Playing Nice

Pete and Maddie are a normal, middle-class couple living in London with their rambunctious 2-year-old son, Theo. Then one day Miles Lambert shows up on their doorstep with evidence that Theo is actually his son and that David, the son that Miles and his wife, Lucy, are raising is actually Pete and Maddie's. The babies were both preemies, born on the same day, and were apparently switched when they were taken to the local NICU. Miles' news sets off a chain of events that neither Pete nor Maddie could have predicted, and what begins as an amicable relationship between the two families soon turns tumultuous.

** Possible Spoilers Ahead **

I went into this book expecting a straightforward, family custody drama (a lá “Switched at Birth”), but it soon turned into a wild, edge-of-your-seat thriller as Pete and Maddie are pulled deeper into the fight for custody of Theo and start to figure out just how far Miles will go to get his son back. As new things are brought to light and they become more entangled in the custody battle, I found myself more and more enthralled and literally did not want to put this book down. I actually found myself saying “Oh no! Oh my god!” out loud a few times. I could almost envision this as a movie because of how well the plot moved along and how well-developed the characters were.

This is my first J.P. Delaney novel and I absolutely loved it. His writing style makes it easy to place yourself into the story as an unseen observer and really become engaged with the characters and their story. I will definitely be seeking out more of his books for future reading.