Isabelle Drake is experiencing desperation in her life. She craves a good night's sleep, and began sleepwalking in childhood. Discovering the truth about the disappearance a year ago of her young child, Mason, now consumes her. She also has unanswered questions about trauma from her childhood in Beaufort, South Carolina. While returning to her Savannah home after speaking at a true crime conference, she meets a podcaster named Waylon and wonders about his motives. Events unfold in a manner that kept me quickly turning pages, glued to the story and needing resolutions just as Isabella did.

Karissa Vacker deftly added mysterious dimension to the audiobook. Her understated manner of narration gave even more depth to the plot emotional aspects of the characters, both then and now. She is talented at auditorally portraying both men and women, as well as children.

Author Willingham magnificently and meticulously taking her readers inside the confused mind of Stacy, leaving us needing to know more. Her writing is skillfully based on the psychological components of her characters, with deep descriptions of their thought processes and actions. She has impressed me as a master at smartly creating suspense, after reading both her debut novel and this one. What a great choice this was for my first book of 2023!
Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Net Galley for the advance audiobook copy. My review is my own.

Stacy Willingham is quickly becoming one of my favorite thriller authors! She cleverly weaves details throughout her books creating so much suspense! Thank you NetGalley and Minotaur Books for my advanced digital copy.

All the Dangerous Things is a dual timeline thriller telling the story of Isabelle Drake, a mother whose son was taken from his crib the year before. Since his disappearance, Isabelle has only been able to take "micro-naps" leaving her wide awake in the middle of the night obsessing over her son's case. Isabelle meets a true crime podcaster named Waylon who wants to interview her, but while they're working together, he seems to know more than he's letting on. As she shares more of her story with him, she worries that secrets from her past will come to the surface and her insomnia is making it hard to trust anyone, including herself. Even when it feels like there isn't any hope, Isabelle refuses to give up her search for her son.

I had this mystery solved about 2/3 of the way through the book, but it didn't take away from my enjoyment as I finished it up. I'm wrong so often when reading thrillers, that it feels really good to finally be right! Willingham's writing is so much fun to read and I love piecing together the clues she weaves throughout her books. It's described as a slow-burn thriller, but I was hooked from start to finish and didn't want to put it down. I had both the digital and audio copies which made for a great reading/listening experience! I highly recommend this one!

Absolutely loved this book. I thought I knew who was the villian in this book and while I was somewhat on the right track, I didn't see the right answer coming. This book was suspenseful and captivated my attention the entire time. I found myself wanting to listen to it whenever I could -- shower, doing the dishes, driving, etc.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫🎧

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
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One Sentence Summary: On the one year anniversary of her child's mysterious disappearance from his crib, a mom is will to do anything to get answers.

Reminds Me Of: Girl on the Train, A Stranger in the House, The Night Swim, The Maidens, 56 Days

Three Reasons You Should Read This:
1) It's a page turner. I read the entire book in a day and nearly in one sitting!
2) There's a duel timeline and both time lines are equally enthralling - which is rare!
3) The twists kept coming! I'm usually pretty good a figuring out the "mystery" before the end, but there were several twists I definitely didn't see coming!

One Thing You Should Know Before You Pick This Up:
1) The main focus of this book is the main character's loss of a child. The child goes missing from his crib during the night but there is no description of violence towards him at all. The mother's grief is saturated throughout the book, though. Be warned, this could be difficult to read for some with sensitivities around the loss of a child.

Content Warnings:
marital issues, missing child/child abduction, grief, suicide, death, infidelity, sleep issues, loss of a loved one, loss of a family member, violence

Favorite Quote:
"The truth is, people love violence - from a distance, that is."

Soundtrack:
Bigger Than The Whole Sky - Taylor Swift
Running Up That Hill - Placebo
As It Was - Harry Styles
Black Balloon - The Goo Goo Dolls
Run Cried the Crawling - Agnes Obel

“…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."

Thank you Stacy Willingham, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review. “All the Dangerous Things” will be available 1/10/23!

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. In hopes of jarring loose a new witness or buried clue, she agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster-but his interest in Isabelle's past makes her nervous. His incessant questioning paired with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of Mason's disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust... including herself. But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads.

Macmillan audio always does an awesome job with casting their narrators! This book kept me guessing with each twist and turn! I loved how Willingham was able to talk about such sensitive subjects and include them without being disrespectful. I appreciated the research she put in for this book which she talks about in her acknowledgments. I gave “All the Dangerous Things” 5 ⭐️’s.

A Flicker in the Dark is one of my absolute favorite thrillers and somehow Stacy Willagham has outdone herself with this one,

📚✨Thank you @netgalley for this ARC ✨📚


Let me begin by stating that this was an audiobook and not a physical page-turner… however, I was still excited nonetheless.

This read surrounds Isabelle Drake and her son Mason who goes missing in the middle of the night from her home. The mystery of his whereabouts are entangled with haunted memories of Isabelle’s sleepwalking past and her now insomniac ways.

Endless days without sleep are plagued with twisted, blurred visions that Isabelle can’t quite decipher if they’re memories or dreams. This leaves Isabelle exhausted and at times feeling crazy. But nonetheless driven to find out what happen to her son.

This read paired with an ex husband, a journalist invested in her case, and many other well developed characters showcases many surprise twists and as well as an emotional ride.

I rated 3/5 stars because though I loved the story, it took a bit to develop into the twists and turns. They really started coming out toward the ending of the book.

This being said, perhaps if I’d read this book verse listened to the audiobook, I may have had a different experience. Also, please note if you enjoyed this read, I am so happy you did! Everyone has a book preference, and different writing styles apply to different readers. 🖤

Ohhh….this was such a good one!! All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham kept me guessing till the end. The audiobook was amazing- another one that got me up and walking every morning.

Isabelle’s life has had its share of tragedy. The book goes back and forth between Isabelle as a child and Isabelle now. As a child, her younger sister died. She mysteriously drowned in a swamp overnight. As an adult, her own baby was taken from his crib and hasn’t been found. Isabelle’s father was a congressman, their family was seen as perfect, a bit of a celebrity family in the south. 

Isabelle doesn’t have any confidence in the local police to solve her son’s abduction. She goes off on her own and tirelessly researches the case, goes to true crime conferences to get her story out, all with the hope that the abductor might be in the audience. She’s distraught, her marriage has fallen apart, and she’s starting to question how her sister died. 

And then there’s her ex husband. He’s an interesting guy. He and Isabelle met when he was married. While they didn’t sleep together, they most definitely had an emotional relationship and longed for a physical one. And…while they didn’t first meet at work, he was her boss. Sooooo messy! And, I’m not done. 

His wife died by suicide. Or…. Maybe not?? That opened the door for Isabelle to walk in as his girlfriend, then wife.

On a plane trip back from a conference, a true crime podcaster sits by Isabelle, wants to tell her story on his podcast, and leaves her with his card. 

She’s not interested, until she is. 

There’s a lot to this book. Isabelle is a sleepwalker. She walks around the house, neighborhood, checked on her son, had conversations…all while asleep. It wasn’t uncommon for her to wake up not in her bed. To leave things in places while sleepwalking and not know how they got there. She believes that she might be responsible for her sister’s death. And maybe her son’s disappearance. Her ex husband is hiding something, too. And the podcaster, what’s his story?

Creepy, full of ambiguity, a complex psychological thriller…All the Dangerous Things was hard to put down. I was sure I knew what happened, then it would twist and turn and I found myself second guessing my theory. Isabelle’s pain is palpable. But, she’s far from innocent. Maybe of some things, but not all. She has caused unspeakable pain for at least one person. Her own growth as she unravels the mysteries in her life is riveting. 

I’ve found a new favorite author!

*Review coming to SmexyBooks closer to release date!

The unreliable female narrator strikes again— possibly my least favorite thriller trope. Isabelle Drake’s son was taken in the night one year ago, and she has not slept a night since. Her exhaustion has led to wondering if she really remembers everything as it truly was.

Despite the trope, I did enjoy this story and found myself thinking about it when I was not reading. I really wanted to know what happened to Isabelle’s son. I was glad this book had a happier ending than I expected; I could have seen it going much darker. As someone who has experienced insomnia (albeit in a much lesser way), I was able to empathize with the absolute tiredness that the main character was feeling.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc and opportunity to listen to this audiobook. In talking with friends about this book, which some had read through the BOTM release, some were scared off my the content related to a missing child. While yes, the book is based around that experience, the book is not ABOUT that. It’s about questioning yourself, your reality, and the intentions of those around you. I love a book with an unreliable narrator and this certainly fits that description but since the narrator recognizes that about herself, it adds a twist as you see things through her lens and question everyone, too. The actual audiobook narrator did a great job with the male voices, something that can break a book for me. I did fall asleep a bunch listening and had to go back to replay. I listen to a lot of audiobooks and it happened more with this one than usual so I think it’s fair to say it could have been shorter and less redundant in certain areas. It felt like there was a lot of laying the ground work to a quicker conclusion. That being said, the ending didn’t feel rushed as much as less developed than the beginning. I really appreciated the authors note at the end as it broached mental health, resources, and areas the author acknowledges she can’t be an expert and that humility and sense of community support cast her in a very favorable light. Overall, I do recommend this book but it was not a stand out that I will brag to everyone about.

The beginning is full of grief and despair and I truly wasn't sure if I wanted to continue or not. Please check content warnings before diving in y'all. This shit is heavy!!!

Anyways about 3 hours into the audio I couldn't stop my mind from racing, trying to draw conclusions about what might be going on (I was very wrong every time I came up with an answer)

Isabelle is such a unique character going through SO MUCH. Sleep deprivation books always put me on edge because you cannot trust anyone, especially the MC!

The last 2 hours on audio truly had me on the edge of my seat and I was shocked by twist after twist after twist!!!

As a thriller lover this book will give all of it to you. A who done it with twists making you wonder about everyone and their ulterior motives.
Isabelle is a mother that most can relate to. She isn't perfect. She has flaws. She has a past and a relationship that struggles with the introduction of a baby into the mix.
The book starts almost a year after one of the worst things that could happen to a young mother happens. Her baby is taken in the middle of the night with no clues and seemingly no suspects. All Isabells knows is that it wasn't her......or was it and she can't remember. The police don't seem to be any closer so Isabelle will risk everything...her relationship, her finances, and her sanity to discover the truth. No matter what it will cost.
I was lucky to receive the audio book. WOW is my only response!!!!! Not only was the story captivating but the narrator dragged me into this world and kept me on the edge of my seat. This was one of the best audio books I've ever experienced. I have her an hour drive daily so I listen to ALOT of audio books.
I will absolutely be putting Stacy Willingham as an automatic buy but the narrator as well.

This was interesting. It was so slow and quite sad until the last 20% and then it was WILD and captivating.

Read/Listen if you like:
🔍 Mysteries
📸 Cases in the Public Eye
😵‍💫 Unreliable Narrator
⏳Jumps in Timeline
💤 Not Knowing What Goes Bump in the Night

This one was… just wow! I absolutely devoured it and I’m so glad I did as one of my final books of 2022! Stacy is now my newest auto-read author and I can tell you now, I will be going back to read her debut and keeping an eye out for all of her future books!

She wrote this one in a way that truly had me going wtf the entire book and I loved the aspect of having an unreliable narrator that knew and revealed they were an unreliable narrator.

I loved the layered commentary on being a woman and the daily struggles we face in society and how those struggles shape how wr are viewed in society, and how we view ourselves.

This one is absolutely a phenomenal must read for thriller/Mystery lovers in 2023!

I was really excited to read All the Dangerous Things as I loved Willingham's debut thriller- A Flicker in the Dark.

I thoroughly enjoyed the narration of the audiobook. Each character is given a distinct voice and it's easy to tell them apart.

What I liked about this: Willingham has a unique way of writing complex main characters that is deeply satisfying. She also did a great job of convincing me that the killer is a certain character and then pulling a bait and switch. At points, this book reminded me of The Wife Between Us.

What I didn't like: 3 timelines (then, then a year ago and now) sometimes got confusing if you weren't paying close attention. I didn't enjoy any of the characters, even though I expected to feel sympathy and passion for the mother, at the very least.

Overall, a solid 3 star for me. I'm still excited to read more of Willingham's work, this just was not the five star I predicted it would be.

Thank you to NetGalley, McMillan and Stacy Willingham for the free ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

“It is amazing, the kinds of tricks that the mind can play on you after two, three, four nights without sleep. The kind of things that it can make you believe.”

FIVE STAR READ!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

One year ago Isabelle Drake’s life was changed drastically. Her toddler Mason was taken in the middle of the night while she and her husband, Ben, were asleep in the next room. Since then Isabelle hasn’t slept… at all. She’s had cat naps and micro sleeps where she loses track of time, but not a solid chunk of sleep since that night. Ben left her in that year as well.

This is not Isabelle’s first time having a sleep difficulty however. As a child she was a sleepwalker and worried her parents and sister with this problem. Are these issues connected?

Now, she’s out on the true crime circuit telling Mason’s story, hoping to get a lead since it’s pretty much a cold case at this point. At the latest true crime convention she’s approached by a podcaster who would like to tell her story. Waylon Spencer says he can possibly help to solve Mason’s case. Will it work?

🫠Told in first person with a MAJORLY unreliable narrator
⏰Dual timelines- now and then (my fave trope!)
🔥slowwwww burn thriller
👨‍👩‍👧‍👧Family drama/🤰motherhood
🔍Fans of True Crime will be hooked!
🐊 Southern setting- reminiscent of Southern gothic

Stacy Willingham has gained an instant auto buy fan here! I somehow missed FLICKER IN THE DARK but that will be remedied quickly (and it’s been picked up by HBO for a series!)

This was a twisty thrill ride. Isabelle was fleshed out beautifully. I felt her pain and emotion throughout. Isabelle was so unreliable it was hard to know who to trust, even whether to trust what she was saying. But that was what was so good. Every time you think you have it figured out, it twists again. As a southerner, I was also really into the whole marsh, southern, creepy vibes. Upped the ante so much. This was my last and MOST FAVORITE thriller of the year.

I also listened to the ALC and really enjoyed the narration by Karissa Vacker. She had amazing depth and emotion. Her voice was perfect for Isabelle.

The author’s note was exceptional as well. Must read!

Release date: January 10, 2023

🚨Warnings below may contain spoilers.

🚨TW: Suicide, Drugs, Child Abduction, Postpartum Psychosis

Thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur, and Macmillan Audio for the early release copies!!

I loved this author's debut so I was excited to see what else she had in store and she did not disappoint. Being from South Carolina, I always get excited reading books set there, since I do not see it often. I loved the atmosphere and I felt transported there. It felt so authentic. This was also another thriller that I thought I had figured out, and turns out I was wrong, but in the best way. Good pacing, I don't feel like it dragged, and I wanted to keep listening to figure out what was going on. Also love the narrator, she is one of my favorites. High recommend!

Stacy Willingham is setting the bar high for thrillers in 2023!! This follow up to her debut is strong, compelling and completely bingeable as an insomniac mother tries to uncover what happened to her missing son while everyone keeps assuming she's the one responsible for his mysterious disappearance! Great on audio narrated by Karissa Vacker. This book is every parent's worst nightmare and had some great twists and turns. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!!

This is one twisty thriller! I have to say that the twists are definitely the best parts of the book. Having said that, this is my first audio book listen, and I'm not a fan, I'd rather be reading. I don't want to down rate the book on the fact that I'm not a fan of audio books however.
It did feel like there was too much going in in the book. Between the "then," and the "now" storylines, it felt a little crowded. It also makes it hard to believe that the character who experienced such trauma as a kid, is once again involved in missing person/murder/etc again as an adult.
I do wonder if I would have enjoyed it more as a read rather than a listen. But I do recommend to those who enjoy a twisty one!
Thank you Netgalley, publisher, and author for the ARC.