At first glance, All the Dangerous Things seems like a story about a mother’s desperate need to find her child, which is, of course, true but it is also so much more than that. All the Dangerous Things is a story about the complexities of motherhood, the lengths we’re willing to go to protect the ones we love, the way we’re affected by childhood grief and trauma, and the dangers of secrecy.

This story is told in two separate timelines — “then” 1999 in Beaux Bridge, Louisiana and “now” in Savannah, Georgia. I love alternating timelines, especially when the past is so tightly woven with the present. My favorite thing about alternating timelines within mystery stories especially, is being able to see how one event can influence another, which I think Willingham did a great job of conveying. It was easy to see how situations from Isabelle’s past would make her react a certain way, or why she would suspect one thing based on prior experiences. I felt that the alternating timelines really added to the mysterious atmosphere and the unreliability of our main character, Isabelle.

I love an unreliable narrator in a mystery novel, and really, I had strong doubts about Isabelle throughout the entire book. Obviously, I could fully sympathize with the fact that Isabelle was a mother grieving over the loss of her child, and that she was desperate to get answers. I can’t even imagine the grief and fear that she was going through, so I really felt for her. However, there was never one moment where I was one hundred percent positive that she didn’t somehow have something to do with his disappearance, especially as more information was revealed throughout the story. The addition of her sleepwalking and general sleep issues really added to that uncertainty and had all the things I’m looking for in a book with an unreliable narrator.

In my opinion, Willingham once again crafted a well thought out and interesting novel that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. She’s definitely become one of my go-to authors for the adult mystery/thriller genre and I’m looking forward to whatever it is that she writes next.

A mother who’s baby was stolen from his crib and has been missing for a year with no clues, deals with insomnia and sleepwalking issues since childhood and her husband and her split from the trauma. Who took her baby? Does she trust herself to know she has nothing to do with it? Has her past happened again?

Spoilers⚠️

Half unoriginal. A grieving mother doesn’t trust her self and everyone thinks she’s crazy. The dead beat man who is always moving on the best new shiny woman and conveniently has a wife die and a baby missing and a new mistress. Like come on it was so obvious.
The only twist the made sense was that the old man saw “her” with the baby and it was the mistress while stealing the baby and they looked a like. That was the big holy crap moment and it still wasn’t huge!
The short chapters kept me pulled in and I read it super fast,
But i could have called it from the first 3 chapters…

This is the first book of Willingham’s that I’ve read and it did not disappoint! Isabelle Drake’s 18-month-old son, Mason, went missing from his bedroom one year ago and since then Isabelle hasn’t been able to sleep. She finds herself speaking at true crime events in an effort to seek out clues as to what might have happened to Mason. The trauma of his disappearance also dredges up a tragedy in her past that she can’t help but wonder is linked to Mason’s disappearance. Alternating between the current life of Isabelle and her childhood, I found the story fast-paced and keeping me in suspense. While I did figure out one of the twists earlier than it was revealed, I was ultimately left surprised at the ending.

This is the first book I have read by this author and it was a good one! This was a fast paced book that was very difficult to put down. The story was every parent's worst nightmare - a missing child. The MC had an unusual medical condition and her sleep deprivation added another layer to the story. I have heard good things about this author's first book and am planning on reading it soon. A 5 star read for me!

First off I want to thank @netgalley, @stmartinspress & @stacywillingham for my free ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a phenomenal read. It sucked me right in and never let me go. Truly great engaging writing, that keeps you reading late into the Night.

The book alternates between past and present which is something I really enjoyed as you get all the reasoning behind the actions. It was very well paced and nothing felt rushed. A lot of research in this book which made it even more enjoyable, realistic. The author dives into mental health, post partum depression, grief which are portrayed extremely well.

The characters were multi faceted, complexe and unreliable. I didn't know who to believe or what to believe. Who did what and why ? I was truly immersed in this story, once the twists kept coming they didn't stop. I kept changing my theories until the very end.

This is a very well done thriller that you will not be able to put down.

If you want a fast paced, suspenseful, realistic thriller give this one a shot !

Isabelle Drake hasn't slept in a year. Not really, anyway. And she can't—not until her son, Mason, is found. Taken from his crib in the middle of the night, the case quickly went cold. When a true crime podcaster offers to draw attention to the case again, Isabelle agrees. But his questions force her to confront not only her own past but also a potentially shattering truth: could she have done something to Mason herself?

I just couldn't put this one down! It wasn't simply the story itself, which I'll get to, but it was the careful characterization of Isabelle, the narrator that stood out. She is fully believable as a sleep-deprived, panicked mother. The outbursts of anger, the disconnect from and fear of reality. It all just clicked for me. I vacillated between suspects, including Isabelle herself, for almost the whole book.

I tend to be pretty good at picking up on hints, but I freely admit that this one kept me guessing right to the end. And I loved the end! I'm not sure what I expected of the ending, but it felt right and made sense.

Definitely don't miss this one!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing me with a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

This book was nearly impossible to put down. My first 5-star read of 2023 and a book I will not soon forget. I even think this is better than Flicker in the Dark. I feel the storyline is more well-thought out and evenly paced. I do think the ending is just a tad too convenient but the author does a splendid job of explaining it and left me going, “ok, sure. I’ll buy that.” But an excellent, excellent book and one that would make a stellar book club discussion.

A book about an insomniac - I'm in!
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for my eARC of All The Dangerous Things for review.
Isabelle Drake's infant son Mason disappeared one year ago, taken right from his crib in the night. Isabelle used to be the heaviest of sleepers, even a sleepwalker, but since the abduction she can get no more than delirious moments of rest here and there.
This sets up for a most unreliable narrator, one of my favourite tropes in thrillers.
I enjoyed author Stacy Willingham's debut A Flicker In The Dark last year, and All The Dangerous Things was equally good or better. Her writing in this book felt more settled, solid and confident.
There are some truly great twists in this one, definitely said "whaaat?!" out loud more than once. While reading in the dark middle of the night, of course!
All The Dangerous Things releases on Jan. 10.

Thank you, NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Isabelle Drake is currently living her worst nightmare when a year ago her toddler, Mason, was kidnapped in the middle of the night. With such little evidence, the case goes cold when no witnesses or clues arise. Isabelle now speaks at true crime conferences to tell her story in hopes that she might find some clues as to where her son was taken. When a true-crime podcaster, Waylon, approaches her to speak on his show, she agrees. But what happens when sleep deprivation catches up to you? Can you even trust yourself anymore?

This was the second book I read by Stacy Willingham and it did not disappoint. I loved this book more than her debut, A Flicker in the Dark. I loved how fast-paced this book felt. I was fully convinced that everyone could have potentially been a suspect and loved the unreliable narrator aspect. The twist at the end completely caught me off-guard.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves thrillers or mysteries. Willingham's writing style pulls you into the story from the first page. I am looking forward to her future books.

First read of 23. Pub date for this one is next week. My advice? Pick it up!

I really liked A Flicker in the Dark and Stacy’s writing style so I had high hopes for this one. I was not disappointed.

This domestic thriller features an unreliable narrator which some people don’t like- but I actually enjoy. A baby was stolen from under his parents’ nose one year ago. The case is still unsolved with no real suspects. I did not want to put this one down when I had to get ready for work! I found it fully engaging and interesting. I had several theories throughout this one- none correct. Themes of family secrets, avoidance, what we will do to protect our family and vigilante justice were all featured.

Highly recommend❤️. Thank you to @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC to read and review.

Isabelle hasn't slept since the disappearance of Mason, her toddler son, a year ago. She and her husband have split. He's trying to move on, while she desperately tries to keep her son's case in the news. To do this, she attends a true crime conference where she meets podcaster Waylon.

There are two backward-looking strands of the story, one from the 1990s that looks at Isabelle's history of sleepwalking as a child and the other that looks back at Isabelle's relationship with her husband, Ben.

I wasn't a huge fan of this past/present narrative in All the Dangerous Things, though it was necessary to make us doubt the sanity of the main character and the set up of the twists that come toward the end of the book.

By making Isabelle both a physical and psychological wreck, the reader constantly wonders how reliable a narrator she is. And Isabelle starts wondering, too.

By the last third of the book, the plot takes some interesting twists and turns. If you like psychological thrillers, you should definitely check this one out!

✨BOOK REVIEW✨

All The Dangerous Things
@stacyvwillingham
Pub Date: January 10, 2023

Honestly, Stacy Willingham could write my obituary and have you wondering if I was still alive. She had me in a chokehold with this one, as I tagged along in a buddy read with @no.shelf.control.k, @readingthroughatlanta and @travelingtoabookend — and promptly left them all in the dust as I finished in two sittings. Thankfully, they all still are my friends.

Some may say that sitting at home reading on NYE is lame, but I personally can’t think of a more thrilling evening 😉

If you listen to one thing I recommend this year, please let it be to READ THIS BOOK. Most of my predictions were wrong but it led @travelingtoabookend and I to a pretty good idea for our own novel we will (most likely never) write in the future. Twists and turns and psychological thrills, this one had it all!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Ready for your next novel Stacy! DM me for my address to send the ARC 😉

I'm always on the hunt for my next favorite thriller -- sadly, this one was not it. I struggled with Izzy's voice throughout the novel and was disappointed by several obvious feints. The twists toward the end of the novel were admittedly interesting but a bit nonsensical...and I had a hard time tracking the novel's sense of justice. I think there was meant to be a critique of true crime as a genre, but it ultimately fell away. A compelling read for some, I'm sure, but it left me flat.

Sophisticated, twisty, and riveting!

All the Dangerous Things is a highly suspenseful, character-driven thriller that takes you into the life of Isabelle Drake, a young mother who has barely slept a wink in the last year since her worst nightmare came true and her son was abducted during the night but who now at her wit’s end is willing to accept any help she can get to discover what really occurred even if it means working with the meddling true-crime podcaster Waylon Spencer and confronting a past she would much rather stay hidden.

The writing is precise and brisk. The characters are complex, secretive, and troubled. And the plot ratchets up the intrigue quickly as it twists, turns and unravels all the personalities, motivations, actions, and relationships within it.

Overall, All the Dangerous Things, at its core, is a novel about family, friendship, fear, secrets, manipulation, red herrings, revelations, childhood trauma, kidnapping, and motherhood. It’s a fast-paced, gripping, uniquely-written tale that highlights everything is not always as it seems and is a real page-turner you certainly don’t want to miss.

All The Dangerous Things got me out of my December reading slump! I'm rating it 4 stars!
Here’s the set up: One year ago, Isabelle Drake's life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads, the case quickly went cold. However, Isabelle cannot rest until Mason is returned to her―literally. She’s barely slept in a year. Now her whole life is about finding her son.

This one was a slow burn at the beginning. Lots of bits and pieces, some from backstory and some from present day, all hinting at the surprises to come. I really enjoyed it! This was a new take on the "unreliable narrator" trope. So many twists and turns at the end! I haven’t read Willingham’s previous book, A Flicker In The Dark, but I’ll definitely be picking that up now!

ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS | Stacy Willingham
01.10.2023 | Minotaur Books
Rating: 5/5 stars

One year ago, Isabelle Drake's life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads for the police to chase, the case quickly went cold. Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year. Isabelle's entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever.

Stacy Willingham has done it again! All the Dangerous Things was my first read of 2023 and from the first few chapters I knew it was going to be a 5 star book for me!

There is something about Willingham’s writing that just instantly draws me into her books. In this case, it was Isabelle “Izzy” Drake’s character that I couldn’t help but want to know more about. I wanted all the details of her current situation, what happened with her son, and what strange secrets she held from her past. Willingham wisely weaves these storylines together by sprinkling in timeline shifts that take the reader from present day to Izzy’s childhood to reflections from Izzy regarding events that led her to today.

In addition to Izzy having a captivating life story, her personality, emotions, and reactions felt incredibly authentic. While I’m not a mother, I could feel exactly what Izzy was going through and the raw emotional reaction associated with that. It’s not just Izzy who brings this story to life, but a cast of secondary characters that fully flush out the book to make it one that I won’t forget any time soon.

I loved this book so much that I refused to put it down and alternated from my physical copy to the audio version just to keep going. Please be sure to read the author’s note once you finish the book. Even my cold heart was moved to tears by Willingham’s words.

All the Dangerous Things follows a mother a year after her son goes missing from his crib. The case has gone cold and she has taken to going extreme measure like going to true crime conventions to find clues. She hasn’t slept since he’s gone missing and now there’s a podcaster who reaches out wanting to tell her story. We also get a past perspective from her childhood that has you question everything.

❤️Review❤️

I really liked listening to the audiobook. I would have liked a little more difference in the narration style to separate the past from the current timelines. Sometimes I’d find myself questioning if the past perspective was our main character or someone else. The journey the author takes us on has us questioning everything. She made it extremely difficult to trust the clues and evidence we’ve been given about the case. I definitely didn’t see the ending coming. I didn’t find myself loving it as much as I loved Flicker in the Dark, but it was still very good!

4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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The overwritten narrative with an abundance of nonsensical metaphors and similes made this a painful read. The mystery sounded compelling but I couldn't get past the prose to find out.

I loved Stacy Willingham’s first book, A Flicker in the Dark, so I was so excited to read her new book and see what kind of ride she took me on this time!! I wasn’t disappointed!
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Any parent’s worst nightmare – your toddler disappears from his room in the middle of the night! This captivating mystery is a story about a desperate mother that will stop at nothing to find her son and bring him home.

Willingham’s writing style sucks you in from the first chapter until the last page is turned. The story is full of twists and turns and kept me guessing who kidnapped Mason the whole time.….The jaw-dropping ending blindsided me. Who doesn’t love a shocking ending?!?

I had the pleasure of reading and listening to this one. I highly recommend listening to the audiobook if you can because Karissa Vacker (@karissavacker) did an outstanding job as narrator. The pacing of the book was perfect and she kept my attention throughout. She has instantly become my favorite mystery/thriller narrator.

Don’t miss reading the author’s notes!! It really added a better understanding of the various characters in the story for me.

Absolutely LOVED it - I was a touch worried that it was bogging down in the middle, but then couldn't put it down. A lovely read, can't wait for Willingham's next book.