
Member Reviews

Isabelle hasn't slept in a full year. Of course, she's had some micro-naps, minutes a day where her body forces her to rest in order to stay alive. But ever since her toddler, Mason, has gone missing, she has felt the need to solve the open case to bring him home. The police aren't much of a help, her husband has left her, and she hates that she needs to resort to presentations in front of true crime junkies who view her life as entertainment. But when Waylon, a podcaster, gives her an opportunity to tell her side of the story, she's cautiously optimistic and begins to uncover more about her own past.
This was more than just a twisty thriller, but don't get me wrong -- this had some excellent, unpredictable and most importantly, realistic twists. But more so, this was a great mystery with some strong messages about motherhood, guilt, and the ways we are often confined to our own perspectives of our lives.
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I absolutely loved Stacy’s debut “A Flicker in the Dark” so when “All the Dangerous Things” came out I knew I needed a copy.
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. Isabelle's entire existence from that day forward revolves around finding him.
Once again Stacy’s writing drew me in and I was captivated with the story. It was an intelligent spine tingling thriller that kept me guessing who was responsible for Mason's disappearance and why. Stacy touches upon trauma, motherhood and mental health.
It’s safe to say I am 100% a fan of Stacy’s work and will be looking forward to her next book.
I want to thank NetGalley, Stacy Willingham and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

4.5 stars rounded up! This book met all of my expectations - which isn't a surprise. I A LOVED Flicker in the Dark so much and this book was JUST AS GOOD! Stacy Willingham is now going to be an immediate purchase author for me. I had no idea what was going on and twist after twist kept coming!

Thank you to the publisher for my copy - all opinions are my own.
If I thought I loved Stacy Wilingham's debut novel last year, I have been BLOWN AWAY by how much more I loved this second story from her. This book was utter perfection from start to end. There is something exceedingly satisfying about the way Stacy crafts very character drama-esq stories that have intense thriller vibes to them, and a mystery to unravel all in one delightfully addicting plotline.
This particular story of a child being kidnapped, and never found, with a mother who refuses to let the case die until she gets answers was ripped from the headlines compelling. I loved Isabelle and I loved that her insomnia gave her a hint of unreliable narrator trope, without diving totally into it. I loved that she was a perfectly written vulnerable woman, who was still fierce and strong in her convictions to find her child. I LOVE that the relationship with her estranged husband was as utterly complicated and messy as I imagine it would be in real life. The entire story I was rooting for Isabelle to get her answers and rooting for justice to be served.
No spoilers - but I can say that I didn't see the twists coming in this one, and I literally devoured this book in one sitting because I REALLY NEEDED TO KNOW what happened and what was going to happen next.
Overall, this is just such a terrific read. A must have for thriller and mystery lovers this spring!

I felt her sophomore novel was a lot slower read compared to her first book. I enjoyed the premise of it, and it was quite a gripping tale. I would have prefer if the plot line sped up slightly, because in the middle of the book it was quite slow. I also felt there were some storylines that were dropped that we never got the full resolution for - I'm not sure if it was intended that way or forgotten about. While this book was not my favorite, I will still pick up any novels that she writes in the future.

⭐⭐.5/5
• veeeeery slow mystery
• repetitive
I felt like this book was too long and wordy at times just to be wordy. Rather than DNFing, I stuck with it because I kept hoping it would pick up. I enjoyed this author's debut... maybe I just wasn't in the right mood for this one!
🗣️ Thank you to @netgalley and St Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.

Wow! This book hooked me from the beginning!! I read this in less than 24 hours! I wish I could round this up to 6 stars! I thought I had it figured out but boy was I wrong!

All The Dangerous Things was a great example of an unreliable narrator that the audience can still sympathize with. Isabelle is still searching for her son long after many others have given up on him. And I thought the story and reveal were both done well, for a drama. I didn’t find there was enough tension to really call it a thriller for me and unfortunately that is what I was hoping to read. I wanted a page turner and instead it felt like a slow trickle of reveals until the last 10% or so when the rest was dumped out. Just a case of poor pacing for me in particular though as a reader, I know lots of people love that style in their thrillers.

I really enjoyed this read! Just as much as the first Stacy Willingham book that I read. Defiantly had twists that I did not see coming! Enjoyed the short chapters and how fast paced it was. Will recommend this to others in the future!

I struggled with this one a bit. It took some time to grab my attention after a rather slow start. I liked that the chapters were short and the dual plot lines. It flips back and forth between the past and the present both formally in dedicated chapters as well as in memories interspersed in the present. I also enjoyed the gorgeous Savannah and Beaufort, SC setting, and the way it deals with the complexities of motherhood and the guilt that comes along with that. Overall it was a decent book, but not my favorite.

Looking over the reviews for this I feel like the Black Sheep of this one. Although I liked her debut, I didn’t like this one very much. I liked the concept, but not the execution. And just like in the first one, i was able to guess what happened. And I’m talking as soon as they popped up. And that was just disappointing.
Ok, so first things first. I didn’t enjoy the execution because I was bored in the middle. It just seemed like it was the same thing happening over and over. She was looking at footage, she was talking to the one guy, she was finding a clue that was shocking and helped move the case along. It was just the same thing over and over. What saved this for me was the unexpected thing at the end. I was not expecting to get the one person back, so when we did and found out what actually happened, that made me happy. I was glad to have something unexpected pop up.
Then comes the ending to the mystery. I saw the one person and who they were from a mile away. I saw that coming. But then rest of it, I also saw that coming. I think if I hadn’t read her previous release I wouldn’t have thought about it, but seeing as she was predictable before, I knew as soon as they popped up what was happening. And sure enough it was what happened. This is the one that made me mad tho. Because I thought she would have learned from the first time. (I wasn’t alone when I guessed who it was the first time.)
BUT I still enjoyed this because I do actually like the author’s voice. I won’t say writing style since I guessed the person in both her stories, but I was still entertained? Like I didn’t DNF even though I was quite certain who the person was as soon as I saw them. So I don’t really know what that says about me or the way she writes, but for whatever reason I still liked it.
I also still enjoyed the audio of this. I do think if I was reading this with my eyeballs I would have skipped to the end to see whodunit and then I would have been done. But since I was listening to this, I was still interested in Vacker’s narration. This isn’t the first time I’ve listened to Vacker’s narration, but I don’t think I realized how much I liked their narration style until I finished this one. Because I’ve actually listened to a number of books they’ve done. And they’ve did a bang up job every time!
I still don’t know how I feel about Willingham’s writing, but I do know if there’s another, I’m still going to read it. Especially if Vacker is back for a third time. They really pair well together!

WOW! This is one of my favorite books this year! Very unique storyline and I loved the twists and turns. Highly recommend!!!

This is the second book I have read by Stacy Willingham, and just like A Flicker in the Dark, I loved it! The writing is beautiful while expertly bringing to life the raw emotion of loss and devastation. I loved the way the author compared a relationship to a library book and also tarnished jewelry. The characters are complex demonstrating both the best and worst qualities of human nature. Isabelle is living a parent’s worst nightmare. Her child vanishes without a trace while doubt about her involvement surrounds her as she tries to navigate the world of grief. The story is compelling, heart breaking and utterly captivating. Its originality kept me mesmerized as the story unfolded. A big thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my copy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Stacy has a way of drawing you into the story. This thriller kept me guessing and I truly did not know where it was going to go. I would recommend this thriller to anyone.

Yikes! As a mom, this one is a terrifying story as her son is kidnapped out of his room while she is sleeping!
Turns out though, she has insomnia and as a child she would sleepwalk and not remember anything she did. Can she be the one to blame and if she was sleepwalking with her baby, where could he be?

HEY ALEXA PLAY ALL THE SMALL THINGS BY BLINK 182!
All the DANGEROUS THINGS. True care, truth (of this book) brings. I’ll take one lift. Your book, BEST TRIP!
Meeeee ohhh myyy is this thriller a GOOD ASS TIME! Full transparency: I loathed A Flicker in The Dark and was trepidatious about reading Willingham’s sophomore novel but I am SO GLAD I DID! This is the thriller I’ve been longing for all year long! All the Dangerous Things is completely engrossing and totally propulsive!
Isabelle Drake is one bad mamma jamma who is on the hunt for her son who disappeared from his nursery one fateful evening. Hellbent on solving the cold case, she LITERALLY has not slept in a year (no this is not a Tyler Durden twist of sorts so have no fear!!!!!) and on a hopeless whim agrees to an interview by a true crime podcaster (TRUE CRIME JUNKIES ARE YOUR EARS PERKED UP NOW?!!!). The twists that progress throughout the novel are INSANE, involving intricate family secrets that are rooted deep into Isabelle’s childhood!!!! The plot is so incredibly well executed and multilayered! I feel now is the time to quote MTV's old docuseries Diary, "YOU THINK YOU KNOW... BUT YOU HAVE NO IDEA" LOLOLOLLLL!
Much like Isabelle lost sleep trying to solve her son’s case, readers will lose sleep tearing through the pages of Willingham’s newest release! YA DON’T WANNA MISS THIS FOLKS!
A million glimmering, shimmering bookish thanks to Minotaur Books publishing for my eARC!
ALRIGHT OFF TO GO COUNT SHEEP! TOO-DA-LOO BOOKWORMS!

All the Dangerous Things is a solid domestic thriller. It really made me think about the true crime community and how people may feel on the other side. I haven't read Stacy Willingham's first novel, A Flicker in the Dark, but I'll be adding it to my TBR after reading this one.

I have really enjoyed Stacy Willingham's writing style! This book was so easy to dive into and kept me interested until the very last page. I will definitely be recommending this one to my friends!

Deliciously good read! I think Stacy Willingham has crafted a novel that is sensitive to the guilt every woman puts on herself and that society adds to as well as the issues women face before during and after childbirth. The way she has wrapped these themes into a cracking good read is amazing! #allthedangerousthings is one that kept me reading late into the night to see what happens next. The so you to #netgalley and #minotaurbooks for this arc to read and review, all opinions are my own.

All the Dangerous Things is a psychological thriller about a woman named Isabelle who had her son, Mason, taken in the middle of the night. The case went cold and even a year later, was totally unsolved with no leads. Isabelle, completely sleep deprived now, cannot give up trying to figure out what happened to her son. When a podcaster named Waylon comes into her life. He wants to tell her story and see if he can help her figure out the case with the help of his listeners. Will Waylon be able to help her figure out the case? Will her son’s kidnapping ever be solved?
I would rate this book 4.5 stars!
I devoured this book within a week. The short chapters flew by when reading this book. There was a past story weaved throughout the present-day story, which also made the book go by very quickly. The two stories were woven together very nicely. I wanted to know Isabelle’s story in the past and how it may or may not have connected with her story in the present.
I love the “unreliable narrator” trope when reading thriller books– and this book has just that. You can’t help but wonder if Isabelle was seeing things or whether they were truly happening. Was her sleep deprivation causing her to see things or was it truly happening? I also found how she was sleepwalking in her past as well as starting again in her present to be an interesting aspect to the book.
There were definitely twists that I didn't see coming in this book, especially when it came to Waylon. I love being surprised when reading a thriller book. I loved the ending of the book and how it was all pieced together in the end.
I wish that the end of this book stretched out a little bit longer. I felt as though a lot happened but it was rushed like “2 days later” and then “two weeks later.” I really would have liked to hear more of the podcast finishing in detail, especially since so much came to light in those last few chapters.
Overall, I would recommend this book. I have read both books by Willington now and I enjoyed both of them. This book was very well-written and fast paced.
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.