Thank you Minotaur for the #gifted eARC of ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS!

I want to preface this review with the fact that I am a mother to an 18 month old son. The idea of someone sneaking into our house and kidnapping him is one of my greatest fears.

Because of this, I wasn’t initially going to even read this book but after talking to a few of you who are also mothers who read it, I decided to give it a shot.

This book really wasn’t for me. I think maybe if I had read it when my son was older and the similarities between Asher and Mason were fewer, than I could have allowed myself to become immersed in the mystery. I really am in the minority about this one so please don’t let me review put you off.

I also had a really hard time relating to and even liking the main character. Would I have made some of the strange decisions she made in the wake of her child going missing? Maybe? But some of her choices BEFORE she became a mother is what really made her unlikeable to me and that’s all I’ll say about that because I don’t want to spoil anything.

One thing that I thought the author did a good job of was describing the exhaustion of new motherhood, the moments of frustration and resentment that bubble up, the glorious feeling when you do something just for you and you get to see a glimpse of your old self. Motherhood is a broad spectrum of feelings and she did a great job of showing that.

ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS comes out on 1/10/23!

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4856901814
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CnFI3VPpTzG/

I'm speechless! This book kept me spinning the entire time. There are so many different things playing out that it's hard to know exactly how this story will end - - and that's just the way I like it. Stacy Willingham...I now see exactly what all the hype is about and you are truly living up to it. I can't wait to go back and read your first novel!

All the Dangerous Things introduces us to Isabelle Drake. She's living a mother's nightmare - - her toddler disappeared out of his crib a year ago while she and her husband slept. There have been no leads or serious clues as to what happened or who might have been to blame. She's struggling on a daily basis because she literally cannot sleep other than a random micro nap here and there. She's hyper focused on finding out what happened to Mason and can't rest until it happens.

There are things in Isabelle's own past that make her feel guilty and leave her questioning her own potential guilt. Of course, mothers always blame themselves. But is Isabelle's guilt different? Or just an extension of that? The loss of Mason has led to the crumbling of her marriage. Isabelle's husband, Ben, moved out six month's after Mason's disappearance. She truly has no support and is trying to find her way through this difficult time entirely on her own.

Seeing few options left to her, she agrees to meet with Waylon, a true crime podcaster, in the hope that it will spur fresh attention for Mason's case and potentially help surface new leads. But it's hard for her to fully trust him. She's always fearful that people are looking at her and finding doubt or suspicion.

This book weaves a crafty tale by blending the past with the present. We get snippets from Isabelle's childhood, the early days of her and Ben's relationship/marriage, the days after Mason is born and then the current time after Mason's disappearance. Everything ties together to structure this story and make it everything it is - - which is one heck of a twisty ride. Willingham really mapped this story out well and the execution is superb. Again, I"m a fan and cannot wait to read more by this talented author.

In addition to reading this little gem, I also listened to the audiobook and it was absolutely wonderful. If you're an audiobook fan, it is top notch. I hated it when I needed to turn it off. It was one of those situations where you become very mesmerized by the narrator's rendition and are completely drawn into the story. It's quite entertaining. I highly recommend the audio. 5 HUGE STARS!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC and ALC. I voluntarily chose to both read and listen to these early copies and this review contains my own opinions and thoughts.

Where is the sixth star this book deserves?


All the Dangerous Things, is the story of a mother’s worst nightmare. This book grabbed my attention and would not let me go . Read Jo read! And i did… 336 pages in 3 days.

The story follows Isabelle Drake, a woman, wife and mother with suffering severe and dangerous insomnia for a year. Why? Isabelle and her husband Ben, wake up to find their toddler son has been stolen from his crib in the middle of the night without a trace. The baby monitor batteries have died so there is no footage. I thought that a bit convenient, but hey don’t latch onto and hunches in this read cuz it’s gonna change.

The police have turned up no leads or meaningful clues and are pretty much at a dead end with their investigation. It’s been a year now since Mason’s abduction and everyone else, including her husband, assumes the boy is dead and moving on. Since no body has been found, Isabelle refuses to give in to that way of thinking and in my opinion, rightly so. Even after so much time, Isabelle is still desperate to find out what has happened to her baby and to bring him home. For this reason and the insomnia, she becomes fixated on doing whatever she can to find the truth, even if it costs her everything.

One day on a plane Isabelle happens to encounter a true crime podcaster who has had some success with cold cases and he approaches her about telling her story. Isabelle at this point has achieved some fame through TrueCrimeCon as a keynote speaker. She agrees to work with him. She even invites him, Waylon, to bunk in her home, (hubby, Ben, has given up and moved out). Waylon you see is self pay and cannot afford motels and was going to work with her remotely until she makes this offer.
She finds Waylon a relief to the loneliness of her home. The two of them work closely together at first, but when Isabelle realizes the podcaster is looking into some deeply troubling events from her past, she starts to doubt that his motives are as he presented them to her. He is seems to be focusing his attention, not so much on Mason, but on the fact that, as a child, Isabelle was a sleepwalker and often did things she later had no memory of.

Isabelle’s past has always haunted her even before the podcaster started digging and now that he has brought it to the surface, not only does she now distrust him, but she also starts to distrust everyone else she knows, including herself.
This is compounded by Isabelle own mind being murky concerning the death of little sister Margaret and her own parents only seem to make things worse. Added to her guilt is the fact that she feels responsible for Margaret’s death, but why?

I really enjoyed this story because it kept me guessing every step of the way and every time I thought I had a main suspect in mind, the story took a completely unexpected turn that made me have to reevaluate and try and figure out a new who-done-it. As the saga neared the end, just about every character had been on my suspect list and I was still wrong about who the perpetrator turned out to be.

Do NOT miss reading the author’s note. It offers insight into the complexity of the characters, especially the many females in the story. The main character, Isabelle, is, while clearly flawed and a bit messy, not the ideal mother or wife, but oh so likeable, at least to this reader. Then even warned not to, she goes rogue with her investigation. I just loved how real and determined she was to not give up on finding her child.

I admired her commitment to finding the truth even if it led her somewhere she really didn’t want to go.

I haven’t read Stacy Willingham’s A Flicker in the Dark which I hear is superb and this book must carry on her amazing writing techniques… sharp, smart, and very atmospheric, causing one to become fully immersed in the story set in the marshy, southern setting of Savannah and Beaufort, SC. These are towns you readers must visit. But take your bug spray and a fan.

If you’re looking for a twisty thriller that will keep you on your toes and guessing until the very end, you’ll want to kick off your 2023 reading with All the Dangerous Things. published January 10, 2023

✨ARC Review✨

“We all have one, I suppose. A story. A series of events that twist our lives along some uncharted path. A sequence of births and deaths, beginnings and endings. Love and loss. Joy and pain.”

A child taken in the middle of the night while the parents sleep in the next room eventually turns into a cold case. Isabelle finds herself knee deep in finding answers, even allowing a true crime podcaster to come into her life and offer help. But what lengths will a mother go to find those answers? Allowing the mystery to consume her, paired with insomnia, guilt, and secrets, Isabelle questions not only herself but her past, and EVERYONE around her.

I don’t read thrillers as often as I used too, and I find it more difficult to find ones that really grip me, that fit the bill as an insatiable read. This book however had me HOOKED from the first page. It’s short chapters, and shifting timelines make for a fast paced read without feeling like it’s too much to absorb.

There are so many working parts in this one with the timelines, multiple characters, and CRAZY events! All of it put together makes for quite a craft of imposing doubt mixed with secrets, guilt, and at what lengths someone will go to in order to find the truth. There are SO MANY TWISTS that pack a punch! I highly recommend picking this one up if you enjoy thrillers!

What’s On The Pages:
-missing child
-unreliable narrator
-true crime podcast
-shifting timelines
-secrets, lies, guilt
-twists

⚠️CW/TW: I won’t list as I typically do, as they might spoil the book. Feel free to reach out to me if you want to know them.

✨Rating✨
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

A special thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this eARC! All The Dangerous Things is out January 10th!

I absolutely loved A Flicker In The Dark, so I was soooo excited to be approved on Netgalley to read this! And it did not disappoint!! Stacy’s writing is always so detailed and I can really feel what the characters are feeling.
As a mom, my heart was broken for Isabelle and I feel like I would be the same - refuse to sleep until there were answers and try to solve the case on my own.
There were so many good twists in this one. I didn’t know who to trust in this book and I loved that! It was definitely an engaging, twisty read!! If you enjoyed A Flicker in the Dark, then you will for sure enjoy this one!

Thank you NetGalley for this free eArc to read and review!
What a great book to start the new year! If I would have had time I could have read this book in one sitting. Short chapters, a story that sucks you in and has you needing more, unreliable characters, a great mystery, two timelines, and need to know how it’s going to end. Loved it! 4.5 stars!

Read this if you like:
-twisty turny suspense
-unreliable narrators
-flashbacks in the narrative

Stacy Willingham’s debut A FLICKER IN THE DARK was one of my favorite reads in 2022, so I was excited to read ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS. Isabelle Drake hasn’t slept through the night since her son, Mason, went missing one year ago. She is obsessed with figuring out what happened to him. Unable to sleep for longer than a few minutes at a time, Isabelle’s nerves are beyond frayed. Staying up all night, she replays various scenarios in her mind. She attends true crime conferences as a keynote speaker in the hopes that the kidnapper will somehow reveal themselves. When a podcaster approaches Isabelle for an interview, she surprises them both by agreeing. But the more they talk, the more questions Isabelle has about secrets from her past…

This was a gripping story! I definitely gel with Willingham’s writing style. I found a few of the dramatic twists to be slightly predictable. However I read a LOT of mysteries and thrillers so I might just be getting better at predicting these things. This is worth your time if you enjoyed A FLICKER IN THE DARK, or are looking for a well-written and suspenseful page turner. I’m looking forward to what this author writes next!

Big thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

Isabelle Drake's life changed in an instant when her son disappeared from his nursery a year ago while she and her husband slept soundly in the next room. The case quickly went cold with no motive, no ransom, no clues, and no suspects - though the police investigating keep a close eye on Isabella.
She hardly sleeps, sharing her story at true-crime conventions and then pouring over the lists of attendees, searching for a name, someone who may be involved and listening to her tell her story.

Her marriage quickly crumbled after Mason's abduction and now she devotes her entire life to searching for her son, well-aware that the police think she's involved. In a last-ditch attempt to find a witness or clue, Isabelle agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster.
Between his interest in her past and her year-long sleep deprivation, Isabelle is nervous that maybe she can't trust her recollection of the night Mason disappeared.

This was a fantastic mystery/thriller to end 2022! There were some strong twists, even a couple that I didn't see coming because the author downplayed them so well and an excellent ending! Isabelle has so much dimension and doesn't follow the typical "unreliable narrator" formula that thrillers have come to rely on.

Thanks to St. Martin's/Minotaur Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review. All the Dangerous Things is scheduled for release on January 10, 2023.

A parent’s worst nightmare - your child disappears from his room in the middle of the night! A kidnapping or something much closer to home? A desperate mother, with current and past issues of her own, still seeking answers a year after the disappearance. Of course she comes under scrutiny from the police. Could she have done something to harm her som?

This is a riveting story! The author’s writing style is so readable and draws you in, keeping you glued to the pages until the end. The subject matter may not be totally new, but that doesn’t matter in this well written, suspenseful book - it’ll hold you captive until you know how it all ends!

Isabelle and Ben’s eighteen month old son went missing from his nursery a year ago. Now separated from Ben, Isabelle devotes her life to trying to find out what happened to her son. Her well being is hampered by her chronic insomnia. But, this is not the first time she has had a sleep disorder. Isabelle begins to feel that suspicion is falling on her and wonders if maybe she did have something to do with it. After all, there is that “thing” in her background.

It took a while to get into this story, but for those who like psychological/domestic thrillers, it is worth staying with it through the slower beginning. I suffered my own insomnia with this book, as I couldn’t put it down and stayed up most of the night to finish it. Told from one POV, there are multiple timelines in this well written novel. I did feel there was one fallacy in the resolution of the book, but don’t want to mention it as it would be a spoiler.

A very twisty story about a young mother named Isabelle Drake whose baby boy disappears from his crib one night while his parents are sleeping. Over the next year, her marriage falls apart and she begins suffering from extreme insomnia as she tries to figure out what happened to poor little Mason. Is she becoming delusional from sleep deprivation? Could she possibly have killed Mason whom she admits was a cranky baby? Are there secrets from her past that might be influencing her actions?

Willingham's female characters are flawed and real and she delves into their issues in a caring, insightful manner, examining the highs and lows of motherhood, shining a light on emotional problems and medical issues often kept hidden.

This is my first taste of Willingham's writing and I'll look forward to reading more from this talented author. I received an arc from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham is a fantastic, gritty atmospheric mystery about a woman whose toddler son has been kidnapped one year prior. In flashbacks, we learn she suffered some sort of trauma as a child. The stories are slowly teased out as the mysteries in each timeline become clearer.

I was drawn in immediately and sucked into Isabelle’s life and past. Isabelle has become an insomniac since her son went missing. She is constantly looking at many angles of his disappearance since the police case has run cold. She connects with the community of True Crime enthusiasts by speaking at conferences and with a podcaster to gain more attention.

The writing is lyrical and eerie, really adding to the plot. I loved the narration by Karissa Vacker. Her voice perfectly embodied how I pictured Isabelle and really helped enhanced the story. I highly recommend this book if you’re looking for an atmospheric mystery!

Thank you St. Martin’s Press / Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for this ebook / audiobook. All thoughts are my own.

With this book I did a mix of listening to the audiobook and reading it on kindle. I loved the narrator but once the story got going (a bit further into the book than I would prefer) I wasn’t patient enough to have it all read to me. The writing was good and the twists were nice. That being said the first half of the book was pretty slow moving. I read this author’s previous work and really enjoyed it and I peeked at some reviews which both gave me hope that the book would pick up and the second half picked up quite a bit. Isabelle hasn’t had any meaningful sleep in the year that her son Mason has been missing. She can’t let the case go and goes to true crime conventions to tell her story and make sure the focus isn’t gone because the police have no leads or clues that they are working on. On the way back from her latest convention she meetings Waylon who is a podcaster and eventually she decides to try something different and tell her story to him. Intermixed with this storyline is a past storyline with Isabelle and her sister Margaret. Past and present converge as Isabelle struggles to locate and understand the clues she knows must lead her to her son.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4915108644

The author's writing style flows effortlessly, and the main character is likeable, although a bit redundant with the trope of the unreliable narrator being the mother. The chapters that were from the past were interesting and kept me guessing. The mystery was pretty straightforward and what helped it become not so obvious was the narrative from the past. I wish the concept of the podcast had been explored a bit more and had been tied to the story a bit more. Overall this was a quick popcorn read, with an obvious conclusion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“Sleep, those little slices of death. How I loathe them.”

Read if you like:
- dual timelines
- twisty thrillers
- domestic drama

One whole year since my Mason was taken from me, and still, I’m no closer to the truth.

Isabelle Drake has not slept in an entire year since her infant son was kidnapped; except for the occasional resting of her eyes and brief blackout periods. The case is still unsolved. Isabelle meets Waylon, a podcast host, on a flight on her way back home from giving a conference about her son. He tells her that he just so happens to doing an episode about her son right now, and asks if she would be interest in discussing the case for the show (the podcast did solve a cold case once!) Isabelle soon asks Waylon to move in with her to continue working on the case, and things start becoming verrrrrrrry interesting. Is Isabelle hiding something that she doesn’t even herself remember??? Or is Waylon?? Who really even is this Waylon guy anyway??

I absolutely loved A Flicker in the Dark, and so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on Stacy Willingham’s second book. I am a true crime fanatic so I definitely knew that this book was going to be right up my alley. I absolutely loved all the True Crime references and podcast stuff, as that is exactly what I want to watch/listen to in my real life.
I really like books with dual timelines because then I get to slowly put the pieces together of the story, but it doesn’t quiiiiite make sense until right at the end 🤪
This is absolutely one of those books that sucks you right in, and I was gripped from the very first chapter. I tore right through this book and when I couldn’t be reading, I was thinking about reading this book! Very, very fantastic.
This book was so enjoyable and twisty and thrilling that I literally could not put it down!! I constantly caught my eyes trying to skip over parts to get to end to find out what happens! Loved this book!
I was asking myself alottttttt of questions the entire way throughout this book; I had no idea at all where the author was going to take it. I didn’t realize the bad guy until right at the very end, which I always appreciate it in a book. I loved the ending. I really loved this book!

I just finished All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham and here are my musings.

It’s been a year. A year since Isabelle’s life was turned upside down. Her son, her toddler son Mason, was stolen from his crib while she and her husband slept. There are no leads, no clues and no rest for Isabelle.

She is running on virtually no sleep and talking to true crime people to get her story out there. On the flight home from her latest keynote, Isabelle ends up sitting next to a true crime podcaster…. The police still have nothing so she decides to go on the podcast in hopes someone can give her some fresh perspective and new leads. Little does she know that the interviews will shake loose things she had forgotten in her past… Beginning to not trust what she remembers, Isabelle begins to question everything and everyone around her….

This is the kind of thriller that once you pick up, you can’t put down until you are finished. I don’t think you know how hard it is to do things with one hand when you won’t put your kindle down but you have chores to do. It was worth it though. The author weaved a dark tale with the kind of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the very end.

Isabelle is the epitome of an unreliable narrator and her journey in trying to discover what happened to her son was a whirlwind of darkness and hidden trauma. I always felt the underlying mild panic of being completely unnerved by what was happening. I didn’t much care for any of the characters in it and everyone seemed to have secrets and agendas which just added to the excitement.

If you love a good twister thriller that will keep you on your toes…. This is the book for you!

5 stars! Genius writing.

Thank you to @netgalley and @minotaurbooks for my review copy!

This was a spectacular follow up to A Flicker in the Dark, which I thoroughly enjoyed last year. The story alternates between past and present, had great pacing and multi-faceted, complex characters. It is a phenomenal exploration of motherhood, mental health, grief and trauma and how they influence our decisions. While I don't always enjoy the unreliable narrator trope, this one felt refreshing and reminded me in some parts of Stay Awake (which was also a favorite last year). I figured out one of the many twists early on but all the twists were well-written and surprising and overall I appreciated how the story unfolded and that the ending was not rushed. I also enjoyed the influence of one very infamous true crime case (I won't say which one to avoid spoilers but the author discusses it in the author's note at the end). Highly recommend this one! 4.5/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio and St. Martin’s Press for the advanced copies!

All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham is an absolutely riveting suspense/thriller about every mother's worst nightmare—losing her child. I absolutely loved Willingham's debut novel, A Flicker in the Dark, and couldn't imagine enjoying ATDT as much. But I did! Such a cliche, but I honestly could not put the book down. I just had to know how it would all play out. Been raving about this book to everyone I know!!

Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

It's every mother's nightmare: a missing child taken from his own home. Isabelle Drake has spent one year desperately searching for clues to find her missing son. She scours the internet hoping to identify suspects. She speaks at true crime conferences in an attempt to gain insight and keep her son's case at the forefront. But in one year, the cops are not any closer to solving the mystery and finding her son. Troubled by both this tragic event and her haunting past, Isabelle becomes dangerously sleep deprived as she tries to solve this case on her own. And then a shocking video and a neighbor's memory of that night leads Isabelle closer to the truth. As the story of Isabelle's past unfolds and more clues are discovered in the case of her son, the reader is taken on a wild ride of guessing the culprit.

What I liked about this book: This story certainly held my interest and kept me guessing. It was full of twists, suspects, and creepy settings.

What didn't work for me: Overall I enjoyed the story but the main character annoyed me at times, particularly her relationship with her husband in the beginning of their relationship. Also, there is a focus on postpartum illness that can be triggering.

What depths will a mother go to find her son after he is taken from his crib in his bedroom? Its been 1 year and Isabelle Drake doesn’t sleep trying to figure out what happened that fatal night. She searches for clues and follows every lead she can. When a podcaster offers to help her dig deeper into her sons disappearance, Isabelle decides to let him help. This means he could dig deeper into her past which she doesn’t want to happen.
If you like reading domestic suspense you should read All the Dangerous Things.
Overall I found the story to be very compelling and gripping.
Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read this book for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.