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Playing Nice cover art

Playing Nice

Written by: JP Delaney
Narrated by: Ben Elliot, Amelia Cormack, Peter Forbes
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Publisher's Summary

What if you found out that your family isn’t yours at all? How far would you go to protect them? A gripping new psychological thriller from the best-selling author of The Girl Before....

"[JP] Delaney takes domestic suspense beyond its comfort zone.” (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review)

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.

The two families, reeling from the shock, take comfort in shared good intentions, eagerly entwining their very different lives in the hope of becoming one unconventional modern family. But a plan to sue the hospital triggers an official investigation that unearths some disturbing questions about the night their children were switched. How much can they trust the other parents - or even each other? What secrets are hidden behind the Lamberts' glossy front door? Stretched to the breaking point, Pete and Maddie discover they will each stop at nothing to keep their family safe.

They are done playing nice.

©2020 JP Delaney (P)2020 Random House Audio

What the critics say

"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 Nice is 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)

"A nightmarish scenario drives this gripping psychological thriller...Genuinely surprising twists reveal just how far a parent will go for the sake of a child. This is domestic suspense at its most unsettling.” (Publishers Weekly)

What listeners say about Playing Nice

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One of the best I’ve listened to

Just get it. It held me in suspense until the end. I couldn’t stop listening to it.

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3 people found this helpful

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Best book I’ve listened to in ages

A totally gripping story and entirely believable plot. I couldn’t stop listening until the end! Written and narrated with great empathy for the characters.

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1 person found this helpful

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Page turner

Totally had me wrapped up in the "what's next". Admittedly, there were times in this book I was frazzled and stressed out
for the main characters but started to see how it might be playing out. The end was a bit of a surprise though.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Unrealistic but kept listening

As someone who has practiced civil litigation and family law this story would have benefitted from some expert feedback to the author during editing. It's possible the UK is completely different but many factors around the legal and social worker were completely off base and not how it would happen. Also the main characters were supposed to be professionals but had no apparent skills to deal with their problems and did not get help at appropriate times or use the information they did have. It's a bit difficult to like any of them by the end. All that said I got interested in the story and listened the whole way through fairly quickly.

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Moving and thought provoking

This book is a must listen. It will really make you think about what constitutes family, and how love can change everything.

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Amazing plot twist and turns. Author had an uncanny ability to stir up some real emotions. Well done.

Loved all of it. It was riveting Really made you think the whole time. Just amazing all the way through

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The story is a unimaginable situation

So many times I’ve read books and knew exactly how I’d react had it been me as the leading character. I can honestly say, I don’t know what I’d do if I was the living through this impossible situation. This book was enthralling. I couldn’t peel myself away until I finished it.

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  • kim
  • 2023-06-27

Nicely done!

Kept me guessing and I enjoyed every minute of it. 👍🏼💚The voice actors are wonderful.

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  • m
  • 2022-11-28

Amazing

One of the best audiobooks yet
Such a great story and narrator is excellent. Must listen

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Really enjoyed it

I listen to audiobooks while I work and this story kept me engaged and interested. The ending was genuinely surprising and the author did a really good job keeping me guessing. The inclusion of different psychological disorders was also really interesting. Overall, I enjoyed this book and would recommend it!

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