Reading Between the Wines book review #104/135 for 2022:
Rating: 4.5 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷 1/2
Book 🎧: All the Dangerous Things
Author: Stacy Willingham
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers
RELEASES on January 10, 2023!!!

Sipping thoughts: Willingham has done it again! Around this time last year, I had just finished A Flicker in the Dark. The twist in that book was so great but I figured out a big piece of it. All the Dangerous Things kept me in the dark and I was so surprised with what actually happened to baby Mason. A missing baby is the worse but a story where you just don’t know who to believe or trust. I really enjoyed it and I hope that a new release every year is going to be the norm for Stacy Willingham.

Cheers and thank you to @NetGalley and @StMartinsPress for an advanced copy of @AllTheDangerousThings.

#AllTheDangerousThings #StacyWillingham #StMartinsPress #NetGalley #advancedreadercopy #ARC #Kindle #Booksofinstagram #readersofinstagram #bookstagram #nicoles_bookcellar #bookworm #bookdragon #booknerd #booklover #bookstagrammer #bookaholic #bookreview #bookreviewer #IHaveNoShelfControl #ReadingBetweenTheWines #fiction #thriller #suspense #mystery #MysteryAndThrillers

I was really impressed by our authors debut, out now, so I was excited to get approval for this book coming out early 2023. Wow, I think it is even better than the first one. We have a very talented author in my opinion.

I would caution on trigger warnings. Parts of this book were even hard for me to read in the sense of mystery and suspense. I got in my own head and had to remind myself it was a book, and fiction. Which I also associate with great writing if it has that capability. I thought the characters were good and the story was very interesting and was great at holding my attention. It felt very original and I enjoyed it from beginning to end.

Once again I will most likely buy this as a gift. There were many unexpected parts and I never could quite figure it out. It kept me guessing and our author managed to let me get in my own head too much. Much to think about and ponder here.

Many thanks to our author, Netgalley and St. Martin's Press Minotaur Books for providing me with an advanced eGalley copy of the book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This will be released on January 10th, 2023 and I hope if you choose to read it you enjoy it also.

Wow! Stacy Willingham has written an exhilarating thriller! She deals with some very difficult topics in a kind, compassionate manner as she twists and turns, rides and rolls through this mystery. It was a great read - grabbing me early and not letting go even at the end. This one was so captivating, I’m going back now to find her other books as quickly as I can.

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this awesome ARC.

Book Review

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
Pub date: January 10, 2023

Isabelle Drake had her son taken one year ago and since then she hasn’t slept, barely eats and her marriage has ended. She uses true crime conventions to not only keep her son’s case alive but to also glean any information on creepers/potential suspects that may attend. Not everybody see’s it this way, though. Some think she’s exploiting her son’s disappearance for money. And then, there’s some who aren’t wholly convinced she’s not the one responsible for Mason’s disappearance.

Then there’s Isabelle’s past history including sleepwalking and a mysterious death that adds to the story’s plot in an intriguing way.

I loved the addition of a pod cast and the character of Will was the perfect catalyst.

The characters are secretive, flawed, and I didn’t really trust the motives of any of them! Isabelle’s narrative is often unreliable in that dreamy yet dysfunctional way of someone who has been through a traumatic episode; all compounded with the added effects of long-term insomnia. Her reflection on past and present events had me invested in finding out the truth of both life-altering events in her life.

I have one little complaint and that's the extreme verbosity and metaphoric phrases that seemed to be on repeat. I love a well described character/atmosphere/environment, etc … but there were times it went a bit overboard and made the story slog.

While this took a bit away from my enjoyment, it in no way diminished the mind-blowing twists, the incredible premise, and the fact that I really liked Isabelle’s character and her plight.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story and the twists were the chefs kiss! I’ll be looking forward to her next book!
My thanks to @StMartinsPress and @Minotaur_Books for this gifted DRC.

First let me start by saying I read A Flicker in the Dark in January and I really enjoyed it. BUT...

All the Dangerous Things was a phenomenal read for me. I FLEW through this book. It gripped me from the very beginning and I needed to know what happened to little Mason. Inevitably I was pointing a finger at EVERYONE through the whole story. If a character was introduced, I automatically was assuming guilt. I couldn't rely on a soul or even begin to tell you who was the guilty party. Then, when the ending started unfolding with all of the secrets, deception and chaos I was turning pages like a madwoman. I am thrilled I read this and it will be in my top 22 of 2022 books!

After the success of last year's A Flicker in the Dark, Stacy Willingham is back with a new thriller - All the Dangerous Things.

"Isabelle Drake hasn't slept in a year - not since her young son was taken from her house. Everyone is telling her she needs to move on - her ex-husband, the police. But Isabelle knows he's still out there somewhere. She agrees to be interviewed by a True Crime podcaster to shake things up and hopefully find new leads. But his interest in her past makes her nervous. And long buried memories are making her question what really happened that night..."

Willingham does a wonderful job capturing the desperation from Isabelle. There are several red herrings leading you to think the story will end one way but Willingham has other plans. The twisty reveal is a "Wait - What?" moment and then the twists keep coming.

Glad to have a thriller set here in the southeast. (So many stories from the Low Country are formula romance )

I think Willingham has gotten better with her 2nd novel and it's great to have her as a SC resident. Add this book to your list.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ what an absolutely amazing read! I could not put this one down. Mystery, dark truths… small thriller aspects. Beautifully written. Stacy has become a new favorite author of mine. I literally cannot think of one thing that I did not like about this book. Which is very very rare!

Ironically perfect that I read this thriller while at Iceland Noir, after listening to panel discussions on the importance of the premise and judicious use of twists. This book NAILS every requirement:

Premise: A young woman who can’t sleep, a secret that is slowly revealed as to why…nope, you don’t get more than that.

Twists: so many, involving true crime podcast, friends, lovers, family… nope, you don’t get more than that.

Un-Put-Downable: Let’s just say, I stayed up way too late too many nights and loved every minute of this twisty turning thriller!

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham centers around main character, Isabelle Drake, whose life changed forever one yer prior when her infant son went missing in the middle of night. Her son, Mason, was taken right out of his crib, while Isabelle and her husband slept in their own beds, hearing nothing. That was the last time Isabelle had a full nights sleep. She will nap here and there, but her lack of sleep only makes missing Mason even more difficult, and brings up a past that has been secret in her family since she was a little girl. Isabelle can’t even trust herself, does she know what happened to her son? When she meets a true-crime podcaster who is willing to help in her search for her son, with no clues and little evidence, more secrets start to unfold and Isabelle finds herself unable to trust anyone. But, regardless of what she finds, she has to find her son, or at least what happened to her baby.

This novel is a psychological thriller dealing with memory loss due to lack of sleep, mental illness, and family secrets. Told exclusively by Isabelle, but alternating between her past and present, she is an unreliable story teller due to her memory issues and insomnia. I found myself not liking many, if any, of the characters in this novel. While my heart was broken for Isabelle, I found many ‘secrets’ predictable, with a few surprises, but they weren’t intriguing enough to wow me. The pace was very slow, and I found my self struggling to finish this.

I would like to thank Netgalley, St Martin’s Press and Stacy Willingham for an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. 2.5 stars

Being approved for this digital ARC on Net Galley was such a thrill! I enjoyed the author’s first book, A Flicker in the Dark, so I was really excited to read her newest novel. I was not disappointed.

This story is told in alternating timelines, flipping between our main character Isabelle’s childhood and her horrific present. There are a lot of details to lay out, and some intricate pieces of the story to be set so the author took her time to set the stage. To be fair, the first 30% of this book was a little slow, but knowing how it all came together, it made sense why it had to be plotted in such a way. If you read this one and feel it’s lacking at first, just hang in there! I think you’ll be so glad you did.

I read a lot (like, a LOT) of thrillers. While I love the genre, I think the market has been flooded with many ‘okay’ books and it’s become really easy for me to spot twists. That was not the case with this book. Once the story picked up, pieces fell into place and plot points revealed twist after twist that had me furiously turning pages for more. I loved this book! I was so excited to see it chosen as the thriller option for December with Book of the Month. I think it’s so exciting that readers get their hands on this one ahead of its release date in January.

Besides being a great thriller, this book also really made me feel for Isabelle’s situation. She is a bereaved mother, a jilted spouse, a disregarded daughter and a lost friend. Her emotions were so palpable, I just wanted to wrap an arm around her and bring her a coffee – and I’m not a hugger. Stacy Willingham did such a beautiful job bringing her characters to life in this book.

Huge thank you to Net Galley, the author and publisher for this free copy in exchange for my honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫🎧

One year ago Isabel Drake’s son was taken in the middle of the night. Since then, her life has fallen apart and has been consumed by keeping the case alive. When she meets a true crime podcaster, her son’s case shifts forcing Isabel to face her present, future, and her past that she has tried so hard to forget.

“All the Dangerous Things” makes us think about our obsession with true crime, and how victims and suspects are looked at and used for entertainment purposes. I’m really captured by the line “You really tell a great story, Isabel. It’s not a story, it’s my life.”

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress for the opportunity to listen to this great audiobook read by @karissavacker.

Themes: 👁️👣🤱🏼💤🎙️🖤

My thoughts: 😍🥹🤓😰😥🤯😲

#netgalley
#stmartinspress
@bookofthemonth
#bookofthemonth
#readmorebooks
#readmorebooksbywomen
#audiobook
#goodreads
#readersofinstagram

After reading and loving Stacy Willingham’s first book, I was so excited to get a sneak peek of her second one and All The Dangerous Things did not disappoint! I was captivated from the beginning and thought several times I had the twist figured out but each time I was wrong. Highly recommend this book!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Available January 10th, 2023

Oh my WOW! Add to your 2023 TBR this one is fantastic.

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.

Izzy hasn’t slept in a year since the night her son was kidnapped from his own bed. The police have no leads - who took Mason?! After meeting on an airplane, Izzy teams up with podcaster Waylon to try to find a lead. Is she finding clues or is her sleep deprived brain making her see things?

I loved the flashbacks to her childhood. Izzy has a past full of secrets and guilt that makes her question her present self. Her traumatic past, failed marriage, lack of sleep makes for a perfect unreliable narrator that kept me on the edge!

Every time I thought I had this one figured out, Willingham would throw in another twist or surprise. Suspenseful and head spinning! I had an ebook and audio so I never had to put it down. Recommend to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers!

THANK YOU, Minotaur and St. Martin's Press for the ARC on Netgalley!!

Isabelle Drake can't sleep - as a child, she sleepwalked, and as an adult, she's an insomniac, especially after her son, Mason, was taken from his nursery in the middle of the night. Mason has been missing for a year, and Isabelle has lost more than just her son. She's lost her husband, Ben, who moved out. She's lost contact with her parents, with whom she has a mysterious and shaky relationship after a childhood tragedy. And of course, she's lost hours and hours of sleep. Isabelle cannot let go of the case surrounding her son's disappearance and stays actively involved even a year later, speaking at true crime conventions, contacting local police, and even enlisting the help of a true crime podcaster. Isabelle continues to unravel the web of her son's case and discovers that the cause of all the dangerous things happening to her might be closer than she realized.

This was my first read by Stacy Willingham and I'm already adding her first novel to my TBR list. I can confidently say I've never read a thriller like this one. I LOVE unreliable narrators - from the start, we're not sure if, when, or for how long we can (or should) trust Isabelle, but at the same time, we sympathize with her. The dual timelines were very well done and DEFINITELY added to the story. Willingham meaningfully delves into a lot of issues about mental health and motherhood in this book which I appreciated (those things need to be talked about!!). There's lots of good "trope-ing" in this book too: unreliable narrator, "the husband definitely did it," psycho-girlfriend, true crime vibes, "I know the police are wrong".... and the tropes are crafted well, and in a unique way. Overall, a great thriller with meaningful commentary on some very important issues.

One year ago, Isabelle Drake’s toddler was kidnapped in the middle of the night…and she hasn’t slept since. In her continuous search for answers, she befriends a true crime podcaster, and starts to question her own past in the process.

Much like everyone else and their mother, I read and loved A FLICKER IN THE DARK and was stoked to get my hands on an early copy of this one as well!

ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS by Stacy Willingham is a slow-burn thriller that features every mother’s nightmare and brings to question what a woman will do for her children. I loved the complexity of the characters in this one, and just how intricately everyone’s stories were woven.

This book also features multiple timelines (LOVE!) which gave a ton of depth to the lead character and showcased just how much was at stake for her.

The twists in this one kept me on my toes and I think a lot of readers will feel the same!

Huge thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and Minotaur Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Publication Date: January 10, 2023

It has been a whole year since Isabelle’s son, Mason was taken from his crib in the middle of the night. And since that fateful night, Isabelle hasn’t been able to sleep. Her marriage has fallen apart and she still isn’t any closer to figuring out who took her baby.

Isabelle attends a true crime conference and speaks about her son’s case. She is approached by a true crime podcaster, Waylon Spencer who is looking to dive into her son’s disappearance, but she is reluctant to put everything out there. After giving it some thought, she realizes she has nothing left to lose so they move forward. As the two work together, Isabelle and Waylon discover witnesses and evidence have been overlooked that can finally provide answers.

This is now the second book I’ve read from Stacey Willingham and once again I was impressed. This was a slow burn, but I enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

**𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲, 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐮𝐫 𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐨.𝐟𝐦 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐱𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐦𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰.  𝐀𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐉𝐚𝐧 𝟏𝟎𝐭𝐡.

A year ago, Isabelle's son was taken from his crib in the middle of the night and it shattered her life. Isabelle refuses to give up until she has answers even though with little evidence the case has gone cold. She agrees to be a part of a true crime podcast but as she's interviewed her past comes back to haunt her. She might be hiding secrets of her own about her past that might lead to answers about what happened to her son. 
I really enjoyed this one.  It's told in two timelines with the past timeline just giving you small snippets of the past that has you questioning what is going on the whole time. I thought the pacing was good and the story kept me guessing. I really liked her first novel, A Flicker in the Dark and I enjoyed this one even more.  This is a pretty solid thriller in my opinion.

SO. GOOD. The author of fan-favorite Flicker in the Dark has done it again, in my opinion! Flicker was a tough act to follow but All the Dangerous Things was fantastic. Here’s why: unreliable narrator done DIFFERENTLY, intriguing concept, well-paced plot, and gorgeous writing. Characters were OK, I didn’t love anyone. The plot and writing were excellent and drove the book for me, so I didn’t really care that I wasn’t a cheerleader for the MC. The twists threw punch after punch and kept you on the edge of your seat but somehow they all made sense (how often does that happen?!) and I enjoyed watching as the different puzzle pieces came together seamlessly for a very satisfying ending.

Highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. 5/5 stars.

Title:All the Dangerous Things
Author: Stacy Willingham
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Release Date: January 10, 2023

Read if you like:
Alternating timelines
True Crime podcasts
Thriller
Unique plots
Multiple twists and turns
Unreliable narrator

My Thoughts:
I LOVED A Flicker in the Dark and after reading All the Dangerous Things, Stacy Willingham will be an auto buy author from now on! This book is full of some unsettling situations so I do suggest looking into those or asking about them before reading if that impacts you. However I loved this book! ATDT immediately captured my attention and didn't let it go due to
Stacy's writing being so vivid. The story is told through Isabelle's POV, but flips between childhood flashbacks and the present. The flashback chapters were so unsettling and added the creepiness I eat up. The present sections really made me question who to trust, and my guesses were of course wrong. The ending was just the right amount of twist, neither predictable nor unbelievable, but enough that it was a shock. This is definitely a top thriller for 2023 and I suggest run and get it on pub day!

I loved Flicker In The Dark and so of course I needed this book and WOW this was didn't disappoint!! It was addicting I couldn't put it down. I loved. I can't wait to read what the author writes next.