This was a real treat for me. Receiving a book to review before it's published! I love a good mystery/thriller and this definitely was that! This had a couple of twists and turns which I didn't expect and the backstory of Isabelle's past wasn't necessary, in my opinion. It would've been fine on its own as is. I can relate to sleep deprivation. I went through a period where I had insomnia and would stay up five or six days straight. I would not want to experience that having just had a child! What keeps me from rating this a five star is that the back-and-forth story of her past. I really didn't think it was necessary and it annoyed me a bit. Other than that this really kept my interest and kept me wondering what was going to happen next!

Expected pub: January 10, 2023
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC.

A mystery that really surprised me. So many twists and turns that there were no way to have seen in advance.
It's not often that I find a book that engages me to want to finish in one day, but this one did. I didn't want to put it down! I really liked how the author tied up all of the loose ends and I didn't feel like there were any questions that weren't answered. I really enjoyed the story and how it weaved through the main characters life in her past and present but it tied all together.
It's definitely a fascinating read that I highly recommend.

I enjoyed this thriller. I was a little nervous about it because even though the concept was compelling, Willingham's A Flicker in the Dark wasn't a hit for me.

Some of the twists were predictable or at least guessable, but the final reveal was at least partly a surprise for me. The mixing in of both true crime podcasts and conferences - and how they can help or harm victims' families were a compelling feature of the story. The narrator of the audiobook did an excellent job infusing emotion into the voice of the mother.

Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for this ARC!

A big thanks to Netgalley, the author and Macmillan Audio for my gifted audiobook in exchange for my honest review.
This is a superb follow-up from Willingham. Like her first novel, "All the Dangerous Things" is again a slow burn. Superb audiobook narrator who succeeded in bringing the story and characters to life.

3.75/5

One year ago Isabelle’s son Mason went missing. He was pulled from his bed in the middle of the night and vanished without a trace. Since then, Isabelle hasn’t been able to sleep. The lack of sleep is beginning to catch up to her, and while her only goal in life is to find her son, she is beginning to feel like she can’t trust anyone…even herself.

I always love a good unreliable narrator, and this one was no different. I did a mixture of audiobook and physical book for this one, and the audio was so good. It pulled me in right away, and I continually questioned what had actually happened to Mason! This was an excellent thriller that I highly recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan audio for the advanced copy of this book!

Isabelle Drake's son Mason went missing a year ago, and she has been on the hunt ever since. The cops aren't accomplishing much, so she is conducting her own investigation, while battling insomnia and doubting her own sanity. She finds herself seeking aid from a podcast host, and trying to get answers from people in her past who would prefer to keep their secrets.

I think this book has an unfair disadvantage, because the plot is a bit similar to another new book I just read, "What Lies in the Woods." It's even read by the same narrator! Sadly, I liked the other one better.

The writing is different in this one and sometimes it's a bit...too much. I love beautiful writing. But the author frequently extends a sentence with a flowery series of adjectives, to describe things that are not even that important. The word I would use is "verbose." It took so long to get from thought to thought sometimes, and I just got frustrated at moments.

There were so many red herrings, and I had hoped they would all become something cohesive. But it turned out we just spent a lot of time talking about things that weren't all that relevant. I also found it a little bit implausible that the main character never once thought to Google the person who turned out to be a liar, especially when they weren't even using a fake name. She researches literally everything and everyone else in her life, so it just seems a bit silly of her.

I suppose I am just growing weary of thrillers based around cold marriages, awful husbands, affairs, and mothers with children tragedies. Oh, and women being gaslit and called crazy and unhinged by everyone when things are happening to them. It's a real thing that happens, obviously, it's just becoming an overused and frustrating narrative device. Sometimes I let it go if the book is particularly good, but this wasn't one of those, unfortunately. It is just too similar to too many other books.

If you haven't read a lot of thrillers in recent years, maybe you'll like it. If you have, you may be bored.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

I was excited to get a copy of this e-arc. I read Stacy Willingham‘s first book and really enjoyed it so I was eager to read this one. I really did enjoy it, not as much as our first, but it was still five stars.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham.

Oh you better buckle your seatbelts for this one, it's going to give you whiplash!

This is a story about a child who has now been missing for a year, and a mother who is traveling the true crime speaker circuit in order to keep people interested in his disappearance. Even though it grosses her out to share her deep pain with a bunch of hungry fanatics, she will do anything to help bring her son home. But, there is a whole cast of characters that could be responsible for her sons disappearance, so don't get too comfortable in guessing who it may be...

Very well written, it keeps a good pace without disturbing the dark and foreboding atmosphere. I loved how unsteady I felt the entire time, I was always so surprised at every turn. This would be a perfect read on a dark and stormy night.

A year after her infant son was taken from his crib while she and her husband slept, Isabelle Drake's life still revolves around trying to uncover the truth about what happened to him. As she fights insomnia and copes with the breakdown of her marriage, Isabelle is relentless in getting her story out there until she finally crosses paths with a true-crime podcaster with an obsessive interest in her case.

To be honest, when I read the description, I was a bit put off. I'm over the podcast angle. It's been done a lot recently and never seems especially unique. Still, I love the author and was really excited about reading the books so I jumped in.....and couldn't put it down. I listened to two days. It's compelling and intricate without being complicated to the point where it's confusing to keep track of. The characters are unique and likable, the plot moved at an unbelievable pace without feeling rushed. The book kept me guessing right to the end and didn't disappoint! As an added bonus, the narrator was phenomenal; she's my new favorite!

This was hands-down the best book I've read this year. I can't wait for it to come out so we can all talk about it.

After listening to A Flicker in the Dark last year I was so excited to listen to Willingham’s next book!
We follow Isabelle in her search for her missing son. 1 year ago Mason disappeared from his bedroom and Isabelle hasn’t given up on finding him.
This thriller has all the things! Domestic tension, an unreliable narrator and a true crime podcast. I did guess the ending but I also listen to a lot of thrillers. There were good twists throughout and I think a lot of people will be surprised by the ending and all the connections you discover. I’d recommend this for readers who enjoyed A Flicker in the Dark, avid true crime podcasters or someone who enjoys domestic thrillers. Thank you Macmillan audio for my advanced listening copy!

I really don’t like plot lines that have an element of women making cliche DUMB mistakes, or plot lines where moms are made to look and feel stupid. Some of this was predictable, and thankfully the ending redeemed itself a bit. I will read another by this author because her writing is propulsive. I thought the narrator was lovely.

A big thanks to Netgalley, the author, and Macmillan Audio for my gifted ALC 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

Excellent Read. The set up was great with some twists and turns. You will question everyone. And the story will suck you in.
I love some of the subtle things that Willingham drops in from her first novel - the wording of things.

The narration was equally as brilliant. Vacker does a beautiful job at being the story to life.

Big thanks to MacMillian Audio, NetGalley and Stacy Willingham for the opportunity to review this book.

Stacy Willingham’s debut novel A Flicker in the Dark was a finalist for @bookofthemonth Book of the Year and a @goodreads finalist for best mystery and thriller of 2022. Coming close off the success of her first novel, Willingham gives her fans another suspenseful, psychological thriller, All the Dangerous Things. This novel introduces Isabelle Drake, a mother distraught and still searching for her toddler, Mason, one year after he went missing from his crib. Since his disappearance, Isabelle cannot sleep. Her insomnia and single-minded obsession with finding her son drove a wedge between her and her now ex-husband, Mason’s father. Reaching a state of desperation, Isabelle agrees to key note a “true crime” convention and meets Waylon Spencer, a true crime podcaster. Paired with his persuasive nature and her dead-end search, she agrees to tell her story in the hopes that a new, outside perspective will unearth details to find her son. However, while we’re experiencing the distressed Isabelle in present day, the novel provides intermittent flashbacks of her childhood where something else sinister lurks. This novel was a slow burn and the narrator’s insomnia created an air of unreliability where I wasn't quite sure what was real or a delusion of her sleep deprived mind. I also loved the duality of her childhood secrets unraveling with her present day search for truth. While some of the climactic reveals were predictable, the end was still very satisfying. This is not a “cozy mystery,” but rather a dark look into the lives of people with trauma and the ways the mind can play tricks on reality.

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.

Could not stop listening to 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 enjoyed the twists as well as the narration!

Thank you so much MacMillan Audio for the ALC of this one.

If you liked Stacy Willingham’s first novel, you will love this one. It is tense and emotional. The entire time I was listening to it, I felt my heart in my stomach and on edge. As a parent, it made my want to squeeze my kids tight.

The book alternates between the past and the present. Isabelle’s 18 month son is taken from his crib while his parents are sleeping. A year later, there are still no leads or clues. Her own sister died when she was a small child and her parents gave her no explanation to how she died. Isabelle tried to figure out her role in both events while trying to find her son even if it means she is involved. This book comes out January 10, 2023.

Thank you @netgalley for my ALC.

This was a great read but i was obsessed with it like her first debut A Flicker In The Dark. Half way through i kind of thought it got to boring a bit to the point i rushed mid throught until i got 80 percent where i think it got good again. Didnt like the characters in this as much. I understand the character but the main character got on my nerves a bit

I honestly don’t know why I chose to torture myself with this one. I didn’t care for the first book by this author and this one had many of the same issues that caused my distaste for the first book.

Anyway in this one, instead of drugs we have insomnia being an issue. Now not getting any sleep can cause just as many issues as drugs - believe me, I’ve been there. It sucks. I didn’t care for the way that postpartum psychosis was handled in this book. It was almost glossed over. It is a VERY SERIOUS MEDICAL ISSUE and it should be treated that way.

Honestly, this book just made me mad for so many reasons. The handling of serious medical conditions, the incorrect police procedures- I just can’t honestly. I can’t. The story was also just a pretty typical thriller and if you read flicker, you know where the twists and turns will fall in this one. They’re very similar.

This author is just not for me. But I’m happy that others seem to really enjoy her work.

Thanks to NetGalley for the audio copy!

⭐️⭐️

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.