THE SENSATIONAL PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE GIRL BEFORE 'The kind of book that keeps you up at night' My Weekly 'Utterly terrifying and compelling' Stephanie Wrobel 'JP Delaney is King of Thrillers and Playing Nice is his best book yet' Fiona Cummins 'There is a precision about Delaney's characters that propels his twisty plots into unexpected and utterly convincing scenarios' Daily Mail Pete Riley answers the door one morning to a parent's worst nightmare. On his doorstep is ...
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THE SENSATIONAL PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER FROM THE INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF THE GIRL BEFORE 'The kind of book that keeps you up at night' My Weekly 'Utterly terrifying and compelling' Stephanie Wrobel 'JP Delaney is King of Thrillers and Playing Nice is his best book yet' Fiona Cummins 'There is a precision about Delaney's characters that propels his twisty plots into unexpected and utterly convincing scenarios' Daily Mail 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 - Pete, his partner Maddie, and Miles and his wife Lucy - agree that, rather than swap the boys back, they'll try to find a more flexible way to share their children's lives. But a plan to sue the hospital triggers an investigation that unearths disturbing questions about just what happened the day the babies were switched. And when Theo is thrown out of nursery for hitting other children, Maddie and Pete have to ask themselves: how far do they want this arrangement to go? What secrets lie hidden behind the Lamberts' smart front door? How much can they trust the real parents of their child - or even each other? An addictive psychological thriller, perfect for fans of The Silent Patient and Shari Lapena's The Couple Next Door. See what everyone is saying about JP Delaney, the hottest name in psychological thrillers: 'DAZZLING' - Lee Child 'ADDICTIVE' - Daily Express 'DEVASTATING' - Daily Mail 'INGENIOUS' - New York Times 'COMPULSIVE' - Glamour Magazine 'ELEGANT' - Peter James 'SEXY' - Mail on Sunday 'ENTHRALLING' - Woman and Home 'ORIGINAL' - The Times 'RIVETING' - Lisa Gardner 'CREEPY' - Heat 'SATISFYING' - Reader's Digest 'SUPERIOR' - The Bookseller 'MORE THAN A MATCH FOR PAULA HAWKINS' - Sunday Times
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Seller's Description:
Fine in Fine jacket. 1st Printing. A fine UK first edition, first printing hardback-in a fine unblemished dustjacket-All my books are always securely packed with plenty of bubblewrap in professional boxes and promptly dispatched (within 2-3 days)-SIGNED, LINED & DATED BY THE AUTHOR-Pictures available upon request.
Having previously really enjoyed J P Delaney's 'The Perfect Wife' I was excited to get approved for the ARC for 'Playing Nice'. Whereas The Perfect Wife was more a sci-fi thriller this is a lot more of a domestic, psychological thriller and it really shows off the author's range. It's an interesting and terrifying premise - a family get a knock at the door to tell them that the child that they have been parenting for 2.5 years doesn't biologically belong to them due to a mix-up at the hospital.
What I really enjoyed about this book was just how well everything was planned out by the author. It's paced so well - everything is revealed slowly with the stakes getting just a little higher each time. There's a sinister undertone to book even from the initial few chapters and it pulls you in to wanting to find out more - I finished the book in just two sittings. It's also nicely researched and nothing felt over the top of out of the realms of realism.
The book is narrated in alternate chapters between parents Pete and Maddie. They both have secrets to keep and a lot of these are not revealed to the reader until further in the plot-line which makes them both feel like unreliable narrators at times. As there are only two narrators you really get a chance to get to know them and they feel well-rounded and grounded in reality. The ending of the book has a nice mini-twist and it really is a satisfying ending for a stand-alone thriller - it doesn't wrap up everything in a nice bow but leaves you with enough to not need more but to keep you thinking about it long after you put it down.
Overall Playing Nice is a great psychological thriller which is nicely plotted, well paced and has some seriously sinister undertones - highly recommended. Thank you to NetGalley & Quercus Books for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
