Member Reviews

My head is still spinning from this amazing book. It's absolutely dark and horrifying yet I couldn't put it down. I love trying to get into the minds of killers, why, how, etc but this one left me just shaking my head. My heart goes out to a young girl, Jennifer Pan, who believed her only option to fix her crazy life that she created with lies was to plot her parents demise. Even though my heart goes out to her, the things she did are disgusting and i feel she is only sorry that she got caught. Unbelievable and infuriating for me. This is a well written book that true crime fans should read. Wow

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and honestly review this book.

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A well-written, wild ride through a true crime story that shook a community and beyond. It’s hard to fathom how someone could do something so cruel and heartless to their parents, especially after being given so much, but Jeremy’s writing gives us a glimpse into the psyche of Jennifer Pan. I wish we could see even more details on her frame of mind, but understand it’s difficult to access all the records needed for such a deep dive.

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Thanks so much to the publisher and to NetGalley for giving me access to this book. True Crime is such a popular genre. Our library has so many patrons looking for true crime books. This book is a perfect read if you are jonesing for true crime. I am sure it will be popular with our patrons.

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A Daughter's Deadly Deception: The Jennifer Pan Story is about a woman who plots the murder of her parents to get out form under their thumb.. I have always found true crime novels fascinating and this book was definitely fascinating. The book is in two parts. The first half deals with the crime and the subsequent investigation into the murder and attempted murder of Pan's parents. The second half of the book looks into Pan's life and the possible reasons for her decision to plot the murder of her parents.

The book was definitely engaging and well paced. I never felt bored or like I was reading a dry Wikipedia page. I thought the author did an excellent job of laying out the facts of the case. He included a few theories as to how Jennifer turned into the sociopath. I thought the section on tiger parenting really fascinating. I never felt like the author was sympathetic to Jennifer or that he tried to excuse her actions. My take? She was a master manipulator and liar who had no qualms about ruining people's lives for her own gain. One of the other thing I appreciated about the book was the "Where are they now?" section at the end. It saved me some time on Google. I recommend this to any true crime enthusiast.

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Being unfamiliar with this story I really wanted to read it. I love true crime and like to see how the author displays their facts. I found this book quite interesting.

The information provided was well laid out and in depth without being bulky in context. There were some flaws in the layout of the book, at lease I felt so, but it still made sense and painted the picture for you to get the idea of what exactly happened.

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I did not like this and choose not to provide a review at this time.

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A good book on the case which was well thought through and researched.

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Review was declined. Thank you for the opportunity.

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There was a handgun against his check “ Where is the money” demanded the intruder. The man was in his own bed in his own home sleeping. The man was fifty seven year old Hann Pan. Then the man is pulled gruffly by the tuff of his neck and taken downstairs with the gun now at Hann’s head. When downstairs he sees another man with a gun to his wife- Bick’s - neck.Hann crawls to his wife and finds the love of his life his wife of thirty years dead. Hann screams out in emotional pain. And then he crawls outside and collapses but is seen by his neighbor who was leaving for work. Jennifer yelled from upstairs she was calling 911. The problem is the Pans had been robbed several years before and just kept small amounts of money in the house now. Hann told the intruder he had sixty dollars in his pants upstairs but his possessions were worth a lot. Then the man said all he wanted was money. Then the couple are led to the basement. Then the couple is ordered to sit on the couch. Then the couple is shot more than once but Hann is still alive. Later the police find Jennifer tied to a banister. Who recalls four or five pop then footsteps as the intruders left. Jennifer appeared to be the perfect daughter studying at the University of Toronto to become a pharmacist. Yet she is the person who arranged her parents murder. This is about Jennifer’s parents and how they had raised her to be successful in such a way that unknowingly broke Jennifer. Mr. Pan was severely injured but not killed. Jennifer had been raised isolated and pushed in all parts of her life to succeed. Then Jennifer collapsed and weaved lies to cover her part in the horrible tragedy. The Pans had demanded Jennifer end her relationship with her HS boyfriend Daniel and they believed Jennifer had done so. But the Pans are wrong Jennifer paid to have her parents killed. Jennifer had been lying to her parents since ninth grade. By her twenties she just cracked and had enough. Instead of college Jennifer spent her time with her boyfriend Daniel. For many years Jennifer lived a double life. But her dad found out about her lies and he gave her an ultimatum.
This was definitely some story especially being a true crime. I had never heard of this before a true crime story. I had never heard of this story but I was glad I read it as I am always ready to learn. I learned how Jennifer’s parents raised her as a lot of immigrant parents raise their children but Jennifer wanted a different life and was determined to be with Daniel no matter what the cost. This was a good read. Most of the time but it dragged for me a times with details. I found boring but I am just your average reader. But I did learn a lot about Canada’s police handle their investigation and way of doing things and also their court and justice system. I do recommend this book it is worth reading.

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This was a very interesting book. The information that is provide about this case is very in-depth and concise. There are points in the book where you feel like things are being repeated. I think the order of the chapters could have been done differently. Some of the later chapters I think would have worked better at the beginning. Those chapters gave some background information that would have been nice to know in the beginning of the book. Over all this was a good book.

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"A Daughter's Deadly Deception: The Jennifer Pan Story" by Jeremy Grimaldi is an amazing read. I usually stick to Ann Rule because many true crime stories rely on gory descriptions but this book relates more of the emotional background to the story and especially depicts a sense of compassion for the victims. The book was well researched and very well written. I will definitely be reading more of Jeremy Grimaldi's books.

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Five Star Review!!
What a fascinating -- and terrifying -- story!
Highly Recommended!

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Received an advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn for the opportunity to read and review A Daughter's Deadly Deception: The Jennifer Pan Story by Jeremy Grimaldi. Immediately gripping, the story begins with the intrusion into the Pan home and the shootings that occurred soon after. The story that unfolds shows the cunning that Jennifer had to deceive her parents about her entire life. A large portion of the book takes the reader through the investigative process and the interviews of people who might have information to the people who are suspected of being an assailant. The lives of those affected by this deception and violence are explained with diplomacy and empathy for what the family members have gone through and what they have to deal with. In the author's note, more tragedy for the extended family is described with heartbreak. I rate this nonfiction crime book 4 stars!

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As a massive True Crime fan, I was so excited to read the blurb of a story I didn't know that much about beforehand and couldn't wait to read it. Jennifer Pan's audacious plan: to orchestrate a 'hit' on her own parents is a shocking and compelling read which keeps the reader glued to the book. The 'home invasion gone wrong' is dealt with superbly by Grimaldi and the seeds are soon planted for us to see Jennifer's plans start to steadily unravel. The fact that he actually acted as a court reporter definitely adds depth to the retelling as you at times really do feel as if you are transported into the midst of this horrifying tale.
Jennifer's double life and Walter Mitty like existence are thoroughly dealt with and we really begin to gain insight into the mind of a truly disturbed individual. If you enjoy true crime with meticulous research and attention to detail then you'll absolutely love this book. I couldn't put it down and my thoughts keep drifting back to some of the more shocking aspect of this real life family murder. A must read that brings true crime aficionados a really meaty taste of a crime that they won't have read about a thousand times before. A fresh, well-written and fascinating description of a young woman and her savage plan to keep her illusory world in one piece. Read it if you possibly can!

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Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book.

I'm fascinated by true crime stories and trying to learn more about people and their motives. This book was the story behind the crime that took place in Canada where a 24-year-old hired people to kill her parents.

The author did a great job in telling this story as well as letting us glimpse into the family life of Jennifer. Her parents were what some described as "tiger parents," as is popular in the Asian culture of success at all costs. However, that can never be the reason for murder as this book certainly emphasized.

Jennifer's lies were beyond belief - she lied about high school and college graduations and her lies were good enough that her parents believed her. While some might question that, we as parents are programmed to believe the best in our children.

This crime took place in Canada and prosecuted by the Crown. With very little hard evidence, cell phone records were what brought all this to prosecution. Some of that got a little tedious and I could have used a score card to keep up with it all. Also, I'm obviously not versed enough in text talk and so much of this was difficult to understand.

If you like true crime, definitely a book to pick up.

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This alliteratively titled book is about the Jennifer Pan case, where an outwardly 'perfect' daughter plotted to have her parents killed by hitmen. Luckily, they messed up, her dad survived and her plans were uncovered (and she was found guilty).

The first half of the book covers the aftermath of the crime, the investigation and the trial. The second half is an analysis of why Jennifer might have been pushed to falsify her high school results, university results and ultimately, plot to kill her parents after they found out part of the truth.

While a big part of the book hypothesises that Jennifer was driven to do what she did because of her strict Asian parents, I'm more inclined to agree with the psychologist that says that "Jennifer's behaviour is more consistent with that of a sociopath than someone who is suicidal, depressed, or struggling through the symptoms that lead to cutting" and her other behaviours.

The fact that she spent a significant stretch of time plotting to kill her parents and escape being caught basically tells me that this wasn't desperation, this was a premeditated act. She could have taken the ultimatum to leave her family, but she wanted the comforts of home without the rules that it had and decided that killing was the right choice.

I mean, I'm raised in an Asian home too (though my parents weren't as strict), so by all accounts, I should have been able to empathise and sympathise with her. But I couldn't because she was just so selfish. It really seemed like she thought the world revolved around her.

And while I found the analysis to be deeply interesting, I also find it weird that so much time was devoted to the parenting method (especially the Tiger Parents thing). If this was a non-Asian person, I think a lot more attention would be paid to "warning signs" rather than the way she was raised as a cause of her actions. Think about it: the Tiger Parenting method produces both successes and failures, like every other parenting method. So why is so much attention paid to this when it ordinarily isn't? Not to mention the fact that it wasn't a household entirely devoid of love - while her father may have found it difficult to express love, it seems like her mother did make the effort.

In conclusion, this is a well-written presentation of an extremely tragic case. I found the analysis interesting, though the emphasis on the 'Asian Parenting style' was a little odd to me (but only because I think more blame should be ascribed to Jennifer rather than her family).

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

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Not able to review this one as due to illness was delayed in reading it and then when I wanted to found I had not downloaded the file, so this is the reason why there is no review :( Its a shame as going by the reviews I have seen it looks like it would be very interesting.

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An interesting book about a complex girl. definitely recommend.

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