In her past life, Isabelle Drake slept like a rock - even being known to sleepwalk on the regular. But she hasn’t slept in a year, since her son Mason went missing from his crib in the middle of the night. Isabelle dedicates her life to finding her son, and in hopes of keeping her son’s case alive, she talks at crime con conventions. At the latest convention she speaks at, she runs into Waylon - a true crime podcaster who claims he can help her solve Mason’s case (he even claims he’s solved a cold case before).

But as Isabelle teams up with Waylon to help solve Mason’s case, she starts noticing inconsistencies. The more the pair works together, the more her past comes back to haunt her and she starts doubting herself, her past, and her story less.

The book is told exclusively through Isabelle’s POV flashing back and forth between now and the past. I thought I had the story figured out multiple times - but I was wrong. This book had me wanting to keep listening and listening.

I loved A Flicker in the Dark, and was super pumped for this one - and it didn’t disappoint. Willingham has definitely earned herself a spot in my “must read” author list.

I highly recommend checking out All the Dangerous Things!

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for this ARC of the audiobook.

"One year ago, Isabelle Drake's world was turned upside down when her toddler son, Mason, was abducted from his crib while she and her husband slept in the next room. Despite the police's efforts, the case has gone cold with few leads and little evidence. Determined to find Mason, Isabelle has not slept for a year, devoting all of her time and energy to the search. Desperate for a breakthrough, Isabelle agrees to be interviewed by a true-crime podcaster, but his probing questions and her own insomnia begin to dredge up unsettling memories from her past, causing Isabelle to doubt her own recollections of the night of Mason's disappearance and to question whom she can trust. As she works to uncover the truth, Isabelle is determined to stop at nothing to get her son back.

This book grabbed me from the beginning. I loved the dual timeline and the threads of Isabelle's past weaving into her present. It had me guessing until the end and the twists and turns made perfect sense. I loved that this was one of the few thrillers with a somewhat happy ending as well! I'll be reading everything by this author from now on!

Thank you to #Netgalley for the ARC of this book.

All the Dangerous Things is a psychological thriller told from the mother’s perspective. Isabelle wakes up one morning to find that her 2-year-old son is missing from his crib.

The novel starts 1 year after her son, Mason’s, disappearance. (364 days to be exact). Isabelle has been working with local detectives (read: doing their job for them) to try to find her son. She begins to travel to tell her story at true crime convention events, in the hopes that someone will hear and be able to help her.

Interspersed with the current timeline, we jump back to Isabelle’s childhood in 1999. We find that she is an unreliable narrator as she has trouble sleeping and with sleepwalking. So when she told the police that she was “asleep all night” the night that her son disappeared, she very well may have not been. Her son’s disappearance has taken a toll on her marriage – so we have added twists and turns with her separated/ex-husband.

I enjoyed A Flicker in the Dark, therefore I was very excited to receive this ARC copy. The novel is a slower pace to start with, but it picks up around 30% in. You can feel like mood and gloom in the pages, which I think adds to the reader’s experience as it’s told from Isabelle’s POV. I assumed I knew the ending twist, but I was pleasantly surprised by this one! And it was SO satisfying. I love when things wrap up in a bow!

(4.5) I was SO excited to get early access to this one. I loved Willingham’s first novel so I was very excited to dive into this one. I went into it completely blind and woah, what a ride! I truly did not know what the heck was going to happen but I was dying to get to the end to get some answers. The subtle twists, the big twists, the pieces falling together so so so good! I loved that it had a true crime element to it, which her first one did a bit too, just made it that much more enjoyable for me. Now an auto buy author for me!

Absolutely loved the narration on this. It was top tier and kept me engaged.

While this next bit isn’t necessarily spoilers, if you’re like me and you enjoy going into books completely blind, stop reading here.

Okay, so this book deals a lot with motherhood and the not so pretty sides to it and I just want to say that I really appreciate these topics and conversations being put into fictional literature. Sure, in this case it’s fiction, but a lot of the feelings, thoughts, and even actions of the women in this book really do happen to women in the real world. It’s not pretty, it’s not rainbows and giggles, but that’s how it is for many women. Motherhood (and parenthood) is tough and it’s okay to acknowledge that. Anyways, just really loved that aspect of the story!

Today I listened to Stacy Willingham's next suspense, ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS read by Karissa Vacker.

I could listen to Karissa Vacker read an encyclopedia and be riveted! Fortunately, this was a much shorter and entertaining novel.

Isabelle is marking the one year anniversary of the day her toddler son Mason went missing. She is making the true crime circuit trying to keep the case in the forefront of people's minds since it feels like no one else is looking. Her husband Ben has left, friends look at her suspiciously, and even the police seem to be patronizing when she shares ideas with them. Her crazy sleep patterns, or lack thereof have returned. When a Podcaster comes up and offers her another avenue, Isabelle can't resist and begins to share her story in deeper ways that bring back memories of another horrible event she survived as a child. As memories begin to resurface, can Isabelle trust what she believes is the truth about Mason's disappearance?

I really enjoyed the build up of tension in this story. Learning more about Isabelle and how her grief compels her forward made me feel very invested in her plight. Peeling back the layers of her childhood event and playing that against the current situation definitely led me into a particular direction. I figured it was not the answer, but I couldn't be sure about anything else!

What trauma does to both the body and the mind is a deep well where this story is drawn. (Also touched on is post-partum issues, so be aware if this is a tender subject.) I can't say too much, and I recommend reading this one with as little as possible going in. Let this story carry you on and enjoy the ride!

Thank you to @NetGalley, @macmillan.audio @minotaur_books for this ALC! This will be available on January 10th for all. After enjoying her debut and her sophomore novels, I think Stacy Willingham will be a safe bet for me!

Isabelle Drake lost her son a year ago, since then, she lost her sleep. After the case went cold she started investigating on her own, something that makes her question everything, even herself.

Messy, dramatic and compelling. This story had everything and there wasn't a thing I disliked. There's so many twists and they all connect to make an unforgettable read that I wished I could read for the first time again and again. I have no doubt this book will be one of the best of 2023 and I'm so excited for everyone to read it. One of the best thrillers I have ever read for sure.

The narrator did an amazing job at keeping you invested and at portraying each one of the characters, if I had a good reading it was for sure connected to how good the audiobook!

I am so disappointed in this story. I was so looking forward to it but the amount of filler, overwriting, and usage of similes and metaphors have me rolling my eyes and to tell the truth laughing.

To me it is like a sixth grader with an assignment to be expressive wrote this. I know there are many who loved it but unfortunately, I can't be counted among them.

Thanks you for sending it to me.

Willingham delivers a stunning thriller based around a mother's worst fear, her child being kidnapped out of her own home, and the real life struggles of sleepwalking.

When her son is taken from her home, Isabel is frantically trying to find any clues to where he is a year later. She is confronted with her own past in the process. She was a sleepwalker as a child and knows all too well that remembering the episodes is near impossible.

As a mother myself, the story ripped at my heart in all the places I dare not think about. My brother was also a sleepwalking child. His episodes were scary and I was constantly reminded not to wake him up "because it's dangerous".

I loved this book from the moment I started it. This is the first book I've read my Willingham but it definitely won't be my last.

Thank you to Stacy Willingham, her publishers, and Net Galley for allowing me to experience this truly encapturing story.

What would you do if your infant son was taken from your home in the middle of the night? And your husband has moved on with another woman? Interesting, twisty story.

I really enjoyed the author's debut novel last year, A Flicker in the Dark, so I knew I had to get my hands on an early copy of All the Dangerous Things.

I ended up being able to listen to the audio and I really enjoyed that format. I felt like the narrator did a fantastic job with the dual timelines and the emotions behind the character.

While the subject matter is heartbreaking, a kidnapping of a young child, I felt like it was done really well. You have the unsureness of the main character, the mother, with her lack of sleep and her past that we get snippets of throughout to make us question everything.

It was a great thriller to binge and one that I didn't have completely figured out as things were getting revealed. And there are multiple twists in this one to try to guess!

4.5/5

There is going to be a point in this book where your stomach is going to drop and your heart is going to sink and you’re going to worry that Stacy Willingham is about to give us THAT novel. Stick with it, because I promise this isn’t going where your worries are!

I greatly enjoyed the twist, and didn’t really come close to seeing where this story was going until it was right in front of me. I also LOVE Karissa Vacker’s narration- she’s one of the few audiobook narrators whose male voices don’t sound obnoxiously fake!

Thank you Netgalley & Macmillian Audio for the ARC!

Oh wow, What a good book! This one kept me questing the entire way. The characters were great- loved them and hated them at different times! I love the way the author weaved the back story of the main character between chapters and gave you bits and pieces of background that brought things to light. Excellent read. The narration was excellent on this audio book.

I thoroughly enjoyed Willingham's Flicker in the Dark, so was quite intrigued to listen to All the Dangerous Things. The narration was superb, and the quick-moving plot kept me on the edge of my seat. The only thing that could have made it better would have been more resolution in the end, but where is the fun in that!

5 Plus Stars. Talk about twists and turns. The narrator did an excellent job with the dual timelines, I had to force myself to pause the story. A definite win/win and a must read for those who love a great thriller. Thanks to Netgalley I am able to recommend the book to friends who love reading.

The author’s debut, A Flicker in the Dark was a favorite of mine last year, so this one was highly anticipated. I love reading thrillers with a motherhood theme, as I can easily put myself in the character’s shoes. Isabelle Drake’s son was taken from his bedroom at night one year ago. With no leads, clues, and very little help from law enforcement, Isabelle takes matters into her own hands. Her number one priority is finding her son. The reader won’t know who to believe! Isabelle is distraught, exhausted, and proving to be an unreliable narrator. Flashbacks to an uncomfortable childhood memory add more mystery and suspense to the mix, as well as some great layers. With lots of twists, turns and an ending that you won’t see coming, Willingham is officially an auto-buy author for me. I like her style, and highly recommend her latest!

I was excited to read another book by Stacey Willingham after A Flicker In The Dark. All the Dangerous Things started out slow, but picked up towards the end. This was another ending that I didn’t see coming, a puzzle to be put together by both the narrator and the reader!

When the unspeakable happens and Isabelle's son disappears from his home in the middle of the night, she does what any mother would do and let's it complete consume here every waking moment. . . which are many because she's not sleeping. With no leads and no progress on the case, she's continually obsessing and finds herself with missing pieces of time here and there when she does finally black out.
The story flashes back to her childhood and memories of her late sister. Just as she thinks she's figured out that she could have been responsible for the disappearance of her son, the most unexpected twist helps her uncover what she's feared all along.
We hear the story from Isabelle's perspective but the many women entwined in the story made it feel so real. Who is the one harboring the most secrets and will she ever find Mason?

Thank you to NetGalley for the audio version advance reader copy of this story. Loved this book. Loved her Flicker too, but I think this was enhanced by the addition of the podcasts. The style was amazing. Twists and turns throughout and I think the narrator is my favorite! Going to search all read by her. 5 stars!

Isabelle Drake can’t sleep. Even as a child she struggled with what happened after she closed her eyes at night. Her repeated sleepwalking episodes were a mystery to her parents and troubling to her little sister, Margaret, who adored her big sister but was frightened by these behaviors.

Now things are even worse. It’s been a year since her toddler was taken from his crib in the night, and six months since her husband Ben left her. He thinks she needs to move on, but Isabelle can’t and won’t rest until she finds their son Mason. After she speaks at a true crime con, podcaster Waylon Spencer offers to let her tell her story. After all, there are still some who think SHE’S behind Mason’s disappearance, and a tragic event from her past isn’t helping.

Between her extreme sleep deprivation, the strange, glassy-eyed old man she encounters during night-time neighborhood walks, some unexpected discoveries on a laptop, Ben’s new relationship and a dogged detective who seems to treat everything she says with suspicion, Isabelle begins to wonder if she really IS the villain in this story.

As impressed as I was with her debut, A Flicker in the Dark, I think this book is even better. Willingham’s writing is beautiful and she didn’t rely on flashy, “in your face” twists and thrills to grab attention. Rather, she let the story unfold organically, in a way that didn’t require constant suspension of disbelief, which was nice! I thought the “whodunnit” was believable, and I didn’t figure it out ahead of time, unlike her last book. I also appreciated the attention brought to a specific mental health issue. Read the author’s note AFTER the book. It’s very thoughtful!

I did have a couple minor issues. There was a thread involving infidelity which I didn’t love. I understood where it served the story, but I couldn’t get behind why one party was being treated more sympathetically than the other, since it literally takes two. I also had to roll with one major aspect of the ending, which was explained but not realistic in today’s investigative world.

I read on my Kindle and also listened to the audio narrated by Karissa Vacker, who did a wonderful job with the voicing across genders and ages. My only quibble is that sometimes the emotion is Isabelle’s voice could’ve been reigned in just a teeny tiny bit, but that’s just personal preference.

All-in-all it’s a fantastic second outing by Stacy Willingham and an excellent thriller to end my year!

★★★★ ½