JP Delaney's latest offering is a tense and riveting blend of family drama and psychological thriller that explores the emotionally charged feelings and complexities of the dilemma faced by parents in London, making the shocking discovery that their two year old toddler son is not their child, he was mixed up with their actual biological baby at the neonatal intensive care unit at the hospital. Stay at home dad, journalist Pete Riley and his long term partner working in advertising, Maddie, are bringing up their son, Theo, a veritable ball of energy and a real handful, trying to get him to play nice, to share and interact more positively with others, areas he has difficulties with. Their life is derailed when Miles Lambert turns up at their door, informing them that Theo is his and wife, Lucy's son.

A secretly carried out DNA test bears this out, not to mention the fact that Theo bears such a strong physical resemblance to Miles. The Lamberts are bringing legal proceedings against the hospital, which triggers an official investigation into what happened there. Initially matters are cordial as Pete and Maddie agree to the well intentioned and understanding civil decision for both couples and the children to get acquainted with and getting to know each other better. The couples are markedly different from each other, the Lamberts are wealthy, Pete and Maddie are more ordinary, struggling to make ends meet. Maddie feels a strong connection to David, her brain damaged son that the Lamberts have raised, a David that will need life long care. However, as it becomes clearer that the psychopathic Miles has every intention of getting hold of Theo, by any means, matters spiral into a living hell for Pete and Maddie.

Delaney's character driven novel is markedly different from his previous books, it is a compulsive read that explores the age old debate of nature versus nurture and the family dynamics that ensue upon facing the emotional quagmire of raising a child that apparently turns out to be not biologically their own. The characters are suitably flawed, whilst Miles is utterly reprehensible as a human being in this story of twists and turns. A fascinating roller coaster of a read that touches on mental health issues, what it is to be a parent, deception, secrets, legal issues, abuse and murder. Many thanks to Quercus for an ARC.

Another really good book from JP Delaney.

A good thriller with a bit of thought-provocation thrown in. What would you do if someone turned up your doorstep saying your child is actually theirs and was switched at birth? What decisions would you make in the fallout?

The story, after the initial start that the above premise sets, rolls along nicely with the reader not quite sure how it's going to turn out. There is a well-balanced level of revelations to progress the story as well as side-stories to both keep it interesting and develop the characters but still roll along at a nice pace. Satisfying conclusion too with a good level of tension/anxiety thrown in.

Great book. Thank you for the preview copy.

Pete Riley answers the door one morning to a parent's worst nightmare. On his doorstep is Miles Lambert, who breaks the devastating news that Pete's two-year-old, Theo, isn't Pete's real son - their babies got mixed up at birth.

The two families agree that, rather than swap the boys back, they'll try to find a more flexible way to share their children's lives. But then they find themselves fighting law suits and police investigations.

As the story continues, we delve more into their personalities and find very troubling details that threaten the very being of both the children and the couples involved.

Wow!! What a story! This book is every parent’s nightmare and it really made me think what would I have done if I was faced with such a situation. Its a highly debatable topic of nature v/s nurture- would you choose your birth child back or the child you had brought up for the last two years?

It was a mind-blowing psychological thriller that was so gripping right from the start to finish. It kept me guessing right until the last page and the ultimate twist at the end was simply amazing.

Excellent Read!! Highly Recommended!!

Thank You to NetGalley and Quercus Books for this ARC!!

What a brilliant read. I finished this really quickly. I didn't know where it was going but I loved the journey. The characters were brilliant and I loved all the twists and turns. I thoroughly recommend this book!

Pete and Maddie are devastated to learn that their two year old child Theo is not their natural son as there had been a mix up with name tags at the hospital when the children had been born.
At first they get on well with Miles and Lucy the couple who are bringing up their two year old son David but soon the cracks begin to appear and they realise things are not quite right with the other couple.
A psychological thriller had me hooked from the beginning.
Thank you to NetGalley and Quercus Books for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Playing Nice is about two families who discover their babies were swapped at birth and each has been raising a child not biologically theirs. To begin with, both families get along fine and cooperate — agreeing not to swap the toddlers back but to involve the other couple in the children's lives. But it doesn't take long before things start to go terribly wrong — one couple wants custody of BOTH children and will stop at nothing to get it.

I haven't read anything by JP Delaney until now and I was quite impressed with this one. I really enjoyed the twists and turns which made it an exciting and suspenseful read.

Main characters were fully developed and could easily have been real people. As with most psychological thrillers, plenty of secrets were revealed along the way. The ending was both unpredictable and satisfying. I thought it was a quality read.

As with all Delaney's previous work, this expertly combines thought-provoking, intelligent insight with pure, unputdownable thrill. I read it in a single sitting. Wonderful.

Another gripping domestic noir offering from JP Delaney. It’s not my favourite genre, but I picked this up as I enjoyed his previous books. It’s well written and very quick to read with believable characters in a horrific situation. The perfect holiday or beach read. It will be a huge bestseller.

This is a great book. I’ve read it in over one weekend . Engaging from the very beginning and twists and turns pushes the reader onwards at a great pace .

This author can’t ever go wrong. I couldn’t put this book down and just had to know what would be the ending!

With the subject of biological vs “adoptive” (or in this particular case, raising) parents at its core, this book is every parent’s nightmare and it really made me think of this dreadful situation and debate with myself how would I react if it was me in this situation throughout the book. The character development is spectacular and how slowly you can start seeing changes in their personalities, as they show their true selves is simply brilliant.

The whole plot is fantastic and I was so invested in this book that I just didn’t want to stop reading it. This is without a doubt an immersive psychological thriller and it will be in my thought for days to come.

JP Delaney has written amazing books in the past and this is another one and I cannot recommend his books enough!

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus books for the advanced copy on Playing Nice in exchange for an honest review.

Gripping from start to finish!

I thought this was a great premise for a book and it delivered.
The characters were believable and sympathetic and as the novel went on you found yourself really rooting for this couple that found themselves in the most dreadful situation.
The writing was tight and the book did not drag at all. I found myself eager to get to the end as the tension was almost unbearable.
Very good indeed and a perfect beach read. Will do very well as a book club book as there are lots of points to discuss.

Whoa, I loved this book!
Two families, two premature babies, two wrong homes!
What would you do? Keep the child you believed was yours biologically and have loved, cherished and brought up for all of their life so far or swap for your biological child?
Add into that a psychopath and you have a very interesting and thought provoking story that keeps you guessing right until the last page.
An excellent read that keeps you on your toes.
Thank you for this arc copy from the publishers and author for an honest review.

The book is about two families with a baby each; both premature. Both babies were born in a private hospital but then transferred to the local premature baby unit at the main hospital. There appears to have been a mix up when this happened and Pete gets a knock on the door to find Miles advising him of this. Both children are now two years old and decisions have to be made. Do they swap back or keep the child they have brought up as their own for the last two years? Do the children display traits of their original parents or do they respond to how they have been brought up?
I found the book well written with a twist at the end that I wasn't expecting. Throughout the book are extracts of the court case that obviously takes place and this keeps you guessing as to how it will all go.
It's an interesting topic to write about and it did spark a debate between me and my husband as to what would be the right thing to do? Would you emotionally want your birth child back or would you have more of an attachment to the child you had brought up for the last two years?
It definitely sparked an interest and kept me reading!

Who would have guessed that a story about swapped babies could be so gripping and compelling! While the premise could seem a bit trite, it's written in such a fantastic way that I found myself glued to the pages. I think my anxiety levels went through the roof at some points. I could feel the blood boiling in my veins as all the misfortunes happened to Pete and Maddie. I neither confirm nor deny that I maybe shouted at my kindle more than once.

I found very interesting the nature vs. nurture debate the book presents. I also loved how it's not a story about good people vs. bad people (well, one of them it's pretty bad) but pretty much all the characters are flawed but, or maybe thanks to that, they're easily relatable.

This was a brilliant and terrifying read. I've only read one of the author's previous books but, if they're all as riveting as this one, I will have to check them out.

4,5 stars (I seem to be on a streak of 4,5-5 stars books! Fingers crossed to make it last!)

Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Playing Nice is another great book by J.P. Delaney. I loved it and struggled to put it down. The plot was interesting and heart wrenching and there were many times I found myself just wanting to scream and cry for Pete and Maddie. A thought provoking, intense, gripping and thoroughly enjoyable read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this ebook in return for my honest review.

What would you do if you find out your child was swapped at birth ? This book has you on the edge of your seat the entire time making you wonder who is going to win.
Strong characters with complex traits,this thriller explores the ripples that occur as a consequence of a revelation.
Will it strengthen relationships or tear them apart? Can you survive this?
Oh and wait until the very end for the ultimate twist
5 stars

Playing Nice is another gripping thriller from JP Delaney. At the centre of the story is how two babies were mixed up in a premature baby unit, and then what ends up in a brutal and sinister battle for custody. The early part of the book features fairly ordinary family life, and the initial relationship between Miles and Pete belies the nature of what is to come. There are some thought provoking underlying themes around nature vs nurture and moral questions around parenting. The chapters that relay evidence from an investigation give an indication that something serious is going to happen. I knew it was all going to go very wrong for the characters, but I was left guessing to the very end.

A cracking read and an easy 5* recommendation.

I loved this book. A great author and a brilliant plot. This definitely lived up to my expectations and I would definitely recommend it. Excellent read.

What another cracking story for J P Delaney. When I spotted this new novel I knew I had to get my hands on it and I couldn't wait to read it, and read it I did in almost one sitting. I predict a summer smash with this one.

I couldn't imagine what went through Pete Riley's head when he answered the front door to his home and was met with arrogant, self centred Miles Lambert a stranger who breaks the news that their mutual sons were switched accidentally at birth in the hospital. Could Theo his son really not be his?

If Pete and Maddie think they are in a bad dream they will soon discover that Miles and his wife Lucy are the Mothers of all nightmares and things go from bad to disastrous quickly.
Miles and Lucy who have the other son David have had DNA tests and they know that David is not theirs and the sneaky little blighters have secretly had Theo's DNA tested and they know that Theo is definitely theirs.
What starts out as a friendly intervention between two sets of parents soon becomes a nasty vicious battle and is pure addictive reading.

Gasp out loud moments, great character development and what a fantastic ending. This has murder, a court case, abuse, a fantastic psychopath, family drama and keeps you on the edge of your seat and intrigued until the end.
Special thanks to Net galley and Random House Publishing/Ballantine for this advanced copy in exchange for a review.

Published 28 July.

Every parents worst nightmare. A knock on the door and family life will never ever be the same again. Memories of a traumatic premature birth, the dark tunnel of hazy events that followed .; a neo natal intensive care unit where every cot filled with replica babies all fighting for their lives whilst parents struggle between hope and grief weighing up the odds of their Infants survival against potential life changing disabilities. Two sets of parents, two babies, a DNA result , one catastrophic mix up. A heartbreaking crisis developing into psychological warfare which can only result in winners and losers. Flawed three dimensional characters walking through a minefield of events that will bring out the best and worst in all involved. A shocking conclusion ultimately satisfying the need to see (poetic) justice done whilst recognising the collateral damage will ricochet down the years. Many thanks to publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this thoroughly thought provoking and gripping story.