Playing Nice is the first book I have read by JP Delaney, and it certainly won't be the last. I thought this book was fantastic.

A domestic thriller, following one family and their journey into parenthood. Soon, they discover that all is not as it seems and the child that they have raised as their own, is not their biological son. What follows is a disturbing court case, with evidence being used against them (I won't go into too much detail).

I thought the plot and narrative was fast paced and tense - at one point I gasped out loud and held my breath for a few seconds whilst reading! Flawed characters, plot twists and building suspense - a real page turner.

Overall, a fantastic read and one that I recommend.

4,5*
J P Delaney is one of those writers who always pens a good and 'different' story. For this novel he has clearly been inspired by the biblical story - The Judgement of Solomon - where King Solomon ruled between two women who both claimed to be the mother of a baby. They had both been living in the same house, each caring for her offspring, but one baby died. With great wisdom he threatened to cut the baby in two. In this way he could determine which mother was the actual birth mother, as the real mother suggested giving the baby to the other mother to preserve the baby's life.

And so to the story. Pete and Maddie have a son Theo. His arrival in the world was a traumatic event, he was premature and rushed from the private hospital where Maddie had given birth, to an NHS hospital with a NICU (Newborn Intensive Care Unit). He is now two and seemingly thriving, despite his early difficulties. One day someone called Miles arrives with the explosive news that Theo is not their child. Miles has a child of the same age called David, who is very sickly and suffers disabilities; their babies got mixed up shortly after their birth - at this stage it is not known where and how. Pete can see Maddie in David, and similarly he can see elements of Theo in Miles. Pete seems easily convinced. It is from that point on - when Miles walks across the threshold of Pete and Maddie's house with his devastating news - that I began to clasp my hands to my head and exhort Pete not to accept this news at face value. Why did he let Miles walk into his house? But I guess shock does strange things to people and they respond in unaccustomed and illogical ways.

It is all very genial, and Pete and Maddie invite Miles and his wife Lucy to be godparents. It's all nicey nice but just something doesn't feel quite right. The boundaries start to slip and soon uncomfortably Theo is being looked after by Miles and Lucy's nanny, which on one level is a practical solution, but on another it's really quite disturbing. As the story unfolds the discomfort ratchets up and social services start to get involved.

J P Delaney has also written as Anthony Capella, where I first found appreciation for this author's writing style and storytelling. He also has penned the Carnivia Trilogy, set in Vencie. He always takes a theme and gives it a good tug so that it is a vibrant and original telling, and with knife edge precision, he keeps his stories enthralling and just this side of credible.

Thank you to NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed the premise of Playing Nice despite how far-fetched it was (even think it worked in its favour!) at times. The characters are great - even the horrible ones - and as a reader I really felt for the moral entanglement everyone found themselves in. There were definitely times where I found myself hooked in and wondered how the story would proceed. My rating is only lower as I wasn’t consistently on the edge of my seat and thought there were narrative points that definitely could have been tightened up (or explored more!) but overall a fresh and thrilling read.

What an amazing book. Another one I read without reading the synopsis and wow, I was hooked from the very beginning. I loved the story, all the dynamics and moral dilemmas. It was heartbreaking, thrilling and twisty. I also really enjoyed the ending!

I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Quercus Books, and the author JP Delaney.
This was a pretty stressful book to read, constant anxiety and bad luck for the main couple the entire way through made it feel unrealistic and a bit ridiculous. The character of Miles was such an obvious villain that I have to agree with another review that he seemed cartoonish. The ending also seemed rushed, quickly added into the final few pages and with a strange resolution for Lucy. Not a bad story if you're a fan of psychological thrillers and domestic dramas, but not hugely enjoyable. 2 stars.

Two babies somehow managed to go home with the wrong parents. I just knew I wasn’t going to like this book the minute Pete takes what the other father tells him as gospel without doing his own checks as well. It’s one of those irritating “what” stories. Doesn’t help that no one is likeable in any sort of way. Shame because I’ve enjoyed other books by this author, but this one is a bit “meh”. Only my opinion but other readers will love it!

‘Playing Nice’ is a twisted, menacing read and an all round okay thriller. I enjoyed that it switched between the perspectives of the two main characters as I felt that gave me more insight into what was going on. However, it also went back and forth between the past and present, this would’ve been great too but the timeline jumped around a little bit too much and it made it a bit disjointed at times.

This book was definitely entertaining though and it was very difficult to put down as I was desperate to find out the outcome of the situation. This made it a very quick read and I finished it within 24 hours. I definitely recommend it if you want to read a quick, engaging thriller.

This was one of those books that once I started it I was completely hooked. It is a story of two families whose premature baby boys were in the same neonatal unit together. Two years later Pete opens his door and finds Miles and a lawyer on his doorstep saying that the two babies had been swapped in the unit and he had proof of this in a DNA test he had carried out. The rollercoaster of the families feelings then begin but before long it becomes clear that one family want both boys and it seems that nothing will stop them. I thought the topic had been well researched and the emotions felt by both sets of parents were covered sensitively by the author. The story has a good plot, with interesting characters and include topics covering deception, abuse and mental health issues with plenty of twists and turns that will keep you hooked. A brilliant read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

Loved this book as it took a subject that could potentially happen in really life and described how people deal with it differently.
Lots of twist and turns that kept me guessing till I was blown away by the ending. Definitely five stars

JP Delaney is another author I’ve always heard good things about but never picked up a book by. I went into this without reading a blurb, having no idea what I was about to get myself into.

Playing nice is a domestic suspense novel that is based on a parents worst nightmare. One day a knock on Pete and Maddie’s door changes everything and they learn that their two year old son Theo isn’t actually their biological child. Theo was swapped at birth with another child and the story unfolds around trying to formulate an agreement with the parents of the other child on how to move forward. While things start off well-intentioned things escalate quickly, with the other couple becoming weirdly overbearing.

This was so entertaining, written from duel perspectives between Pete and Maddie, interlaced with case note documents and evidence, adding an extra layer of insight into the story. The characters were so interesting, the bad guy was suitably vile and the good guys messy and intriguing. The reveals in this kept taking me by surprise.

Just as you think the tension can’t get higher and the book gets increasingly darker, the ending packs a satisfying punch. All in all this was a compelling story about what constitutes a family containing a difficult moral dilemma.

Thanks Quercus and Netgalley for my copy to review, I’ll be reading more from Delaney in future.

The best book by author JP Delaney, he had written some creepy books, this was pure icing on the cake. A story that rocked me the core, the emotions that overtook me, and an end I could never have thought of.

Imagine this scenario – a knock at mid-day, and a man who looked like the grownup version of your child and a reveal that your son is his, and the children had been exchanged at birth.

Stay at home dad Ben’s entire world collapsed at that instant when Miles Lambert announced the truth. The Lamberts were planning to sue the hospital, and they also wanted to get to know their child. Ben and Maddie too needed to know their child David at the Lambert home. A compromise was reached, but there were some shoving truths. The plot evolved quickly when Miles revealed his true character, and the court case became something altogether.

JP Delaney was a master magician who knew how to lead his readers down false passages of complacency. Just when I thought I knew it all, WHAM!! I was hit by a twist. The pages flew as quickly as I mortally could.

Emotions ravaged my insides at the scenes that the author unfurled in front of me. Some of them caused me to gasp, others made me pace the room with anger. Helplessness abounded in me and in the characters. How quickly circumstances changed.

A story that started placidly turned shades and became deeper and darker. At moments, I felt Ben and Maddie were the lambs being led to the slaughter house. But fear not, the author twisted that facet too. Didn’t I say he is a master magician?

A gripping, twisty, psychological thriller!

Hello Mr Delaney. . . You have certainly crafted my type of a gripping, twisty psychological thriller!!! You reeled me in from the outset!

Pete and his partner Maddie are the parents of two-year-old Theo, whose behaviour can be rather challenging, like many children of his age. His primary carer is his Dad . . . while Maddie is the breadwinner.

One day when Pete had collected Theo from Nursery, as usual, he found out that Theo had disgraced himself by hitting another child. While Pete was mulling over the situation, the day went from bad to worse!! He met the very enigmatic Miles Lambert, only to find out that their babies had apparently been switched at birth!

As you can imagine this scenario would be every parents’ worse nightmare. What on earth would be the best and humane solution? Well . . . I really don’t wish to give any spoilers, but I felt myself going into fight or flight mode. . . remaining on red alert throughout!

“Playing Safe” kept me so enthralled that I just had to keep turning the pages as the tension mounted with this fast-paced gripping psychological thriller. Several sensational secrets are revealed from all the characters, so I suggest that you savour every moment. Thank you, Mr Delaney, for this riveting ride!

Galadriel

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of the book to review

This book plays on something that I'd imagine niggles at the back of most parents minds.
At times I wanted to put it down because it made me uncomfortable (in a good way) and others I couldn't put it down!

Thank you netgalley for another great book. I’ve loved the other books from this author that I have read and this one didn’t disappoint. Extremely fast paced and I particularly enjoyed the crime and legal content that was in most chapters. Anything like that interests me so it held my attention. I wasn’t sure how realistic it was but then I know what most thrillers can be like but it didn’t put me off and I would definitely recommend this one.

Wow, this had me gripped , it was a real page turner. Very thought provoking - imagine how you would feel faced with the same dilemma!

I received this arc through net galley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book and stayed up late into the night Ito finish it.

A book with lots of twists and turns, I look forward to the next book Delaney writes.

I was in awe of this novel throughout. Delaney has weaved an intriguing and engaging tale of moral and legal conundrums, and just when you think the situation has reached its zenith, he injects a new layer of complexity and uncertainty for the characters. You can tell that a huge amount of research and expertise went into this book, and I was impressed from the first page right to the end. Bravo!

It’s a day like any other when stay at home dad Pete Riley opens the front door to be confronted with a man claiming to be the father of his son.

Miles Lambert and his wife Lucy have a son born on the same day, at the same hospital, as Pete and Maddie’s two-year-old son Theo.

Miles explains that their babies got swapped at the hospital.

Now the two sets of parents must get together and decide what to do next. They learn that typically speaking when this happens and the children are under one year old, they are swapped back, but when they are three and older they stay in the homes with the parents they have always known. So two years is somewhat of a grey area.

The decide that conversation and compromise are the way forward. They will each keep the child they have raised thus far but be in each other’s lives.
When the Lampert’s start inviting themselves over constantly and making more and more demands, Pete and Maddie decide it’s time to put their foot down and set some ground rules.
Miles Lampert does not react well to this and drama ensues.

Other than the fact that I could tell from the first chapter that Miles was a real piece of work and that this was going to get messy and nasty in exactly the way it did, I did find myself riveted.

For pace, dialogue, character development, tension and suspense, this is a book well deserving of four stars. I nearly downgraded to three stars due to the predictability of the relationship turning sour between the two families. Then I decided that this was an element that was always going to be predictable in a story like this.

What was not predictable was the absolute rage I felt at times while reading, along with the choices the characters made and the directions the story took.

This was a good read, but I preferred The Perfect Wife to this particular one. That’s not to say I won’t read other books but this author again though. I enjoyed the pacing and the characters.

A good and interesting read!

I would recommend this to everyone who loves a good story with captivating characters! Definitely a good read!