Publication Date: July 28, 2020
Publisher: Ballatine Books
Pages: 416
Genre: Suspense with some thriller aspects
Rating: 5/5
This book starts off with our main characters, Pete and Maddie learning that their son, Theo, who they have been raising for the past two years is not biologically theirs. Which is such a captivating way to start a book and things really just build from there. I read this book in one sitting because I was so enthralled that I just needed to find out what was going to happen next.
Pete and Maddie are shocked to find out that their baby was switched at the NICU he had been sent to following his premature birth. They immediately know it is true though because the man who tells them, Miles, is the spitting image of Theo. And his son, David, is the spitting image of Maddie’s brother. Like I mentioned above, the story really builds from there and it is such a wild and emotional ride. Being a parent myself I constantly felt on the edge of my seat because I was so invested in what was going to happen to these two young boys.
This book is a well crafted suspense story that is really aided by the case files and transcripts that happen between chapters. As a reader we instantly know that something is going to happen to these characters but we aren’t sure what. I feel like the addition of these extras was so brilliant because the way they were placed in the story was so deliberate and would sometimes leave me feeling shocked or confused. Once the story evolved more I did have an idea of what the ending was going to be but I still think it was a satisfying ending to the story.
Playing Nice is my favorite of Delaney’s books which is saying a lot since I think I have given them all five stars. I love the imaginative and well thought out stories that he writes and I can’t wait to see what he comes up with next.
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