I was provided a free copy of this book by @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Isabelle Drake has not slept in a year since her toddler son was taken from his crib one night. With still no leads her husband and the police think she should just accept the inevitable and move on. But Isabelle knows there's something she's missing if she can just think clearly!
This one was a pretty crazy ride. Isabelle is an unreliable narrator as she is so sleep deprived, but also for her fuzzy memories of her childhood. There were some pretty good twists and turns, and I really didn't figure out where it was going! I took away one star for something that happens at the end that I can't spoil, but it still overall was a good story.
If you enjoy suspense, and drama you will enjoy this! It is set to be published 10 Jan 23, so save some of your Christmas gift money and treat yourself to this one in the new year!
#NetGalley

Let me start off by saying WOW

Going into this book I thought it was going to be another fun mystery/thriller. It is. But it’s also so much more. This book has everything. The inherent cost of being a woman. The way we perceive and are perceived. The subconscious way our memories change over time. The delicate innocence of our youth. The pain of watching someone lose themself. The lack of community in our society. All of this under the overarching theme of motherhood.

We start off with our protag, Isabelle. She’s a mom whose son was taken from his bedroom while she and her husband slept soundly, the only possible sign of wrongdoing coming from an opened window. The case is so baffling that it has captured the hearts of True Crime fans, and Isabelle promotes their interest by getting on stage to tell her story at True Crime cons all over the country. Her hope is that the awareness of her son’s disappearance will keep interest in the case high, her greatest fear is letting the case grow cold.

Isabelle’s experiences with the police, the True Crime junkies, and the public are all so vivid and feel so real that I honestly began to wonder if the author has been in a similar situation as Isabelle. I was struck by this book in the first dozen pages! And it only gets more intense from there.

During her flight back from her latest con Isabelle is approached by a True Crime podcaster named Waylon. He suggests that giving the story in recorded audio means that Isabelle can reach a bigger audience with less work on her part. She agrees, and he begins investigating the case for the episode of his show. But the more he investigates the more Isabelle is wracked by his questions. She begins obsessing about not only her missing son, but about a traumatic experience from her past.

Ever since Mason was taken from his crib, Isabelle has been traumatized by the fact that her own son could be taken from her while she slept. This has developed into an extreme case of insomnia, and the lack of sleep has caused Isabelle’s perceptions to warp. Aware of her own exhaustion, Isabelle begins to doubt everything about her son’s case, her relationships, her past, and even herself.

Isabelle is our protagonist but there are many other types of characters in this story, most significantly we have flawed and troubled female characters, all of which are suffering with their own demons. I can’t describe too much without giving anything away, but this story just felt so heartbreaking and real. Willingham presents us with people who’s motivations are painful but understandable. Even the worst of them feel like someone you already know.

This book is thrilling, it’s heartbreaking, it’s unexpected yet feels...almost like a story you’ve heard before. Something about suffering and justice and pain. Something about how the one who pulls the trigger isn’t necessarily the one who loaded the gun.

There is incredible foreshadowing. The book moves in such a way that there are parts from the beginning that you forget about! Because the story is so Good and Intense, then it comes up again later and you’re like AHHHH! There were many times I was just hopping around freaking out.

Final review: slaps

This story was so good and so heartbreaking.I flew through it I had a million questions and needed answers. Everyone seemed to have something to hide and I couldn't wait to find out what their secrets were. And the ending. WOW.


I thought the way the author wove the past and present together was nicely done. It was like two mysteries in one story.


I enjoyed the narration. The narrator brought the story to life and made the story easy to listen to.


Run and pick up this book!


Overall, I would highly recommend this book. I'm sure it would be great to read as well.

Masterfully written, immediately grasps you as a reader, and a story you will not want to put down. As a true crime podcast aficionado myself, I truly enjoyed the element of hitting the convention syndicate as a means to catch a killer, what a refreshing take!

I have just finished listening to the Audiobook of All The Dangerous Things, by Author Stacy Willingham, which was narrated by Karissa Vacker.

This is the second book that I have read by the Author and do like her style.

This book is about a Mother - Isabelle Drake, whose young son is taken from his crib one night. The story is told from a NOW, and THEN version, and is wonderfully narrated.

It is a gripping, and sad story that really touchers on Motherhood, the many emotions and self analyzing that comes along with it and is very very dark as well.

I did enjoy this new book by Stacy Willingham, as it moved along well. It was very interesting, had many twists and was just overall a good read.

Thank You to NetGally, the Author and Minotaur book for my advanced copy to read and review.

#netgalley

After Isabella's son was taken out of his crib one night she's been on a sleepless mission to find out what happened to him. Willingham takes readers on twists and turns throughout the story and the outcome is a winning story.

This was a wonderful book. Thanks have listened to the author previous novel, and I found that one to be lackluster and predictable. This one however has smart twists and turns and while there were clues to who actually took Mason throughout the novel, I would be surprised if someone were able to right away pick out who it was. How the author wrote about mom guilt and the conversation between her and the sherif after her son was first taken hit me in the heart, as a mother , I had heard a lot of that before and accused myself of the same things. The author did a wonderful job in this novel.

Thank you to MacMillan audiobook for the copy of All the Dangerous Things, Stacy Willingham's follow up to a Flicker in the Dark, narrated by Karissa Vacker (who does a great job with what for me was somewhat challenging material to bring to life).

Review: If you like claustrophobic, uneasiness, and themes on either a truly unreliable narrator or a lot of gaslighting of this narrator and the increasingly popular true crime podcast theme... this is a big win for you. I say this as these themes are working less and less for me so some of reaction to this book/audiobook was perhaps exhaustion of these themes and preferring a book with less internal dialogue with just the MC.

However, this book does justice to the noted themes and I truly feel the mood and intentional unease and sense of uncertainty were well narrated and well written. So this is a 4 star review because the book achieved its goals and the narration really did capture the tone and style of the book. I feel it only fair to give a review about the production and book in terms of intended audience and what the book is about, not just what meghan's preferences are right now.

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The ending though... I just wish we could stop with the themes of babies for people like me who took a long time to become parents, who pursued the gift of adoption, and didn't make parents like us inadvertent victims in a messy domestic thriller. It was painful to read that part of the story and think of all the loss and hurt that couple faced. That is the story to be told. I am here for it when someone writers a thriller that doesn't make infertility or adoption a problematic and stigmatizing theme or plot twist.

... Stacy Willingham has done it again!

Talk about a book that keeps you guessing! This was a RIDE and it has an ending that I genuinely did not see coming! SO many twists and turns - you just never who you can trust... an unreliable narrator at its finest.

I will say that as a mom, some parts of this story were VERY had for me to listen to - I'm an empath so I was just feeling A LOT! Despite that, this was a really great mystery/thriller that I think people will enjoy!

Rating: 4 stars!

TW: death of a loved one, child kidnapping.

Thank you to the publishers for an ALC of this audiobook - all opinions are my own!

This is a story about logical consequences.

I really didn’t love this protagonist. I felt like she made inane decisions with no thought given to the logical outcomes- the phrase “play stupid games, get stupid prizes” kept flashing through my brain. And yet! The end really stuck the landing. It went from 3 to 4. Endings can really make a difference!

Thank you so much @netgalley @macmillan.audio & @minotaur_books for the e & audio copies!

All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham is a spellbinding thriller that follows Isabelle as she desperately tries to find who took her son, Mason. She is so focused on the search for her son that sleep has eluded her since the day he went missing nearly one year prior causing her reality to blur.

This audiobook was narrated wonderfully by Karissa Vacker. Willingham's descriptive writing and Vacker's ability to steer the narration is a winning combination. I could not pause this audiobook and finished it in one day. The twists and turns in this book came out of nowhere and literally had my jaw hanging open. Needless to say, I will be picking up anything Willingham puts out!

I was absolutely loving this book, the story, the narrator, everything. But it stopped working, I've tried re-downloading the app, the book everything. I'm going to buy in January and give a full review.

4.5 stars to this fast-paced psychological thriller that will have you twisting yourself up in knots! (Yes, there are that many twists and no, you won't see them coming!)
One year ago, Isabelle Drake's young son, Mason, was kidnapped from his crib while she and her husband slept in the room next door. With no leads, the case quickly goes cold. Isabelle, however, refuses to accept that she will never see Mason again & goes on a campaign of true-crime cons, just to keep Mason's case fresh. She cannot rest until Mason is found, literally, CAN NOT REST. Except for the occasional micro-sleeps, Isabelle cannot sleep.
Isabelle's whole life becomes about finding Mason, but she knows she can’t continue on like this. In the hope of finding a new witness or 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. These twists are crazy good! Stacy Willingham is my new auto-request author!

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the audio version of this novel.*

Many thanks to NetGalley, Minotaur Press and Macmillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of the latest thriller by Stacy Willingham, author of the wonderful book, A Flicker in the Dark. This audiobook was narrated by the amazing Karissa Vacker, which made it all the better - 5 stars!

Isabelle Drake's life was changed forever one year ago when her toddler son, Mason, was taken from their home in the middle of the night and never found. Isabelle hasn't slept much since. She has a wall of suspects and leads, and has even resorted to speaking at true crime conventions to try and gather more interest and hope. When a man approaches her about participating in a podcast to help solve the crime, after first hesitating, she eventually decides to participate. But his questioning is starting to make Isabelle question everything else.

I loved this book and listening to Karissa Vacker narrate it was even better. Because of her insomnia, Isabelle is left questioning her own motives as well as those of everyone else - and you'll have the same doubts. I enjoyed the alternating chapters of the present with Isabelle's past - she has a history of sleepwalking and we learn what issues this caused as a child. The twists and turns were unexpected and I couldn't stop listening to this one. Willingham's sophomore book is even better than her first so I can't wait for more to come!

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for this audiobook!

Oh my goodness All the Dangerous Things was amazing. One of my favorite thrillers I’ve read this year!

Isabelle Drake’s son was taken from his crib one night and no one can figure out who did it. Isabelle starts to wonder if what happened in her past with her sister Margaret, has happened again.

I loved the flashbacks to Isabelle’s childhood, every one of them felt like a puzzle piece clicking into place. Stacey Willingham did it again, proving she’s here to stay in the thriller category and she’s not messing around!

As always the audio quality of Macmillan Audio was amazing! Their narrators are always enjoyable and digestible. This book really worked for audio!! I’d highly recommend it.

As soon as I started listening to this audiobook, I did not want to stop! I can add Karissa Vacker to my list of favorite narrators!

A parent’s worst fear is someone taking your baby in the middle of the night when everyone in the house is asleep. Aside from occasional catnaps or small blackouts, Isabelle Drake has not slept in a year and she’s determined to find him!

I can’t remember how many times I felt like I figured it out but wow, I was wrong every single time! The twists just kept on coming.

My first book by Stacy Willingham and I’m a fan! Now I need to get my hands on A Flicker in the Dark.

Thank you to @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for my audio copy!

Many authors are unsuccessful in meeting readers’ expectations after a fabulous debut novel. Stacey Willingham is NOT one of those authors. Her sophomore release, “All the Dangerous Things” is better than her first book, “A Flicker in the Dark”.

The first quarter of this novel is a slow burn. The author has an incredible way of creating a foreboding atmosphere as she develops the main characters and plot. Her descriptions are vivid and original — not a cliched phrase anywhere.

The main character Isabelle is struggling one year after her son Mason was taken from his crib in the middle of the night. Her husband Ben has left her as a result of her inability to move on. Isabelle has barely slept during that year; grabbing only catnaps as she wrestles with the mystery of what happened to her son. When a true crime podcast host, Waylon, enters the picture, Isabel is initially grateful for his help, but later become suspicious of him.

The novel also includes scenes from Isabelle’s childhood where readers learn about her upbringing (in a somewhat eerie house) and a mystery surrounding her younger sister.

At about the halfway point of the novel, the suspense escalates and doesn’t let up until the stunning end.

I did a buddy read of this, and my buddy finished it when I still had 3 hours left. I kept thinking I knew what was going on and sending her messages; but every time I was wrong.

Karissa Vacker‘s narration was absolutely stellar, adding to the tension with a hushed, whispery voice.

I was fortunate to receive an invitation to listen to an ARC of the audiobook, which in no way affects my rating.

Suspenseful, absorbing, and satisfying. The whole story focuses on Isabelle’s mental contemplations and you wonder if she’s even a reliable narrator. The story starts out a year after her son has been kidnapped. She hasn’t been sleeping much and is trying to keep her story going in order to find her son. I’m so glad that she never gives up throughout the story on looking for him. Slow burn but such a satisfying ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio for sharing an arc with me. All opinions are my own.

All the dangerous things was a great story with some twists that I didn’t see coming. This audiobook had my interest until the very end. I’ve enjoyed two books now from Stacy Willingham and I’ll be looking forward to some more. Thanks to #netgalley and #macmillanaudio for letting me listen to this audiobook.

This was an absolute cracker of a psychological thriller that held me in its grip from the get-go. All the Dangerous Things explores one of the most terrifying nightmares, having your child taken away from you without a trace and no leads as where to look.

It has been a whole year since Isabelle Drake’s toddler son Mason was taken from his bed in the middle of the night and she hasn’t slept since that fateful night. Imagine going through life without sleep and dealing with the life-shaking grief. Her marriage has fallen apart & her husband has moved on.

As a child Isabelle was a sleepwalker, a completely different kind of sleep issue. She would wake in the morning with her things rearranged, muddy footprints leading from outside. Isabelle could never remember what happened, where she was.

Her past and present collide in this twisty thriller while Isabelle struggles to separate dreams from her real memories, but does she even want to know what really happened?