Playing Nice

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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. I’m sure. It’s just that we don’t always think about the consequences of things like that.” She smiled, but I could almost see the thought process behind her eyes. Stay-at-home dad equals aggressive kid. She wouldn’t have asked Jane Tigman if she played Call of Duty. And when Theo is thrown out of nursery for hitting other children, Pete and Maddie have to ask themselves: how far do they want this arrangement to go? What are the secrets hidden behind the Lamberts' smart front door? And how much can they trust the real parents of their child - or even each other? James Norton and Niamh Algar to star in new ITV1 psychological thriller 'Playing Nice' ". I Talk Telly. 21 November 2023 . Retrieved 22 November 2023. is so cliche but Delaney adeptly adds the unexpected making for an amazing summer thriller. Had I merely read the description, I might have thought “meh”. Don’t do that! This is one you can’t and won’t put down!

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?

Worldwide, ITV has several SVOD services including BritBox International which is available in the US, Canada, Australia, and South Africa and The Nordics. 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. This was a very enjoyable read that had twists, turns, revelations and bits to chew on. This had me thinking about the plot well after I finished it. This is a thought-provoking book that was another solid read by J.P. Delaney. This book is everything I never knew I wanted. Swapped baby stories are such a cliché, but Playing Nice is so much more. This is a story about mental illness, addiction, abuse, murder, lies, betrayal, the law, and most importantly, it covers just how far parents are willing to go to protect the child they love, despite the multitude of nightmarish scenarios facing them. It's a total roller-coaster ride. My emotions were all over the place!

Expect a roller coaster and a feverish excited tense and amazing read right till the last full stop ITV Drama Commissioner, Helen Perry, will oversee production for the broadcaster with Playing Nice premiering on ITV1 and streaming on ITVX. 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. 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. Looking once again for a take me away from the craziness happening in our lives, Jan and I decided to read J.P. Delaney's new book Playing Nice. It provided just the diversion we were looking for and gave us many hours of riveting reading.An addictive psychological thriller, perfect for fans of The Silent Patient and Shari Lapena's The Couple Next Door. Susy visibly relaxed. “Well, as you say, it is typical two-year-old stuff. I’m sure you know this, but it can help if you model the correct behavior. If he sees you getting cross or aggressive, he’ll come to believe that aggression is a legitimate response to stress. What about the TV programs he watches? I’m afraid even Tom and Jerry may not be appropriate at this age, at least not until the hitting stage is over. And if you play any violent videogames yourself—” Miles convinces Pete and Maddie to join them in the lawsuit against the hospital but Delaney intersperses the plot with legal file notes that reflect badly on Pete so we know things get ugly.

As the book goes on, the thriller aspect takes over and it becomes quite dark. It had me on the edge of my seat. A character in another book talked about the creepy crawly feeling of anxiety. That is exactly what this book gives you! It’s terrifying and sad because you can just see how it could all play out as written. 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. I am a 50% JP Delaney Fan ... LOVED "The Girl Before" could not get into "Believe me" ADORED "The Perfect Wife" and it is still sharp in my mind like I read it yesterday but I could not get into "Playing Nice". I am so hoping this hit and miss format is continuing for me and I will go wild about the next JP Delaney as it is almost like there are two authors at work here taking it in turns to right the books! "The Girl Before" was fabulous ... and "The Perfect Wife" was even better ... and now this. JP] Delaney takes domestic suspense beyond its comfort zone.”—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review Also I find reading about mental health issues unsavoury as I am just looking for a thriller to capture my imagination and take me on a thrilling ride of suspense and mystery and bringing in the potential red herring of are they/aren't they insane just muddies the waters for me.It’s nothing to worry about,” she said as we sat down, which of course instantly made me aware that it was definitely something to worry about. “It’s just that there was another incident yesterday. Theo hit one of the other children again.” Collier, Katie (22 November 2023). "Happy Valley's James Norton to star in ITV's Playing Nice". Northern Echo . Retrieved 22 November 2023. Pete Riley and Maddie Wilson are the unmarried parents of a two-year-old boy named Theo. Even though his birth was traumatic --- a premature delivery followed by time spent in the NICU --- he appears to be a happy and well-adjusted little boy. However, he doesn’t always play nice with his fellow toddlers at daycare and often hits them. 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

Darvill, Josh (21 November 2023). "Playing Nice TV series to star James Norton and Niamh Algar". Tellmix . Retrieved 22 November 2023. Set against a sweeping Cornish landscape, two couples discover that their toddlers were switched at birth in a hospital mix-up, and face a horrifying dilemma: do they keep the sons they have raised and loved, or reclaim their biological child? Living a waking nightmare, Pete (James Norton) and Maddie (Niamh Algar) are jettisoned into the world of the other couple; Miles (James McArdle) and Lucy (Jessica Brown Findlay). At first it seems all four are agreed on a solution, but it soon becomes clear that hidden motives are at play. How far can each couple trust the real parents of their child – or even each other? As Pete and Maddie are stretched to breaking point, they realise they will stop at nothing to keep their family together.Scrutinizing the guy’s face, acting like a naïve, gullible person and asking: “could you be my son’s second cousin?’ Lucy was the one that switched the tags, in a crazy attempt to save her baby from Miles. Lucy admits this to Maggie and Pete when they are able to get her alone. She tells them that Miles has a storage unit where she thinks he keeps an old car, likely the one he is using to run over people that get in his way. The man, Miles Lambert, breaks the devastating news that Theo is in fact not Pete's son, but his - the two babies got mixed up at hospital and Miles and his wife, Lucy, now have the Rileys' son at home. They've already carried out DNA testing to prove it. Playing Nice is the fourth book by Anthony Capella, writing as JP Delaney. I’ve enjoyed them all, two of them garnering very rare 4.5 stars from me.