy when I got to the end of the book and saw that Palmer played fair. This was an amazingly written novel.

I became a fan of his narrative and already ordered another of his books, The New Husband. Palmer's female characters were very well developed, and I particularly appreciated the epilogue. Without spoiling, I think the fact that Palmer continued to develop one of the characters at the end and gave us insight into their motivation was the cherry on top. I hope it means we will see that person make an appearance in future books, as they were brilliant.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Dyzee

A complex whodunnit!

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 20, 2021

I do not read a lot of thrillers, these days they have become a dime a dozen. I happened to choose this one and I am glad I did. It is so masterfully written, I was drawn right into it.

I'm not even sure if “thriller” is the right classification. It is also a murder mystery, a medical mystery and a family drama.

The premise of the book is very simple. The birth mother of a young girl is found brutally murdered. The young girl suffers from Dissociative Identity Disorder. (DID) (also known as Multiple Personality Disorder) This young girl is now in a psychiatric hospital awaiting trial. But, she might be not aware of committing the murder because it could have been one of her alternate personalities.

While the premise is simple, the execution of the story is complex. The author has done extensive research on the issue of DID. I trust the disorder has been accurately represented in the story.

The major characters are very well developed and believably portrayed. The mother will stop at nothing to see her daughter get justice. The doctor (who has his own demons) is putting a lot of effort to discover what may have happened because of the personality disorder.

While reading this book I had several prime suspects in my head. Those suspects changed back and forth with every page I turned.
But, I did not figure out the true ending. It truly was a surprise! Well done!

The ending was good. I loved how everything was nicely wrapped up, all the loose ends were no longer loose

Helpful

Shelley

Well Written Book

Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on April 20, 2021

I must say, I did uncover the central mystery - but that only happened seconds before the revelations. Mr. Palmer managed to create a lot of empathy for the protagonist despite the grim tone of the story line. I appreciated there were no characters that were present just to create a smoke screen - all minor charterers did play some part. The style was easy going, spontaneous and remarkably lucid.

I won't give anything away, no spoilers here. Just know that it's a very well written book. The way the author carefully and slowly led us into the truth of the story was surprising and a fun read. I really enjoyed the trip through the unfolding and revealing of what happened and I look forward to more books from him for sure.

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Diane Fowler

Don’t recommend

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

Very slow book, I initially bought the sample thought it was interesting but ended up being very dull with nothing happening till the last few chapters.

Nicky Heneke

Great read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 9, 2021

Verified Purchase

Love this author!

Amy

There Are So Many BETTER Murder Mysteries Out There

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on November 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

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.

9 people found this helpful

LH momto4

I couldn’t put it down!

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on April 23, 2021

Verified Purchase

What a ride! I was pulled in from the first page and just had to keep going. Palmer tells us the story of a mother desperate to save her daughter from a life in prison or an insane asylum, but is that really where she belongs? The case looks cut and dried but there’s always a catch. In this case there are twists and catches aplenty. I read a lot of thrillers and mysteries but the end caught me by surprise. I did manage to guess it, but only moments before it was revealed. If you like a good mystery/ thriller I can’t recommend this book enough!

9 people found this helpful

Laurel-Rain Snow

WHO KILLED RACHEL BOYD?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 10, 2021

Verified Purchase

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?

My Thoughts:

Alternating narrators tell us the current and backstory in The Perfect Daughter. I loved that Grace was so determined to find the truth and protect her beloved adopted daughter, Penny, whose alternating personalities might be a key to finding the truth.

Did Penny really have DID, or had she found a way to go back and forth between characters, hiding who she really is?

Even as I read along with all the narrators, including Dr. McHugh, I wasn’t even sure what we would discover.

The fact that DID had fallen into some disrepute by doctors and psychiatrists, there were others who still believed in the possibilities.

Digging into the past of Rachel Boyd, Penny’s birth mother, might yield some answers. But just when we thought we had the answers, an unexpected turn brought everything we needed. 4.5 stars.

5 people found this helpful

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