Isabelle has always suffered from sleeping disorders. As an eight-year old child, she slept so deeply that she sleepwalked, possibly leading to tragic circumstances. Twenty-three years later, she can't sleep at all, except for micronaps hitting her at random times, ever since her 18-month old child was abducted one year ago. Still trying to find her son, she makes appearances at true crime conventions, scours the news and the internet, and conducts her own investigations while haranguing the police detective in charge of the case. After an appearance at a major con and the one-year anniversary of his disappearance, Isabelle is approached by a true crime podcaster, offering to help her each a broader audience and possibly finding new leads. Reluctantly, she agrees to his help, but after awhile begins to suspect he has ulterior motives.. And her ex-husband still acts aloof towards her and wants her to quit trying. All these things begin to make Isabelle question she's unknowingly an unreliable narrator. Did what happen to her son have ties back to her childhood? Or are those around her keeping secrets that hide what really happened the night her son disappeared.
Normally, this premise wouldn't be the type of thriller I would seek out. However, Stacy Willingham's first novel was so well written with such interesting twists, I decided it was worth reading her again. And indeed, it was. The dual question of how truthful Isabelle's memories from both her childhood and that fateful night keep the narrative wonderfully ambiguous. And as unexpected revelations and clues come her way, they lead to surprises late in plot that were quite shocking and kept the narrative fresh. Willingham is definitely a great new voice in the mystery/thriller genre.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for the ARC!

There were a lot of really great things about this one. And while my overall feelings about it were "good, not great," I do think it ultimately came down to a matter of preference.

A year before the primary narrative takes place, Isabelle Drake's son was abducted from her home while she slept. Since then, the case has gone cold and Isabelle is determinedly doing what she can to provide investigators with potential leads. Yet, while she refuses to give up on finding her son, her husband, Ben, is more interested in finding closure and moving on. Naturally, this point of contention between them creates a rift. And now, Isabelle is on her own, circulating the True Crime unit to keep mention of her son's case at the forefront of the public's minds.

In conjunction with the sleep issues she's experienced since Mason was taken, Isabelle often alludes to her mysterious (and grim) past, feeding into the idea that she is an unreliable narrator throughout.

While this one is certainly a page turner, I felt like there were too many "fade to black" moments, especially towards the end. The author did a nice job of navigating between Isabelle's past and present. But when the climax hit, I felt like readers were a bit robbed of the action.

Some might enjoy that choice, but it personally wasn't my favorite. However, it is definitely a page-turning, highly readable mystery/thriller. Something worth checking out, if that "fade to black" technique isn't a deal breaker.

Wow!!! This is my first book by Stacy Willingham and I am definitely impressed. I did have a slow go at it in the beginning but that is sometimes usual for me in the beginning of a thriller because there is so much information but after 30% or so it really starts taking off. I thought I had it figured out a few times but I didn't. Such a page turner and I would definitely recommend this book for anyone wanting a twisty thriller read. I will definitely be reading A Flicker in the Dark.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books for allowing me to read the arc early.

This was so well written and captivating. With an unreliable narrator, the then and now timelines weaving together and multiple side stories. It worked so well and had me hooked. I listened to this in a morning while baking and couldn't imagine putting it down.

It gave some very The Night Swim by Megan Goldin vibes with the way the podcast was intertwined and I loved that!

Huge thank you to NetGalley, St Martin's Press & MacMillan Audio for advanced copies in exchange for an honest review!

I absolutely devoured this book!!!

I read and LOVED A Flicker in the Dark, so when I saw that Stacy Willingham was coming out with a new book, I new I had to request it early. I’m so glad I did!

All the Dangerous Things had be guessing throughout the whole book. Just when I thought I had things figured out, NOPE, a new twist. The story was so unique and I haven’t read anything like it before.

I will always auto buy any Stacy Willingham books from now on!!!

My review will be on my instagram (Bookmarkedfavs) on December 27th!

This was a good, fast-paced story! Granted, it was completely predictable, but at least the female character wasn't portrayed as a drunk, weak or pathetic, like so many authors like to do right now! I enjoyed the author's first book and I think that this one is also good - an enjoyable, recommended read!

This review was also published on Goodreads.

Oh man, this one was everything thriller and page turning worthy. I needed something to break up my holiday romance marathon I’ve been on and this was exactly what I needed. And it has been a hot second since I’ve read a good thriller.

First off, this entire story revolves around a baby being kidnapped out of his nursery (no spoilers). So at first I was a bit hesitant reading this while my 13 month old babe was sleeping in the room next to me, but the plot was so good I managed to overlook this.

The plot truly had me guessing the entire time what was true and reality, is our main character truly losing it, and what possibly could have happened. It really gave off the vibes of a solid cold case true crime podcast (and it helped that part of the plot revolves around this as well). Gosh, I am so pumped with how much I enjoyed this read.

Side note (that is slightly a spoiler but nothing major): the author brought up postpartum psychosis which I feel like I never read or hear about, so I was super pumped that Willingham integrated that into this book.

My first Stacy Willingham and I loved it! A super readable thriller. Isabelle is definitely an unreliable narrator and you never know what is fact and what is just her perception. I had so many questions and did not guess the truth before it was revealed which is definitely the sign of a good mystery for me. Am for sure recommending this to all my friends.

This author is quickly becoming one of my favorite and auto-buy authors. I’m blown away at the way she’s able to paint a disturbing yet poetically beautiful thriller. Every word is perfectly and meticulously chosen to convey a hidden message to the reader. Each character is flawed and multifaceted which makes it hard to fully trust each character's motive.

This author takes a basic fear that is embedded in everyone and creates a fantastic story that is completely believable, theatrical, and a thrilling ride. I had my theories, but the reality was darker than I imagined and I loved the twist and turns this author took me on. And just when you think you know where the author is going, she throws in an unexpected surprise that left me slack jawed and floored.

The combination of this author and narrator is pure magic. Karissa brings Isabelle to life in a way that each one of Isabelle’s emotions is delivered flawlessly. Her tone sets this story in a way that reading alone cannot convey. Each word is said with an inflection that by the end you have experienced fear in words you didn’t think were scary before and are ok with actions that should induce fear. Bravo to Karissa and Stacey for truly making this book a crazy ride.

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and Libro.fm for the ARC and ALC

What a great thriller!

Isabelle hasn’t slept in a full nights sleep in over a year. Not since her son went missing in the middle of the night. All she can think about is getting him back.

Oh this book took me for a ride. You are literally drawn in from the first chapter. Isabelle’s life is full of trauma so we bounce from the present dealing with her son to the past and the trauma that lies within there. Once you think you have the story figured out, she throws something else at you.

The ending… 🤯🤯🤯 I did not see that coming. Just reserve a weekend for this book because you won’t be able to put it down.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

4.0 stars

Isabelle Drake's son Mason was taken out of his crib a year ago. Isabelle has barely slept in the year since he went missing. She is solely focused on finding out what happened to him. The story also goes back to Isabelle's childhood and a family tragedy.

Well done story.

Thank you Netgalley, Stacy Willingham, and Minotaur Books for the ALC of "All The Dangerous Things"!

I love a good "who dun it" plot. This book did that and more. It kept me interested in it's entirety, wanting to know who took baby Mason. I went back and forth trying to figure out who it could have been, and it wasn't at all what I thought! I honestly love books that I cannot guess the ending. It keeps me engaged until the very end. The plot moved at a good pace and gave me the right amount of thriller I love.

This was an excellent psychological thriller.

Isabelle's young son disappeared one night while her and her husband were sleeping, and a year on, no evidence of her child or who took him, has been found..
Her husband Ben has moved on, leaving her and finding a new girlfriend. But Isabelle cannot just forget Mason, and spends all of her time trying to discover what happened to him. She attends true crime conventions and speaks to any groups that will listen - trying to keep the case alive and hoping to find someone who knows what happened. She hasn't slept properly since he disappeared - living in a sleep deprived state, suspect anyone from the neighborhood who she doesn't recognize.

She agrees to be interviewed by Waylon, a true crime podcaster, and begrudgingly starts working with him. She suspects he believes she was involved in her son's disappearance, as most people believe.

Told from Isabelle's point of view, we alternate between the current timeline, and when she was a child, when something terrible happened to her sister. Not knowing the details, Isabelle suspects that she was involved in her sister's death as she has suffered as a sleepwalker all of her life. Did she do something to her sister? Did she do something to Mason while sleepwalking?

This book gripped me from the beginning, and I found it truly scary at times as Isabelle realizes just what is possible when someone sleepwalks. I did not expect the big twist in the story.

4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5) Isabelle’s child was taken while she was sleeping in the next room. Over the next year, she rarely sleeps, all in the name of furthering the investigation or finding her child. Standing in front of true crime addicts and depicting her story becomes her new norm.

“Because that’s the thing with the audience, the thing I learned long ago: They don’t want to get too uncomfortable. They don’t want to actually live through what I’ve lived through, every ugly moment. They just want a taste. They want enough for their curiosity to be satiated—but if it gets too bitter or too salty or too real, they’ll smack their lips and leave dissatisfied.”

Isabelle is playing to the audience, purely hoping for a tip, a frequent attendee or anything that might lead to her child.

Personally, I’ve been struggling with serious insomnia for months. As a true insomniac, I can relate to this book in so many ways. Reading it during the night due to insomnia makes it ring even more true.

“You know what’s more dangerous than sleepwalking? Sleep deprivation.”

The problems that arise with insomnia, such as delusions, memory difficulties, mood changes and more made the story so much more interesting. Not only is she possibly sleepwalking, but her realm of what is real is so obscure that it makes you wonder what truly has been or is happening.

“So a sleepwalker could do things, terrible things, that they would never do if they were awake. They can’t differentiate between right and wrong.”

One aspect of the book I didn’t like was that I couldn’t tell how old the child was. It was almost halfway into the book before it mentioned he was 18 months old when taken. At this point, a few pieces fell into place a bit better into my head.

“You don’t have to pull the trigger to get away with murder—sometimes, all you need to do is load the gun and let it go off on its own.”

I liked the end, there was a depth to it that I wasn’t expecting. Sometimes, how the book ends leaves an overall feeling for the book. I was impressed!

AUDIO REVIEW: Great! Thrillers are my go-to genre right now and this one did not disappoint. The narrator had a good, even pace that kept me interested throughout.


Thank you to Minotaur Books for the gifted 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. 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. This book is told in two timelines: Present (now) Isabelle and Ben, Past (then) Isabelle and Margaret. It is a slow start but then moves into fast-paced. It is told in Isabelle's POV who is an unreliable narrator suffering from insomnia. It touches on motherhood emotions and is every mother's worst nightmare. The book has a major twist in the end that really surprised me. It has complex characters who make Isabelle feel overwhelming grief and guilt. She meets Waylon Spencer and does a podcast with him going over the past with her sister, Margaret, who had drowned in the marshes. If you love psychological suspense then you would love this book. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's press for a copy for an honest review.

If you are a thriller fan....read this book!
If you are a mystery fan....read this book!
If you love to be on the edge of your seat...read this book!!

From the very beginning, until the very end, this book held my attention and I couldn't wait to see what happened next. Chapter to chapter, my thoughts went from thinking on thing to another, only to be proven wrong in the end!

I won't go into details, just know things are never as they appear to be!

I highly recommend this book!! Off to one-click this authors other books now because I need more!!

I LOVED this author’s previous book and I couldn’t wait to read her next one so I was really excited when I got this opportunity!

This book is literally a parent’s worst nightmare— a kidnapping in the middle of the night while parents blissfully sleep. And it’s no surprise that the child’s mom cannot sleep, cannot rest, and cannot stop looking for her child.

This book was a 2 day read for me— fast, smart, and I had no clue who the real culprit was until the very end.

Absolutely a great book!!

I LOVE AN UNRELIABLE NARRATOR! You guys. This book was incredible. I actually loved it all. Isabelle Drake is doing everything she can to try to find her child who was taken from her one year ago. The story leads you down so many roads to who could have done it and the end result actually shocked me to my core.

Using her inability to sleep and having there be blackout moments just made her reliability so much more doubted in my mind. It made the plot flow along so nicely and kept me intrigued throughout the whole book. This was such a tense “who-dunit” that I couldn’t help but sit on the edge of my seat (or bed) as I was reading through this book.

I will be recommending this book until people read it because I actually loved it and it takes a LOT for me to give a thriller book five stars (primarily because I’m so picky and hate when I figure out who did the thing before the book actually confirms it for me). But seriously, if you’re looking for a new thriller book to read in 2023, you will definitely want to read this one!

⚠️TW: murder, death, child death, alcoholism, car accident, child abuse, animal death, suicide

Another brilliant psychological thriller by Stacy!

Isabelle Drake and her husband Ben just hit the one year mark of their son Mason being taken from their home while they slept. Isabelle is in a constant state of sleep deprivation with micro naps here and there, as she hunts for the truth as to what happened to her son. The book bounces back and forth between the past with something that happened to her sister, and the present day. Every character is unreliable, most truths revealed shocked me, and several twists happened that I didn’t see coming.

Admittedly; I had a hard time getting into the book initially. As a mother, the topics are some of my worst nightmares, and I wasn’t sure I would be able to push through. I’m so glad I did tho! Stacy writes such a compelling story with beautiful descriptions, and once I hit a certain point I couldn’t put it down! Her books have become must reads for me!

Thank you NetGalley and st martins press for my arc in exchange for my honest feedback!

This one is hard for me to review / rate. The writing was excellent, the characters were well-developed, the plot progressed in an understandable and sensible fashion. But I just found myself feeling more and more uncomfortable with the direction the story seemed to be taking while reading this. Maybe that's the point, though? It definitely touches on some important issues that are often not discussed (postpartum depression / psychosis). It didn't end up where I thought it was going, and I actually found myself (surprisingly) a bit disappointed in the actual outcome - like maybe a different outcome could have made a stronger point / forced readers to think even more about some hard realities. But ultimately, I enjoyed the book and Willingham's writing style. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 because of the quality of the writing and the fact that I didn't want to put this down once I started - it definitely hooked me!