Isabelle Drake’s toddler goes missing in the middle of the night and she is on the hunt to find answers; to bring her son home.

I loved the intense and deep topics this book touched on. It went back and forth of feeling like you had the book figured out to questioning it all again.

As much as this book stressed me out, I loved this one and will be reading everything Stacy Willingham writes.

I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and I was.super excited. I really enjoyed A Flicker in the Dark by Willingham and couldn't wait to get started. This one didn't live up to her debut, in my opinion.

I requested this one strictly because I enjoyed the author's debut novel and went in totally blind.

Typically, I love slow-burn character driven books but this one is an exception. The book was slow paced but not in a way that benefits the book. While marketed as a thriller, I don't think that fits. Suspense, maybe??

Isabelle's son Mason was taken from his bed while his parents slept just rooms.away. A year after his disappearance and there have been no leads. The strain of their son's disappearance has eroded Isabelle and Ben's marriage. As Isabelle does what she can to keep the public interested in her son's case— telling his story at true crime conventions and befriending a podcast host who is interested in sharing her story.

Throughout the book, Isabelle alludes to the death of her sister Margaret and parallels are drawn between her failure to protect Margaret and her failure to protect Mason. As Isabelle reveals.more.of her troubled past and the reader learns more about her history, they are lead to believe that Isabelle may be responsible for the harm that befell both Margaret and Mason.

The last few chapters are where all of the action happens. Isabelle starts drawing conclusions from barely- there clues that are littered throughout the novel. The revelation about Margaret is shocking, but not really in a good way.

****** Spoilers ******
I did not care for Isabelle. I found her pathetic, boring, and unrelatable. While the reader learns A LOT about Isabelle, the other characters feel two-dimensional and lack any depth that makes them interesting or knowable. This lack of development makes it hard to suss out any motives or interests that contribute to their behavior.

The female characters in this book made me cringe. Between affairs with married men, trapping men into fatherhood, being emotionally cold and unavailable I just didn't care about or understand any of them.

On the whole, this book took way too long to read and the story as a whole was not worth the effort. I found this one underwhelming and boring. As a fan of Flicker in the Dark, I found this sophomore novel to be unimaginative and dull. Definitely a huge let down and wholly disappointing. 2.5 stars rounded up to three.

⭐️ rating: 4.5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
📖 genre: thriller

It's difficult to review a thriller without giving too much away - but I will try!

This book took a minute for me to really get into. The set-up and jumping around of the timeline made it difficult to become invested and frustrated that the storylines I was interested in weren't being expanded on quickly enough! Which, I guess could tell you I couldn't put it down as I had to keep going to find out more about the storylines I was truly interested in.

HOWEVER, watching the story grow and come together, seeing all the little hints and clues fitting into the puzzle at the end was HIGHLY enjoyable!

I would definitely recommend this book if you like misdirections and stories about people who can't remember their past.

Read if you like:
✨ Stay Awake by Megan Goldin
✨ The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

How could I stop reading this story about a mother whose child disappeared from his crib one night a year ago? I was with Isabelle Drake from the first page of this new novel by Stacy Willingham. Isabelle and her husband, Ben, didn't make it past six months of the horrific tragedy. Ben walked away, and Isabelle continued to search and could not close her eyes for more than a short time. After the initial outpouring of support and love for the parents, especially Isabelle, the public slowly became skeptical, and the police detective, Dozier, even seemed accusatory. She felt that too many people thought she had killed her child. Life is unbearable without Mason.

Against all instincts to say no, Isabelle agrees to an interview with a guy named Waylon, who does a podcast. This gave the story movement and the suspense built even more with all the doubts increasing. Who had taken Mason? Isabelle even wondered if she had done it herself. This is a great mystery! I recommend this unique page-turner to all lovers of mystery and suspense.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy of the book.

There is something about unreliable characters that give you anxiety that never seems to subside while reading.

All The Dangerous Things

While reading, I couldn’t get enough. I could not flip the pages fast enough. It was a race to know what happened and left me scrambling to just achieve the satisfaction of knowing what it is that was going on.

I will tell you that I did figure out a few of the twists about 40 percent through but in no way did it deter me to continue. It only made me even more curious to find out if my own detective skills were correct.

I loved the flash back scenes of Isabelle’s childhood and finding out what had happened to her little sister Margaret. It was as if I was reading two different stories in one. The present being what happened to Mason and the past, what happened to Margaret.

There were many many plot twists and unforeseen moments that took my breath away and held me in suspense.

This book has plagued me since the second I concluded.

Another 5 star read provided by the only and only Stacy Willingham

Stacy Willingham is becoming one of my new favorite authors. I could not put this book down. I was constantly guessing at how it all could end but I was completely wrong. I loved the dual timelines and the creepy vibes it gave due to the subject of sleepwalking.

t’s been almost a year to the day since Isabelle’s son vanished from his crib without a trace. Her world is shattered, she’s lost everything. A shadow of her former self, Isabelle is severely sleep deprived and questioning everyone…including herself!

In her mind, the police have all but given up trying to find her son. It’s going to be up to Isabelle to keep pressure on the case, moving it forward in whatever way she can.

Told in two timelines: The present and the past when Isabelle was just a child herself.

I was captivated from the start, devouring this read in only a few sittings. My second read from this author and looking forward to seeing what she has for us next!

Make sure to read the authors note at the end!

A buddy read with Susanne!💞.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Publication: January 10, 2023

I would rate this 2.5 to 3 stars. This was my first book by Willingham and I was a bit disappointed. I have Flicker in the Dark on my TBR which I still look forward to reading.

The first 50-60% of the book is very slow paced and too descriptive for a thriller. The premise of a mother losing her son in the night so she loses sleep with trying to find him. Since the beginning of this book was very slow, I felt frustrated as a thriller lover. The ending picked up immensely but when the twists happened, I couldn't fully appreciate them.

Will I still read Willingham's other books? Yes
Do I recommend it? Personally, I think there are other thrillers out there that are more fast paced but based on other reviews, some loved this book while others struggled.

Stacy Willingham does it again!

All the Dangerous Things focuses on a mother whose son was taken from his nursery the previous year.

I loved the dual timelines. We had present day but also back in 1999 to Isabelle’s childhood. The past and present stories both had me enthralled and were quite the mysteries.

It took me a bit to catch on the what was happening the present. Stacy did a great job keeping me guessing with that one. And I honestly never would have guessed what happened in the 1999 storyline.

Baby goes missing in the dead of night and there are no clues. One year later, Isabelle Drake (the mother) is still on a quest for answers. Unable to sleep or function, she accepts the help of a true-crime podcaster to investigate the disappearance of her son. As in all great mysteries....everyone has a secret, dark back story. I was afraid this would feel like other "child goes missing and mother is unreliable" books that I've read, but the story quickly changes and the ending was a surprise. Great read from Stacy Willingham! Recommended.

From the author of Flicker in the dark is Stacy Willingham’s follow up, All the Dangerous Things.

A year ago Isabelle’s son was taken from his bedroom while she slept. She’s understandably had insomnia since as the police were unable to find Mason or solve his case and her marriage is unraveling. Isabelle has now turned to a true crime podcaster to help the case from going cold. The podcaster oddly seems equally focused on Mason and on asking questions regarding Isabelle’s childhood. The novel is told in dual timelines of present day and Isabelle’s childhood. There is definitely more than one mystery playing out.

There are many suspects here and the story is well told. I found All the Dangerous Things to be my kind of thriller. The conclusions are not necessarily a shock, but the reasons behind motives were different than I initially thought. The novel does a great job with the portrayal of the guilt mother’s often feel and the women characters are so well developed.

Thank you to NetGalley, @Minotaur_books and @StacyvWillingham for a gifted copy.
Pub date: January 10, 2022
Pages: 336

4.5 stars.

All The Dangerous Things is a great sophomore follow up to A Flicker In The Dark! Stacy Willingham writes amazing psychological thrillers with nuanced characters, interesting plots that pull you in as the story unfolds, red herrings, twists and turns and fantastic endings. Her writing style is easy to read and so engaging. I highly, highly recommend All The Dangerous Things as well as her first novel!!!!

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and Netgalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I am a sleepwalker. I have been since childhood. I’ve walked into the living room as a toddler and had full, intricate conversations with my parents before returning to my room - no recollection in the morning. I’ve jumped for my loft bed in my college dorm in sprint down the hallway - my roommate watching with concern. I’ve walked out of my hotel room - unlocking the deadbolt and swing lock- to find myself parentless in the hallway. I’ve woken up standing over my suitcase - it’s contents spilled on the floor. I know the fear of wondering what I did “in my sleep” especially when I’m often in an unfamiliar place on an out-of-town layover for work.
That said: All the Dangerous Things HAD ME HOOKED. Honestly from the first pages with the introduction of a keynote speaker at true crime convention, the details of a cross country flight, and the chance meeting with a true crime podcast host, I felt like this book was written for me (and truthfully a plethora of young women I know these days). So many current and important topics are covered - not just the true crime obsession - but postpartum psychosis, insomnia, buried memories, and family secret, making this one a true psychological thriller that kept me continually shocked and guessing.
The detail and intricacy with which Willingham paints characters and locations is incredible. Even in times of frustration, I felt the connection with Isabelle and the city of Savanna as a whole. I smelled the marshland, I saw the nursery, I felt the tired, sleepless eyes. And the way three different timelines and multiple mysteries are so seamlessly woven together had me wishing I never had to put down this book to serve first class drinks and meals.
I “liked” A Flicker In the Dark (Willingham’s first novel) but I LOVED this one. The ending actually gave me such goosebumps, I immediately recommended it to one of my passengers and I definitely recommend it to any fans of psychological thrillers, true crime, and family dramas.
TW: suicide

I read Willingham's first novel A Flicker in the Dark last year and it turned out to be one of the best thrillers I had read in a VERY long time. So when this was announced I practically sprinted toward any opportunity I could have to get my hands on this. And I was not disappointed.

My favorite thing about these novels is the narrator because of how Willingham writes them. In both, and this one, we meet a woman who has had something traumatic happen to her or those around her that affects her so deeply it begins changing how she lives her everyday life. Isabelle's son goes missing after she puts him to bed one night and there is not a trace of what happened, not even after a year has passed. Her husband ends their marriage and moves on rather quickly, and Isabelle can't seem to let go - and what mother would? But because of this trauma and her unanswered questions, Isabelle is not a reliable narrator. I find myself not trusting her- and not necessarily in a bad way, just being aware that all may not be as it seems from her POV - and that made it more interesting and nail-biting. She's willing to do anything to get Mason back, even work with some questionable people and maybe dreg up some things from her own past she would have rather left there.

A few times throughout this book I really thought I knew what was going to happen and was again proved wrong. I loved every single second of this, and I love Stacy Willingham's writing so much to the point where I don't think she can put something out that I won't read. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves mystery and thrillers, and even those who want to branch out and go on a ride.

Thank you so much to St. Martin's and NetGalley for letting me read this because I truly don't think I could have waited until January.

A thriller that truly kept me hanging until the last few chapters. The story was well rounded and tied everything up nicely. At times it felt a bit rushed and I craved more history, more detail, but all and all I enjoyed the read and would pick up another book from Stacy Willingham!

If you liked A Flicker in the Dark, you are sure to enjoy Stacy Willingham’s second novel, All the Dangerous Things. A slow burn psychological thriller told from the perspective of Isabel (unreliable narrator) details the story of a mother who’s baby is taken in the dead of the night. No clues, no evidence, nothing to go on… The book really picks up around the 40% mark and will suck you in with all the plot twists and turns. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this great book.

Stacy Willingham may be one of my new favorite authors. This book was a lightning fast read. I found myself constantly guessing at how it all could end, and pleasantly surprised by the ways I was both right and wrong.

Really enjoyed this one! It started off a bit slow but by the time I got to the 40% mark I was hooked. I enjoyed the past and present timelines as well as the multiple “suspects”. This author is becoming a favorite of mine and I look forward to her next book! Thanks NetGalley for the ARC!

“All the Dangerous Things” is a slow-paced psychological thriller that had all the potential of being a riveting, 5-star read for me, but it ultimately fell short of the high expectations I held when I first delved between the pages of this book. While the premise of a grieving mother seeking the truth regarding her infant son’s kidnapping is what initially drew me in, it ultimately failed to hold my attention right from the get-go, and the slow pacing made it difficult to remain engaged. That said, this story does have some intriguing moments and its fair share of twists, making for a fairly decent read, overall. It just took a long time for the story to arrive at that place.

This next week at work I'll be listening to her debut book, A Flicker in the Dark. It's been on my TBR since it released and I had all the plans to read it sooner but then life and more books appearing before my eyes. But I know I'm going to enjoy it because I absolutely enjoyed this book! I want to read it again already.

The acknowledgements is everything but DO NOT read it before you finish the book (sometimes I'm guilty of that 🤣)

It's themed towards motherhood and all the pressure and guilt that we've allowed society to cover us with. All my momma friends it really resonated and I could relate to many of the feelings of the main character.

I loved the setting for the story as its all places I have been and my favorite places to visit in the SC lowcountry.