4.5

All the Dangerous Things follows Isbelle whose son was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night. The police had little evidnce of who took her son, so the case went cold. Not giving up, Isbelle is determined to find out what happened to her son and get him back. Out of options Isabelle agrees to be interviewed by a true crime podcaster. She thinks this will bring more attention to the case and help her get the answers she longs for. But soon the podcaster starts to bring up memories that Isbelle had locked away and makes her start to doubt what happened that night. But Isbelle will stop at nothing to get her son back.

This book was WILD. Right when you thought you had this book figured out, a plot twist happened. This is the first book I have read by this author and I will definitely be reading more by her. I really enjoyed this one a lot. This is the perfect example of a thriller book done well. I will say I did feel like at some points it was a little all over the place. But things did get back on track eventually. I also enjoyed how things that happened in the past sort of influenced the present. I do think there were some plot holes that could have been resolved. But those were just minor things. But wow this book was really good. I highly suggest this one.

Thank you NetGalley, Librofm, Stacey Willingham, and Minotar books for the ARC of this book. All Opinions are my own.

As a mother, I was shaken when I read the blurb for this book. How could you not be? It is any parent’s worst nightmare to have a missing child. With that in mind (and knowing there could be triggers), I accepted the publisher’s invitation for this book. I am glad that I did because this book was a great read.

Isabelle hasn’t slept since Mason, her eighteen-month-old son, was taken from his room at night. She has been tirelessly searching for him and making the rounds of tv shows and conventions to state her case. What has suffered in this past year is her marriage. Her husband has moved on with a woman who is a dead ringer for her. The police consider her a prime suspect, and Isabelle is being pushed to her limits. So, it is no wonder she accepts a true-crime podcaster’s invitation. As she interviews for the podcast, memories of her childhood resurface and cause her to doubt everything her parents had told her. What happened to Mason? Did Isabelle do something to him? Or was he kidnapped? What happened to Isabelle when she was a child?

All the Dangerous Things is a slow-starting book that takes place almost entirely in Georgia. The pace does pick up in the middle of the book. But, towards the end, is when the book picks up steam, and it doesn’t slow down until the explosive ending.

The author well wrote all of the characters in All the Dangerous Things. I loved how the author kept me guessing about the main and secondary characters.

Isabelle—The plotline pulled me in two different directions with Isabelle. In one direction, I wanted to believe her, but in the other direction, I figured she did kill Mason. With her being such an unreliable narrator, it was up in the air until the end of the book.
Ben—He was such a sleazeball. I didn’t like him and thought Isabelle could have done better. When Isabelle was thinking about how they met and when he told her he was married, I was yelling (yes, yelling), “Stay away.” And the night of Ben’s wife’s wake, what they did outside the funeral home, blah. Again, sleazeball and my dislike of him grew as the book continued.
Isabelle’s mother, father, and younger sister—-I am lumping them all into one category because together, they are a whole main character (if that makes sense). Something very traumatic happens that involves all three of them and Isabelle. It made sense why they weren’t in the present-day story much. I can’t go much into what I just wrote because of spoilers.
As with any well-written book, the secondary characters did add extra depth to this book. But I wish I could have seen them from another angle (like maybe the police). It would have given me a fresh perspective on the story.

All the Dangerous Things fit perfectly with the mystery, suspense, and thriller genres. The author did a great job of keeping everything under wrap until the end of the book. I couldn’t put the book down; I needed to know what happened to Mason and when Isabelle was younger.

The main storyline with Isabelle, Mason’s kidnapping, and the investigation tore at my heartstrings. I felt Isabelle’s pain over Mason not being there. I felt her frustration over what she saw as the police doing nothing but pointing fingers at her. I even got her frustration with her sleepwalking habit. But she never once let any of those get to her. She harassed the police almost daily (even when they told her they considered her a suspect). She had insomnia because of the trauma of Mason being kidnapped. But, at the same time, she was unreliable. She made me question her because of her blackouts and sleepwalking. Plus, her not sleeping was messing with her head too.

The other storyline with Isabelle, her younger sister, and her parents was heartbreaking. It did detail Isabelle’s struggles with sleepwalking (even at seven years old). But there was something more important going on in the background. Something that I almost missed. Something that did contribute to her sister’s death and Isabelle being blamed for it. When I realized what that was, a lightbulb went off in my head. I felt so bad for everyone involved but mainly for Isabelle.

There are going to be trigger warnings in this book. The most obvious one is kidnapping. But there also is postpartum psychosis, the death of a child, and cheating. If those trigger you, I highly suggest not reading this book.

The end of All the Dangerous Things was one of the best I have read this year. I loved how Isabelle pieced everything together. I felt somewhat vindicated for her. But the author did have a few plot twists that even had me going, “What the heck?” Let’s say that I did not pity who went to jail!!

Three Things I Liked About All the Dangerous Things:

Isabelle’s determination to find Mason.
Isabelle’s relationship with her sister.
How she figured everything out.
Three Things I Disliked About All The Dangerous Things:

What happened to Isabelle when she was younger (and her being blamed too)
Ben. He was such a sleazeball.
The police. They were useless in this book.
I would recommend All the Dangerous Things to anyone over 21. There is language, violence, and no sex. Also see my trigger warnings.

I LOVED this book. Am I a little unstable for reading it even though it is about a child abduction and my daughter is the exact same age... maybe. Not to give anything away but I am a chronic sleepwalker (which is important for this story). I am talking slept walked numerous times during college and once slept walked out of a condo while on vacation in the Cayman Islands. It makes for a great story but it's also truly terrifying.

So I was INTO this story. Did the mother kidnap her own child? She she injure him? Was it a neighbor? Stalker? Pedophile? Is he alive?

Anytime I had a free minute, I read a page or two on my kindle. If I could have read while I drove, I would have.

I loved the author's note as well. She was very careful with how she portrayed each female in the book and how she wrote about delicate health topics.

If you liked Flicker In The Dark, this one is similar in writing style and storyline!

I thought I had the book penned. I knew what had happened and why. Then I got more confident in my suspicions, almost arrogant. Then, wooosh, who am I…..clearly not the author. Twist, then back on track then twist around again making the second half of the book keep me on my toes. All the Dangerous Things is a fun, popcorn thriller that is great read any time of the year,

Could not stop reading this! While I'm a bit vary of the over-tired unreliable mom narrator as a thriller trope, I thought that Stacy Willingham was able to make this one work. I was a bit skeptical about the battery only operated baby monitor. But as with most thrillers, I was happy to suspend disbelief. Enjoyed the twist in the end as well.

Thank you St.Martin's Press for the ARC of this one.

Just like debut novel, this was so good. I absolutely loved the plot line, as well as, the memories from the past. Those memories really helped drive some of the twists that we saw in the present storyline. Though I am over unreliable narrators, this one did not feel like Izzy was one. She went through something traumatic and those she was not a sleeper, I never felt like she was beginning to doubt herself to the point where I felt like the author was gaslighting the main character.

I loved how the story unfolded and the little pieces that fell into place. My biggest complaint is the story bogged down quite a bit in the middle and I found myself skimming slightly.

Overall, I love this author and cannot wait to see what she comes out with in the future.

Dear Stacy Willingham,

When I read "A Flicker in the Dark," I asked if you wanted to be best friends, but I didn't hear back from you. I realize now it's because you were probably busy writing this excellent thriller.

That's totally fine. As long as you keep writing books like this, I'll keep our friendship on the back burner and continue to read your books because you are now my domestic thriller QUEEN.

All my love,

Stella

OMG.

Isabella Drake has never had the best of things. Sure, she was the daughter of a Congressman and now the wife of a publisher. But....there's a dark secret in her past, and now, she's alone, and her son has been missing for a year.

She doesn't sleep. Instead, she catnaps and replays the night Mason went missing over and over. She tries to find him, searching for clues, looking at every possible angle and lead. When she meets a podcaster after a CrimeCon, he helps her dig a little deeper, even if it means going a little further back into her past than she wants to admit.

Stay Willingham writes about flawed women and I love it. She deserves every award she wins and will continue to win.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Isabelle has not slept since her son Mason was kidnapped. Besides feeling as if she’s the only one who still believes he is alive, her marriage to Ben is another casualty of this tragedy. He thinks they must accept the truth, that Mason is dead, and her failure to move on means he will, but alone. Or at least Isabelle think so until she meets his girlfriend and the reality of her life smacks her in the face. She will grab any chance to find Mason and when Waylon,a true crime podcaster wants Isabelle to be on his show she readily agrees.
But Waylon might have more than one reason for choosing this case. What secrets lie in Isabelle’s past and could they explain what happened to Mason? I pictured quite a few things being the reason for the baby’s disappearance but I can honestly say the truth wasn’t even on my whodunit radar. I loved the ending and I won’t risk giving any spoilers away, but of all the potential suspects on my amateur detective list, the truth was very cleverly written and I only gave it a passing glance. I loved A Flicker in the Dark and this book almost as much.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Minotaur Books for an ARC of this read.
All the Dangerous Things follows Izzy a year after her son Mason disappeared. Little to no evidence leads to the case verging on going cold, and Izzy can't sleep. Literally. When a podcaster appears in her life wanting to cover her son's case, what she uncovers may upend her whole life as she knew it.
This was a bit of a slow paced dual timeline thriller that kept me guessing on who did what until almost the very end. I really liked the tension created by the "who can you trust" atmosphere. I also really appreciated the way the author discussed motherhood and mental health and displayed it in a way that didn't feel like it was solely being used as a plot device. My biggest complaint would be it does take a bit to get going, and the ending wraps up a bit quicker, but overall this was a great, enjoyable read.
If you liked A Flicker in the Dark, I think you'll also enjoy this one!

ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS
Another great thriller book from Stacy Willingham! If you loved her debut, A FLICKER IN THE DARK then you must add this to your TBR. What I loved the most about this one is: we’re all familiar with the trope, a missing child and a mother stopping at no cost to find them, but the journey to the truth is the wild chase. There are multiple suspects and a few timelines to build your suspicions. Although the pacing is a little bit slower on this one, there are several scenes that pick up the weight of the story because they are SCANDALOUS …. A FLICKER IN THE DARK still holds strong as #1 for me, but this sophomore book is a close second. Willingham is officially an auto-buy author for me!

If you loved A Flicker in the Dark, you're going to want to grab this one. Stacy's writing has fully developed and All the Dangerous Things does not have that debut writer feel that A Flicker had. She has a way of twisting plots so that the twists don't feel sudden, but they are still enjoyable. I loved Izzy, the intertwining of mental health, and the secrets that get exposed along the way. It's really hard to do the plot of "mother searching for missing child" wrong...but Stacy sure did do right by it. Theres a deep character development that goes into her books that is just not usual in this genre, but much appreciated.

A big thanks to Netgalley, the author, and Minotaur Books for my gifted ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I flew through this one and loved every second of it! Willingham’s debut was great, but I liked this one even more. The characters were developed nicely and there was plenty of momentum to keep me turning the pages. Yes, it’s a slower burn, but the ending is worth it. I was able to figure some of the twists out, but was still surprised and entertained overall. If you like domestic suspense novels about missing kids, I definitely think you’ll enjoy this one too!

My rating: 4.5/5

All The Dangerous Things is Stacy Willingham’s sophomore novel and a captivating psychological thriller. Isabella Drake is still processing the fact that her only son, Mason, has been taken from her home and now presumably missing for over a year. During this unimaginable year, Isabella has been running on no sleep, and with no help from the police, she has been doing some true crime conventions to look through the attendees' backgrounds to see if she could find any clues of who took him. She meets a true crime podcast host, Waylon Spencer, known for solving cold cases, and Isabella reluctantly agrees to go on his podcast. Isabella solely narrates the book, alternating between the present and 1999, when Isabella was a child. Isabella reflects on her past and how her traumatic childhood affects her today. She is questioning everyone, even herself.

This novel is a slow-burn psychological thriller. Although the story lacks heart-racing thrills, the story will still creep into your mind and make you obsessed with where the story is going. I had access to both the kindle and audiobook version. I started with the kindle copy, and I struggled to stay interested. The pacing was plodding initially, and I couldn’t get into the book. I felt that the audiobook was much better. I loved the narration, and I could not stop listening to the audio. Karissa Vacker was a fantastic narrator, and she did a great job switching between each character’s voice. The pace picked up immensely towards the end of the book, and the twists kept coming. I highly recommend this book, and make sure you have your detective cap on!

Thank you to NetGallery and to both St. Martin Press and Macmillan Audio for giving me a copy of the book.

4.5 rounded up!

What a solid thriller!

When I started the book, I decided to pause and read the synopsis, curious as to where this story would go. I immediately rolled my eyes thinking “oh boy, an unstable woman, here we go.” And while a lot of characters are unreliable, our MC, Isabelle, was not the drunken woman we’re conditioned to reading about in thrillers. Is this phase over!? *fingers crossed*

There are two alternating timelines; Isabelle as an adult, and the other as a child. Both riveting and worked together like PB&J.

The pacing was a little up and down, but I was easily hooked from the third or fourth chapter. Chapters are quick, which is another reason why it helped my attention. Not only that, but there were a handful of mysteries happening simultaneously. While I typically don’t like keeping track of so many “whodunits” or “whoisits” is a book, this story had each storyline hovering around each other, making it pretty clean and easy to connect the dots.

And by connecting the dots, I didn’t solve the case until about 30 pages before it was revealed.

If you’re looking for a good thriller or something to get out of your slump, I recommend this one!

Content warnings: death, kidnapping, suicide, miscarriage, self harm, infertility

Big thanks to Minotaur / Netgalley for this ARC! And Libro FM for the ALC.

You can get your copy January 10, 2023.

4.5ish stars

So far, I’m a pretty big fan of this writer. Her other book was intriguing and well-written, and this one captivated me as well; the plot pulled me in immediately, the characters were complex, and the conflicts were multi-faceted, including layers from the past and present that were woven together nicely. I appreciate how the writer balances fast-paced, plot-driven writing and some heavier but relevant social issues; it’s a good mix. I didn’t anticipate a lot of the ending, which was fun. All in all, I really enjoyed this twisty (and twisted), suspenseful thriller.

Since everyone in the Booksta world wouldn’t stop talking about this-I knew I needed to read it ASAP. It was just as good as everyone has said.

The concept of this novel is every mother’s worst nightmare. It would be terrifying. I can’t even imagine losing a child. The novel is told through Isabella’s POV. I liked that it was just one POV. I think it really helped the story/twists move along and keep you guessing. I will say this is a slow burn. If that is not your thing, just know that there is a lot of inner dialogue. I personally enjoyed it. I thought it really gave us an opportunity to get to know Isabella.

There are several twists, a majority toward the end where things really ramp up! I thought I knew where it was going and Willingham switched course and then switches again. I did enjoy the chapters referring to Isabella’s past and her sister. I also really appreciated the Afterword. It really made the story much more impactful for me and the message that Willingham was trying to portray. This was an impressive second novel and I look forward to more from her!

Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy!

Thanks to @netgalley for my eARC of “All the Dangerous Things.” Stacy’s second novel comes out January 2023. Go pre-order your copy now, and then come back and finish reading my review.

I LOVED this one! Stacy was an automatic-preorder-author for me after her debut, “A Flicker in The Dark” and now she’s elevated to a I’ll-just-wait-by-my-mailbox-author.

This dark psychological thriller follows Isabelle, a young mother with a dark past, who is experiencing every parent’s worst nightmare. When Isabelle’s son Mason is taken from his crib, she resorts to becoming a speaker at true crime conferences in a desperate, innovative attempt to find clues to her son’s whereabouts and wellbeing. Channeling her inner Nancy Drew, Isabelle is relentless in her search and demands the list of attendees from each of the conferences as her payment. In a Hail Mary attempt, she agrees to give a podcast interview.

While I’m not a mother, Stacy still tugged at my heartstrings and made me feel some of the “mom-guilt” Isabelle is experiencing. From her sordid past to the dark thoughts she would never admit to having, this book pulls you in and makes you empathetic to the protagonist. Most of us have had that split second malicious thought (or two) about wanting to kill someone before shoving it to the darkest recesses of our minds and proceeding in a socially acceptable manner. Isabelle is left wondering whether she acted on her thoughts.

The only reason I didn’t finish this one sooner is because I got the flu :/ otherwise, this would’ve been read in one sitting.

The writing is brilliant! I was fascinated with the scene descriptions and character development.

5🌟

Pub Date: 1/10/23

This is one of those psychological thrillers where you feel like you can't trust the narrator. Isabelle Drake's son was taken in the middle of the night a year ago. She is still searching for her son, giving talks at true crime conventions and constantly following up with the detective on the case. Her son's disappearance also caused a rift between Isabelle and her husband Ben, forcing them to split. So, Isabelle is alone with her dog Roscoe, she has insomnia, and also has a history of sleepwalking. A lot of personal traumas, causing her to question reality.

After one of her conferences, she connects with a true-crime podcaster and decides to give him and interview, hoping it will help. But there are a lot of secrets out there... and as they are revealed, the pieces slowly come together.

This was definitely a slow burn psychological thriller. You can easily sympathize with Isabelle as she struggles with everything in her life. It is a dark book but satisfying in the end.

This book was so good! I have to admit, I was not liking the narrator/crazy mom but uffff, it really paid off. Since the first page I was wondering what was going to happen next, the suspense was so real. This book was like playing Clue, when you think a big reveal is coming up, the story changes the dynamics and you are back to square one.
I'm not a fan of trying to figure out the ending, I just let the book surprise me and All the Dangerous Things sure did, not expected at all. Really happy with how it turned out and I really had a great time starting my December with this amazing author.

This is possibly a mother's worst nightmare... to wake up in the morning and find your 18 month old son is missing. Fast forward a year and no signs of him and no closer to finding out what happened. Isabelle Drake is consumed with finding out the truth about what happened to her child. So much so it has ruined her marriage, alienated her neighbors and drove any family and friends away. Secrets and mysterious from the past start to come to the surface and Isabella is unsure of who she can trust, including herself.
This was a great mystery with plenty to keep the reader guessing and entertained. I enjoyed the dual timeline and how the past story influenced the current story. I've noticed including a podcast plot line to novels is being done more and more recently, and I love the trend. All the Dangerous Things doesn't disappoint in this area either. While I had my suspicions, there are enough twists to have kept me reading and surprised. There was one really good one that I even uttered ''Ohhh'' at.. I did not see that one coming at all.
Only distraction for me was the first 25% or so of the book was a bit slow. While it does build a backstory I felt it could have been condensed a bit and maybe more focus on unraveling the past secrets, along with the current mystery. Overall a great mystery/thriller. I do need to read Stacy Willingham's debut novel, but look forward to anything else she may write.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advanced digital copy. In trade for my honest review, all thoughts and opinions are my own.