The unreliable female narrator strikes again— possibly my least favorite thriller trope. Isabelle Drake’s son was taken in the night one year ago, and she has not slept a night since. Her exhaustion has led to wondering if she really remembers everything as it truly was.

Despite the trope, I did enjoy this story and found myself thinking about it when I was not reading. I really wanted to know what happened to Isabelle’s son. I was glad this book had a happier ending than I expected; I could have seen it going much darker. As someone who has experienced insomnia (albeit in a much lesser way), I was able to empathize with the absolute tiredness that the main character was feeling.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham. Thanks to @minotaurbooks for the gifted Arc ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Isabelle Drake hasn’t given up on the case of her missing infant son. She keeps his story alive with true crime fans and tells it over and over. Now, at the one year anniversary of his kidnapping, she begins to doubt herself.

I did not love a Flicker in the Dark, so I wasn’t sure if this one was for me but I loved it! While it is a slow burn, it is not boring at all. You gradually get deeper and deeper wondering what happened. You may think at times that the ending will be predictable, but not quite.. keep with it!

“After all, the violence always comes to us in ways we could never expect: quickly, quietly. Masked as something else.”

All the Dangerous Things comes out 1/10.

This is a slow-burn as you delve into the main characters back-story, and the current mystery of what happened to her son. All the Dangerous Things is told from the main characters point-of-view as she navigates the struggles of nearly a year of searching for her missing child she doesn't believe is dead.

Honestly, it took me a bit of time to get engaged in the story, and the second half is clearly a better story than the first half. I also found this story a bit unbelievable as how could every women be suckered by this manipulative man especially to the point you steal a baby?

Thank you Minotaur Books for the complimentary copy.

All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

Published: January 10, 2023
Minotaur Books
Pages: 335
Genre: Psychological Thriller
KKECReads Rating: 5/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Stacy Willingham is the New York Times, USA Today, and internationally-bestselling author.
Before turning to fiction, she was a copywriter and brand strategist for various marketing agencies. She earned her BA in magazine journalism from the University of Georgia and her MFA in writing from the Savannah College of Art and Design. She lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband, Britt, and Labradoodle, Mako, where she is always working on her next book.

“Someone, somewhere, knows the truth.”

Isabelle is searching for the truth. And her son. Her infant son was taken in the middle of the night, and she is determined to find him. Her past also haunts her because she has a secret that could ruin everything.

The twists in the book. Oh, Mylanta! This was such a free fall into absolute chaos, but when things hit the ground and settled- wow!

The character development in this book was phenomenal. The depth, delicacy, and detail were beautifully done.

I found the topics handled in this novel interesting, and the execution was fantastic. Isabelle is going through a lot, and many people will identify with her struggles.

Being a mom is hard. And I love that this book was as open and honest about the struggles of being a stay-at-home parent, and having your cried for help ignored and how dangerous and devastating that can be was portrayed.

I did not want to put this book down. It was a ride from page one. You will feel the weight of insomnia and guilt and the burden of the truth as you turn the pages.

This was beautifully written, and how this story plays out will leave you speechless!

A twisty thriller that captures the desperation of a mother who is searching for her son as well as for answers about her own life. Izzy's 18 month old son Mason disappeared from his bed a year ago, her husband Ben left her and she's not sleeping. But she is making appearances at True Crime conventions to tell her story in the hopes that others will take up her search which is how she meets Waylon, a podcaster. Waylon's got a secret quest of his own. This moves in three time frames- when Izzy was a child alongside her sister Margaret, when Izzy met Ben, and the present as she's struggling. You, like me, might guess one of the secrets embedded in this page turner but not all of them. And, if the ending feels a bit questionable (why?), well no spoilers from me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a fast read with good twists- and you'll feel Izzy.

I loved Stacy’s last book so I knew I had to read this one too! It was also really well do e and the perfect kind of thriller for me. I definitely didn’t guess “who done it” and found myself engaged and intrigued the whole way through the book!

Read/Listen if you like:
🔍 Mysteries
📸 Cases in the Public Eye
😵‍💫 Unreliable Narrator
⏳Jumps in Timeline
💤 Not Knowing What Goes Bump in the Night

This one was… just wow! I absolutely devoured it and I’m so glad I did as one of my final books of 2022! Stacy is now my newest auto-read author and I can tell you now, I will be going back to read her debut and keeping an eye out for all of her future books!

She wrote this one in a way that truly had me going wtf the entire book and I loved the aspect of having an unreliable narrator that knew and revealed they were an unreliable narrator.

I loved the layered commentary on being a woman and the daily struggles we face in society and how those struggles shape how wr are viewed in society, and how we view ourselves.

Isabelle’s eighteen-month-old son, Mason, is kidnapped from his nursery in the false safety of his own home in the middle of the night. There is very little in the way of evidence or leads and many people believe Isabelle herself may know more about Mason’s disappearance than she leads on. One year later, separated from her husband now, and still nowhere closer to getting answers or her son back, Isabelle accepts a true crime podcaster’s offer to help uncover the truth following her speech at a true crime conference. But quite literally, everything is not what it seems. Told entirely from Isabelle’s point of view with dual timelines from present day and Isabelle’s troubled childhood in the 90’s, this one will have you on a rollercoaster HANGING ON FOR LIFE!

Andddd that’s about all I can say without spoiling the plot because holy plot twists 🤯🤯🤯 The story starts a lil slow so I stalled a bit in the first 20% and put it down a few times but it speeds up considerably after that and the plot twists kept coming and coming so I was physically unable to put this one down. The amount of times I verbally screamed “oh sh**” while reading is unparalleled to any other book I’ve ever read. There were a considerable amount of typos in the ARC I received, but I am sure those were fixed prior to publication. I snagged a Book of the Month copy of this as well. If you read this, make sure to also read the epilogue!

I also loved this author’s debut, A Flicker in the Dark, and I am soooo now a lifelong member of the Stacy Willingham fan club. She’s easily one of my new favorite authors and she is establishing a name for herself in the thriller community. Her plots are super twisty and very creative. Can’t wait for the next one, keep ‘em coming Stacy!!!

5/5 stars, rated in my top 3 read of 2022 at #3 with a Flicker in the Dark at #2!

Thank you SO MUCH to NetGalley, SMP/Minotaur (my fave book publisher!!), and Stacy for an ARC of this gem in exchange for an honest review!

At first I didn’t really want to read about a missing child. As a parent I can’t imagine what Isabelle went through. This book is full of secrets from the past and present. Lots of twists and turns. Certain to keep you up late to finish it.
Another good one by this author
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

“It is amazing, the kinds of tricks that the mind can play on you after two, three, four nights without sleep. The kind of things that it can make you believe.”

FIVE STAR READ!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One year ago Isabelle Drake’s life was changed drastically. Her toddler Mason was taken in the middle of the night while she and her husband, Ben, were asleep in the next room. Since then Isabelle hasn’t slept… at all. She’s had cat naps and micro sleeps where she loses track of time, but not a solid chunk of sleep since that night. Ben left her in that year as well.

This is not Isabelle’s first time having a sleep difficulty however. As a child she was a sleepwalker and worried her parents and sister with this problem. Are these issues connected?

Now, she’s out on the true crime circuit telling Mason’s story, hoping to get a lead since it’s pretty much a cold case at this point. At the latest true crime convention she’s approached by a podcaster who would like to tell her story. Waylon Spencer says he can possibly help to solve Mason’s case. Will it work?

🫠Told in first person with a MAJORLY unreliable narrator
⏰Dual timelines- now and then (my fave trope!)
🔥slowwwww burn thriller
👨‍👩‍👧‍👧Family drama/🤰motherhood
🔍Fans of True Crime will be hooked!
🐊 Southern setting- reminiscent of Southern gothic

Stacy Willingham has gained an instant auto buy fan here! I somehow missed FLICKER IN THE DARK but that will be remedied quickly (and it’s been picked up by HBO for a series!)

This was a twisty thrill ride. Isabelle was fleshed out beautifully. I felt her pain and emotion throughout. Isabelle was so unreliable it was hard to know who to trust, even whether to trust what she was saying. But that was what was so good. Every time you think you have it figured out, it twists again. As a southerner, I was also really into the whole marsh, southern, creepy vibes. Upped the ante so much. This was my last and MOST FAVORITE thriller of the year.

I also listened to the ALC and really enjoyed the narration by Karissa Vacker. She had amazing depth and emotion. Her voice was perfect for Isabelle.

The author’s note was exceptional as well. Must read!

Release date: January 10, 2023

🚨Warnings below may contain spoilers.

🚨TW: Suicide, Drugs, Child Abduction, Postpartum Psychosis

Thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur, and Macmillan Audio for the early release copies!!

Isabelle hasn't had a solid night of sleep since her son Mason was taken from her home in the middle of the night. Now, a year later, Isabelle survives on micro naps and short blackouts and travels around to true crime conventions, sharing the story of Mason's disappearance. Her marriage is in tatters, and she devotes every waking moment (which is most moments, for Isabelle), to finding her son. When she meets a true crime podcaster who is interested in interviewing her, Isabelle jumps at the chance to share her story with a wider audience. But his uncomfortable, intensely personal questions are causing memories from Isabelle's childhood -- memories she's long buried -- to come to the surface. You see, when Isabelle was a child, she was afflicted with a different sleeping disorder: sleepwalking. And she's starting to realize that, when it comes to Mason's disappearance, she can't trust anyone...not even herself.

Unfolding on dual timelines, All the Dangerous Things is a smart, stylish psychological thriller that explores societal expectations surrounding motherhood, mental health, the nature of memory, and the lingering effects of childhood trauma. This is an atmospheric and carefully-plotted book and overall just a really well-written thriller that kept me riveted all the way through. The book's focus on sleep disorders gave Stacy Willingham the opportunity to write some truly creepy, disorienting scenes and kept me engaged with Isabelle, even when I found her actions aggravating. It was fascinating to be inside her head as her mental state deteriorated, as she began to question and doubt her own mind. Although I found Willingham's prose to be a bit too flowery for my tastes overall, there is a hypnotic, otherworldly quality to the way this story is told that worked so well with a first-person narrative by a character suffering from insomnia.

I did guess some parts of the ending, but a couple of reveals took me completely by surprise -- even though when I thought back on my reading experience it was clear that Willingham left breadcrumbs to guide the way from the very beginning of the book. Willingham's clever plotting and complex, textured characters elevated All the Dangerous Things to an above-average thriller for me. I think I'm the only person who hasn't read A Flicker in the Dark already, but I'm definitely adding it to the top of my TBR -- and I'll definitely be in line for whatever Willingham writes next.

This twisty mind f*%k of a book made it impossible to put down. The chapters alternate between past and present and with that, each chapter reveals something new and you find yourself questioning everything you've read so far.
And just like Stacy's first book, A Flicker in the Dark, I stayed up way too late to finish this book! I had to, I couldn't put it down! I had to know if what I thought to be true, was actually true. Was it? You'll have to read it to find out!!

This novel will be published on January 10, 2023.

Thank you to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for my advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Stacy Willingham is a great storyteller. I really enjoyed her debut novel A Flicker in the Dark so I had high hopes going into this one. And I’m happy to say, All the Dangerous Things was even better.

I love how effortlessly Stacy transitions from the present day to the past and back again. The twists and turns were truly unexpected. And as someone who is constantly consuming true crime content, it is not often that the ending catches me completely off guard.

Such good writing, such a good story, and an overall fantastic book.

Really fun and interesting thriller. The short chapters made it fly by. Even though I predicted some of the twists, I didn't find it impacted my read of it at all.

This is one of those books that keeps you guessing as to what is happening. Are the scenes being revealed what is actually happening? Or is it all in Isabelle's mind? While I realize there was time needed to lay out the various threads of the story, for me the pacing was slow for the majority of the story. That being said, there were plenty of surprises and shocks as to what has actually happened to Isabelle - not only with the disappearance of her son but also events from her childhood.

Giving true crime vibes! Can you really trust Isabelle? All the Dangerous Things leaves you thinking if you can really trust anyone. Finished this book in like 2 days! I couldn’t put it down. This was a mystery with a conclusion that I didn’t catch on to. Can you solve the mystery of what happened to Mason Drake?

Isabelle's live changed a year ago when her son, Mason, was taken from their home in the middle of the night. Still trying to figure out what happened, under the scrutiny of the public opinion, placing her at the top of the suspect's list, she is hesitant when a podcast approaches her to tell her story.
This domestic thriller is told in dual timelines. The pace was super slow, the book only picks up at about 80%, and the ending felt rushed and underwhelming. It had a lot of potential, but it fell a bit flat. It however gave a good introspection into the character's mental health and her past. The writing was so poetic and beautiful, but I wonder if it's appropriate for a thriller, it slowed down the pace with too many descriptions. I loved that the characters were flawed.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is getting a lot of hype and for good reason. It's a the story of a mother's loss and her quest to find her child again. A fast read and one in which I absolutely loved!

When Mason Drake was taken from his crib in the middle of the night, there were very few leads. Isabelle, his mother, is devastated and has spent the last year spending every waking moment (and those moments are numerous as Isabella can no longer sleep for any amount of time) trying to find him. Her marriage has fallen apart and she’s sure everyone thinks she did something to Mason. Isabelle has a questionable childhood and soon she’s even asking herself if there’s a possibility it’s true. At her wits end she meets a true crime podcaster and agrees to be interviewed in the hopes of reaching more people, but as he dives into her past, she’s left questioning that decision as well. Not knowing who to trust, she pushes forward for the truth regardless of where it leads. Isabelle must now figure out her past if she has any chance of a future. Once started, this book was almost impossible to put down. It was also a great listen as Karissa Vacker voices Isabelle perfectly! Thank you to Minotaur Books, Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an ARC and ALC of this book.

I have to be honest. This was sadly a let down for me, I loved A Flicker in the Dark and couldn’t wait to dig into this one. However, I found this one to be very slow paced. By the time I got to the reveal, I was just ready for it to be over, I will definitely give Stacy another shot though.