This is the SECOND book from author Stacy Willingham and she is seriously becoming an auto-buy author for me.
My jaw was on the floor when I read that this story is about a woman's son being taken from home in the middle of the night, because nothing is more heartbreaking and heart racing than a missing child. Isabelle is a ghost of her former self, being severely sleep deprived and questioning every single person that walks by. Isabelle has convinced herself the police have given up looking for her son, and puts the pressure on herself to keep the case alive.

I loved jumping back from past to present, and I felt for Isabelle as much as I was suspicious of her. I read this book in one sitting, mainly because I could NOT sleep without knowing what would happen, and in true Willingham fashion, the twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I NEVER saw the ending coming, and when I did I literally screamed.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Stacy Willingham’s second book is just as good as her first, maybe even better. “All The Dangerous Things” is thoughtful and provocative; it will make you think long and hard about relationships and people—how they change and how they don’t. The emotional responses to love, life, and death, are explored here in great depth, as is the weight of motherhood and the expectations of women (both mothers and women who are not mothers). This story of a missing child and the impact of his disappearance on his family, along with an exploration of the baggage of the past in both of his parents’ lives, is compelling and engrossing. It is a beautifully written story, although it may be difficult for some to read, and I look forward to Willingham’s next book. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

I loved Stacy Willingham's first novel A Flicker in the Dark so I was excited for All the Dangerous Things. Sadly this one missed the mark for me. I got to 40% of the novel and I was still waiting for something to happen. The story was so bleak and even though I felt for the MC I didn't feel invested in finding out what happened. Honestly, I was bored with the story so I didn't finish it.

All the Dangerous Things was a super fast and compelling read. I won’t give away much because you don’t want to be spoiled but it’s really good. I was afraid as a mother it could be triggering but I didn’t find it to be.

The author really knows how to write a thriller and take me along and feel emotions. The twists were perfectly spaced out and well done.

Can’t wait to read her again.

I received an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review

A year ago, Isabelle Drake’s life is turned upside down as she experiences one of the worst things a parent could go through. Her toddler Mason is kidnapped out of his crib while everyone sleeps in the next room. Unfortunately there’s little evidence and even less clues as to what happened and it’s not long before the case goes cold. Everyone wants Isabelle to come to terms with what’s happened but she just can’t. She literally hasn’t been able to sleep since that night. She refuses to give up hope until she finds him or at least the answers she needs.

I had seriously high hopes for All The Dangerous Things. They were high enough that even though I had an arc copy from Netgalley on my kindle when Book Of The Month had it as a selection for December I snatched it right up. Let me tell you it didn’t disappoint at all. Stacy Willingham writes great thrillers that will keep you guessing right up til the end. This was fast paced, twisty and unputdownable. The plot twists were crazy and I didn’t see them coming at all. I definitely recommend this one as it was a solid 5 star read for me. The only problem I have is I absolutely loved 𝐴 𝐹𝑙𝑖𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑟 𝐼𝑛 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐷𝑎𝑟𝑘 and now I can’t decide which one I loved better.

I don't know about you, but I don't function well on broken sleep. A night or two maybe but after that, all bets are off. I don't know if I'm coming or going, my memory is shot and I am pretty much rendered useless.

Now imagine not sleeping for a YEAR. That lack of sleep brought on by the kidnapping of her baby boy, Isabelle Drake stumbles through life, mentally berating herself while desperately trying to discover what happened to her son.

Twists and turns, reflections on childhood trauma and how it might inform and distort our thinking in our current lives, this was a book that kept me guessing. What happened to Mason? Was Isabelle perhaps at fault or if not, who was?

When the unspeakable happens and Isabelle's son disappears from his home in the middle of the night, she does what any mother would do and let's it complete consume here every waking moment. . . which are many because she's not sleeping. With no leads and no progress on the case, she's continually obsessing and finds herself with missing pieces of time here and there when she does finally black out.
The story flashes back to her childhood and memories of her late sister. Just as she thinks she's figured out that she could have been responsible for the disappearance of her son, the most unexpected twist helps her uncover what she's feared all along.
We hear the story from Isabelle's perspective but the many women entwined in the story made it feel so real. Who is the one harboring the most secrets and will she ever find Mason?

I absolutely love how Stacy Willingham weaves one person's tale through time based on one belief or one occurrence that happened when you were a child. That one thing can change the course of the way you see yourself, the way you would react in certain situations, and what you are capable of. What happens if that one course in time changes and is not the way you remember it?

Izzy's precious baby boy disappeared into the night a year ago. No one knows what happened to him, no leads, no suspects, and no way to go forward for Izzy and her husband Ben. Izzy is stuck reliving that nightmare over and over again. She has not slept a full night that entire year, just little micro naps that are getting her through the day. Izzy is on a mission to find out where Mason is and who took him. She knows he is still alive, just where is he?

I loved the rich detailed descriptions that Willingham uses. I was brought back to when my own son was young, and sleep was a delicious dream. I loved the twists and abrupt turns that were found throughout the entire book. Especially during the chapters when she was a child. It kept me on my toes and always guessing. The very thought of my own son disappearing in the night leaves me cold and panicked. If you are not a fan of descriptive writing and minute details, this may not be the book for you. Thank you to Stacy Willingham and Minotaur Books for this phenomenal book.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press, NetGalley and Stacy Willingham for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed Stacy's last book A Flicker in the Dark so I was very excited for her newest one and she did not disappoint! This book hooked me immediately and I couldn't put it down! Stacy is such a beautiful writer and kept me hooked the entire time. I loved the True Crime aspect of this book and really made me feel like I was right there with Isabelle on the search for the truth of what happened to her son, and also something that happened in her past. In her previous book I did figure out the twist pretty early on but in this one I didn't see it coming and I LOVE when that happens!

4 star read for me!

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham revolves around Isabelle, whose son Mason was kidnapped in the middle of the night. Now, she goes to true crime conventions, pleading for anyone with information to tell her where Mason is. Her obsession has left her sleepless. Even her husband has left her. But when a true crime podcaster offers to help her tell her story, she agrees.

Here is a gripping excerpt from Chapter 1:

"One girl wears a graphic tee that says Red Wine and True Crime, the T in the shape of a gun; another sports a white shirt sprayed with specs of red—it’s supposed to mimic blood, I assume. Then I see a woman wearing a T-shirt that says Bundy. Dahmer. Gacy. Berkowitz. I remember walking past it earlier in the gift shop. It was clipped tight against a mannequin, being advertised in the same way they advertise overpriced band T-shirts in the merchandise tents at concerts, memorabilia for rabid fans.
I feel the familiar swell of bile in my throat, warm and sharp, and force myself to look away.
“As I’m sure you all know, my name is Isabelle Drake, and my son, Mason, was kidnapped one year ago,” I say. “His case is still unsolved.”"

Overall, All the Dangerous Things is a gripping thriller full of twists and turns. One highlight of this book is the intriguing premise. I've been on a true crime kick for the past couple of months, and the plot sounded right up my alley. I did take off 1 star because I found the main character's narration to be repetitive and annoying. She moans about everything - her missing son, the audience who paid to hear her speak, etc.

I took off another star because the action doesn't pick up until halfway through the book. There was a nice twist at the end that I wasn't expecting though. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of thrillers in general, you can check out this book when it comes out in January!

Excellent fast paced book! Isabelle Drakes son is missing, taken from his bed in the dark of night. With no leads and the passing of an entire year, Isabelle is desperate for help and is getting no where with law enforcement. When Isabelle starts doing public appearances in hopes of finding clues to where he may be, she meets a podcaster who offers to help with the search. Even though the podcaster has his own reasons for taking on the case, he is legitimately trying to help. As she spends time with the podcaster and goes through all the details of her sons case she confronts her troubled past and the search for her son takes a direction she never expected. Fast paced, heart wrenching book that was one of the year.

Isabelle Drake can’t sleep. Even as a child she struggled with what happened after she closed her eyes at night. Her repeated sleepwalking episodes were a mystery to her parents and troubling to her little sister, Margaret, who adored her big sister but was frightened by these behaviors.

Now things are even worse. It’s been a year since her toddler was taken from his crib in the night, and six months since her husband Ben left her. He thinks she needs to move on, but Isabelle can’t and won’t rest until she finds their son Mason. After she speaks at a true crime con, podcaster Waylon Spencer offers to let her tell her story. After all, there are still some who think SHE’S behind Mason’s disappearance, and a tragic event from her past isn’t helping.

Between her extreme sleep deprivation, the strange, glassy-eyed old man she encounters during night-time neighborhood walks, some unexpected discoveries on a laptop, Ben’s new relationship and a dogged detective who seems to treat everything she says with suspicion, Isabelle begins to wonder if she really IS the villain in this story.

As impressed as I was with her debut, A Flicker in the Dark, I think this book is even better. Willingham’s writing is beautiful and she didn’t rely on flashy, “in your face” twists and thrills to grab attention. Rather, she let the story unfold organically, in a way that didn’t require constant suspension of disbelief, which was nice! I thought the whodunnit was believable, and I didn’t figure it out ahead of time, unlike her last book. I also appreciated the attention brought to a specific mental health issue. Read the author’s note AFTER the book. It’s very thoughtful!

I did have a couple minor issues. There was a thread involving infidelity which I didn’t love. I understood where it served the story, but I couldn’t get behind why one party was being treated more sympathetically than the other, since it literally takes two. I also had to roll with one major aspect of the ending, which was explained but not realistic in today’s investigative world.

I read on my Kindle and also listened to the audio narrated by Karissa Vacker, who did a wonderful job with the voicing across genders and ages. My only quibble is that sometimes the emotion is Isabelle’s voice could’ve been reigned in just a teeny tiny bit, but that’s just personal preference.

All-in-all it’s a fantastic second outing by Stacy Willingham and an excellent thriller to end my year!

★★★★ ½

Thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, NetGalley and author Stacy Willingham for the digital ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC to honestly review. Both will be available on January 10, 2023.

Isabelle Drake once suffered from sleep-walking as a child. This has now evolved into insomnia due to the trauma of her kidnapped child. One year ago to date, her son was stolen from her. She now travels to speak at True Crime events in exchange for a list of names, in hope to find some type of connection to her son. She meets a TC podcaster who offers another set of (not insomnia-ed) eyes to help look over her case. Willingham flashes back and forth between Drake's past and present. (This is looking to be Willingham's MO, but I do love me a backstory) We revisit her childhood with the mystery of her sister passing away, and the start of her relationship with her estranged husband. Which is a whole set of issues in itself. Drake is not a reliable main character due to her insomnia and possible delusions (this I was not a fan of). However, the ending did take a turn I wasn't expecting and I'm still not sure how I feel about that.. Willingham showed quite a few sides of a woman's psyche and I wasn't a fan of them all. If you are looking for a quick mystery read that keeps you flipping, check this one out. I'm giving it a solid 3.

Being a “single” mom of a three-year-old this book spoke to me on so many levels. How many days have I functioned on little to no sleep. If my little one disappeared there is nothing on this planet that would stop me from doing everything that I could to find her. I loved how when reading this book the reader is always questioning is what Isabelle is seeing or dealing with real or is it part of her never sleeping and being obsessed with finding her child. The revel at the end of the book is well written and not something that one would expect or see coming five pages into the story. I really enjoyed this book, and I am sure that others out there will enjoy it as much as I did.
Thank you so much to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book.

4.5 Stars. Second book by Willingham - another excellent thriller! I really enjoyed this one - it touches on the themes of motherhood, the intense emotions surrounding motherhood, especially guilt. I like how Willingham used insomnia to highlight the fear and guilt of motherhood. Isabelle is a great character, her backstory is excellent and it's own little mystery, and all the threads tie together in such a satisfying conclusion.

"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. However, Isabelle cannot rest until Mason is returned to her—literally.

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. In hopes of jarring loose a new witness or buried clue, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster—but his interest in Isabelle's past makes her nervous. His incessant questioning paired with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of Mason’s disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust... including herself. But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads."

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions expressed herein are my own.

I don’t know what it says about me that I enjoy a missing child story but I normally do. I loved the podcast aspect of this story and was really intrigued by Isabelle’s quest to find Mason. Willingham really doesn’t seem to like true crime fans which hurt my heart a bit as online sleuthing has really helped to solve many cold cases. It was interesting to me though because she seemed to pull some aspect from true crime cases. Overall, this was a solid thriller and I enjoyed it more than A Flicker in the Dark.

I will continue reading Willingham's books! I love the setting and eerie vibes. Great few twists at the end!

This book dragged on for soooo long.. I feel like it didn’t get interesting until like 80% of the way through

'𝑺𝒍𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒘𝒂𝒍𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒂 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒆𝒇𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒈.' -𝑩𝒆𝒏 𝑾𝒆𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒓

Thank you, Stacy Willingham and Minotaur Books for the gifted eARC facilitated through Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.

𝘐 𝘌𝘕𝘑𝘖𝘠𝘌𝘋...
• The duel timelines that are weaved into the story. For example, we read about the main character in her childhood, and also in the present day afer her own child's abduction. Therefore, allowing the reader to get into the mindset of the main character.
• The hard reality of motherhood that the story describes feels raw and real. The author includes a note to the reader at the end of the book stating she herself is not yet a mother therefore she completed an incredible amount of research and interviews regarding motherhood all the while being subtle due to the sensitive nature of the topic. As a mother myself, I feel she did great depicting these issues.
• The setting was perfect for this story. It gave me a sense of a safe, quiet southern suburb neighborhood. Also, the addition of the creepy marsh within walking distance set the stage for this twisty thriller.
• I was never able to guess the outcome of this book.

𝘖𝘝𝘌𝘙𝘈𝘓𝘓...
I was hesitant to read All The Dangerous Things because I read Willingham's debut, A Flicker in the Dark, and thought it was okay but parts were repetitious. I didn't find All The Dangerous Things repetitious at all. If your considering reading this book then please bump it up on your tbr. I enjoyed this much more than Willingham's debut and cannot wait to read more of her work in the future.

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲 -
🌙 True Crime
🌙 Unreliable Narrator
🌙 Slow burn
🌙 Mysteries
🌙 Suspense

Always check trigger warning before reading

When I saw Stacy Willingham had a new book coming out, I had to check it out.

While I enjoyed the book, it did not capture me like her previous one.

What didn’t work for me:
-While I am all for an unreliable narrator, this one didn’t work for me. The narrator was all over the place and I was constantly confused.
-Some aspects felt very unrealistic, and I have a preference for when things mirror real life
-The ending felt rushed, a bit confusing and too neatly wrapped up.

What did work for me:
-Willingham’s writing style. I love the style of writing
-The center mystery had me captivated
-I was entertained while reading

Overall I liked the book, but I just wanted a little bit more