An addictive psychological thriller, perfect for fans of The Silent Patient and Shari Lapena's The Couple Next Door. Pete Riley answers the door one morning and lets in a parent’s worst nightmare. On his doorstep is Miles Lambert, a stranger who breaks the devastating news that Pete’s son, Theo, isn’t actually his son—he is the Lamberts’, switched at birth by an understaffed hospital while their real son was sent home with Miles and his wife, Lucy. For Pete, his partner Maddie, and the little boy they’ve been raising for the past two years, life will never be the same again.

To make matters more complicated, one family is wealthy while the other is not. One family has a healthy child, while the other child has significant developmental delays. Parenting styles are different and the age old question of nature vs nurture is explored. The characters are well-developed and I found myself questioning everyone. Who to trust when everyone involved is harboring secrets?However, where things really went wrong for me was how the 'real son' of Pete and Maddie was handled in the book. He is almost completely ignored in the story, and I just felt that was really unrealistic. If I just found out I had a biological child out there somewhere and that the child I thought was mine wasn't actually mine, I would be EQUALLY distraught about both children. Because both children would feel like mine. I would want to know everything about my 'real' child. Instead we just get a book completely focused on Theo. I guess that was a motherly denial as for her something like that was unimaginable, she couldn’t even think it’s a possibility. That’s why reading this book was an intense stressful unimaginable experience. Because it’s too scary to think about something like that. The book was so gripping even though the thrilling aspect of it wasn’t so strong, but the main idea of the book was enough to creat a stressful read. Wow, what a horrible thing to happen to a family, to two families! Two years after Maggie and Pete have the agonizing time of their son Theo being born months early, and all the heartbreak that goes with such a tiny premature baby, a man enters their life and tells them that Theo is his son, that their babies were accidentally switched not long after they were born and sent to the ICU for babies. Miles and Lucy, who have baby David, have had him DNA tested so they are positive he is not their son. Miles has also secretly had Theo tested and they know that Theo is their son. Miles claims that they want to work with Maggie and Pete, to not disrupt the life of either boy, but allow both sets of parents to play a role in each boy's life. This is the third book I have read by this author and definitely my favorite. I enjoyed the character development and how the atmosphere in the book changed from amicable to diabolical by the end of the book. What really wrapped this up for me was the great ending, of which I won’t speak a word!!

There is a precision about Delaney's characters that propels his twisty plots into unexpected and utterly convincing scenarios' Daily Mail Then things start falling apart. Miles is demanding, thinking he's going to send Theo to boarding school when he's older, dropping by Theo's house at night to spend time with him, interfering with Theo, Pete, and Maggie's routine and lives. Miles practically demands that Pete, Maggie, and Theo go on a week long vacation with his family and when Pete and Maggie revolt, all hell breaks loose and their life explodes into a huge legal and moral mess. There is even a suspicion that someone may have swapped the babies on purpose. People have been hurt and murder may even play a part in this story. Things look hopeless for Pete and Maggie and they realize they may not ever get to see either child again. What at first seems like a domestic drama definitely turns into a thriller. Marialyce and I were looking for an engaging read while we are sheltering-in-place and this provided a much welcomed escape! This means I’m addictive to this author’s books and I keep going blind and devouring them without thinking a second! Scrutinizing the guy’s face, acting like a naïve, gullible person and asking: “could you be my son’s second cousin?’Playing nice is not something Miles Lambert has ever even tried to be good at. Mid-way through the book we will find out just how manipulating and forceful he can be. As the tale continues, we see the four characters play out one against the other and as we delve more into their personalities we find very troubling details that threaten the very being of both the children and the couples involved.

The only gripe I had was with the naiveté of Pete. Personally, I’d be speed-dialing my lawyer before the visitor took his second step into my house. (While also dispensing a serious dose of Mace!) But that’s just me!💁🏻‍♀️

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This book had me feeling all kinds of emotions. I don't normally think about jumping ahead with books, but at times I was so anxious that I contemplated skipping chapters to see how it ended. I resisted the urge though. When it comes to ordinary families faced with terrifying dilemmas,there is no one better than JP Delaney.He is King of Thrillers, and Playing Niceis his best book yet. His chilling, compelling and oh-so-real books force us to confront our darkest fears—and question how far we would go to protect those we love.. . . Brilliant.” —Fiona Cummins,author of Rattle Expect a roller coaster and a feverish excited tense and amazing read right till the last full stop