Anthony Capella

The Perfect Wife is my fourth and most intriguing JP Delaney so far.
Abbie Cullen wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there to discover that she disappeared, presumed dead, surfing five years ago leaving behind Silicon Valley, Chatbot and Shopbot millionaire husband Tim Scott and darling son Danny recently diagnosed with childhood disintegrative disorder.
Her story is told from two different perspectives – current Abbie and original Abbie - in chapters numbered either show more numerically or in words by narrators unknown.
The underlying AI theme - robots replacing humans, creating the perfect replica - is both creepy and current, Stepford Wives meets Pygmalion’s Galatea and Tim Scott has got to be one of the vilest male protagonists I’ve come across in a long time.
The Perfect Wife is full of twists and turns - who is fake, who is real, who can you trust, who can you believe – and the ending is just wow, even though I’m still trying to figure out exactly who “we” were.
Minions and misogyny, art and technology, applied behaviour analysis and coercive control – there’s a lot going on in The Perfect Wife making it a challenging, compelling and complex read. show less

If it's possible to love and hate a book at the same time that is my response to The Girl Before. First of all the bits I liked : the premise of a house that you had to deserve. I loved the insertion of the questions in between chapters and the whole question of how far you would change who you are for the chance to live in a masterpiece of design. As a clutter loving dog owner I couldn't even imagine living in 1 Folgate Street and quite frankly not being able to decide how hot your shower show more is would really annoy me but I know people who would love it. The house was the star of the book for me, unfortunately I didn't find it's inhabitants nearly as appealing. I felt that the book pushed the reader into opinions of the characters only to then have them have personality shifts that didn't quite ring true in order to create twists. Despite this the book kept me reading until Emma seemed to morph into a character from 50 shades of Grey !! The word Daddy should never be used in the bedroom in my opinion and I found it really off putting. There are good aspects to the book and I'm sure the film will be big budget and amazingly successful but I'm afraid any book with the word Girl in the title is now off my reading list. show less

I picked this book off my pile to take with me on a holiday to Sorrento and it was the perfect reading companion. Looking, as I did, across to the Bay of Naples and Mount Vesuvius, where this book is set, really brought it to life for me. The characters are wonderful. I loved Livia, the feisty Neopolitan cook, and James, the intially reserved Wedding Officer.

The story is wonderful too, based partly on real life events. There really was a Wedding Officer, there to vet the potential Italian show more brides of British officers, and Vesuvius did erupt in 1944, during the war. I loved the way the author intertwined so many elements to make up the story: Italy, food, romance, cooking, history. It all worked so well together and I can't recommend this book highly enough. show less

Pete Riley and Maddy Wilson are domestic partners who live in London with their two-year-old son, Theo. They have their share of troubles: the spark in their relationship has begun to fade; while Maddie works in advertising, Pete, a journalist, was laid off and has not succeeded in his efforts to reignite his career; money is tight; and Pete (a stay-at-home dad) is warned by his son's school that Theo becomes verbally and physically aggressive when he does not get his way.

These problems show more pale in comparison with what comes next. A handsome and well-spoken man, Miles Lambert, shows up one day with a private investigator. It seems that Lambert's newborn was in the neonatal intensive care unit with Pete and Maddie's baby boy after Lucy, Miles' wife, and Maddie gave birth prematurely. A DNA test proves that Theo is actually the Lamberts' biological child. Miles and Lucy have been raising Maddie and Pete's natural son, David, who has special needs and requires a great deal of care. This tragic mix-up raises heartbreaking questions for which there are no easy answers.

J P Delaney's "Playing Nice" (what a great title with a delicious double meaning) is a tour-de-force, a domestic thriller that not only moves along at a rapid pace, but also explores such provocative themes as mental health challenges; contrasting parenting styles; the flaws in England's family court system; and the ways in which intense pressure and uncertainty can bring out a person's best and worst traits. Pete and Maddie take turns as narrators. They are flawed but well-meaning individuals who are no match for Miles, a chameleon who oozes charm when it suits him and attacks anyone who defies him. In addition to Pete and Maddie's accounts, there are intriguing mini-chapters that contain court reports, legal documents, text messages, and statements from social workers. The plot twists are gut-wrenching; we cannot anticipate how this chilling tale will end. "Playing Nice" is an addictive work of psychological and legal suspense that, once begun, is difficult to put down. show less