I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a fast read. A lot of it seemed sort of implausible, but it still was entertaining. There was a bit of a surprising twist at the end.

I did enjoy the narrator. She was great about emoting and changing voices for the different characters.

3.5

I loved A Flicker in the Dark and hoped this would live up to that. I feel it exceeded it.

Isabelle Drake is living through a parent's worst nightmare. Her eighteen month old son, Mason, was kidnapped from his crib overnight. There was no sign of forced entry and virtually no clues. A window may have been open in the nursery. The video baby monitor batteries were dead and offered nothing. One year later, the police still have not found the kidnapper or mason.

Isabelle's husband, Ben, dealt withis grief differently than she did. He moved out six months ago and now has a new girlfriend. He tells Isabelle she needs to move on with her life. But she can't.

Isabelle has always had sleep issues. As a child, she was a sleepwalker. She hasn't had a full night sleep in a year. She gets by on coffee and catnaps.

Isabelle speaks at True Crime Cons and the like hoping somone may have a clue as to where Mason could be. She meets a true crime podcaster, Waylon, and he convinces her to share her story with him. Waylon digs deep and discovers something in Isabelle's past that she would prefer stay in the past.

It reaches the point where everyone - from her husband to the police detective to the folks on the internet - have Isabelle doubting herself and thinking she may be responsible.

Just when I would think I had things figured out, plot twist! This one kept me on my toes right until the end. An amazing psychological thriller!

I can't wait to see what's next from this author!

Many thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, and Macmillan Audio for both an ARC and ALC of this gem. I flew through this one so quickly!

First, I love Karrisa Vacker. She is one of the best narrators going. That list is growing a bit but she's right up there.

Second, this is the sophomore novel I was hoping to get from Willingham. With her first book, it was OK BUT I saw a lot of potential and couldn't wait to see what she wrote next.

All the Dangerous Things walks a great balance between themes and thriller. The emotional struggles of a mother and a relationship after the loss of a child is just one.

The twists and turns just started coming and didn't stop. Both timelines were engrossing. And not only were the twists brilliantly laid out, but the last gasp was complete whiplash.

This was an exciting roller coaster of a read with lots of shocking twists and and turns. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, something else was revealed that completely changed my perspective. The audiobook version was excellent and potrayed the fast-paced story and suspense ideally. Fans of Shari Lapena and Megan Goldin will enjoy this.

It’s been a year since Isabelle’s infant, Mason, disappeared from his crib while she and her husband slept. The police found no leads or evidence and the case has gone cold and Isabelle’s husband is with another woman. The loss of Mason has damaged something inside Isabelle, and she’s barely slept since he disappeared; the lack of sleep and her grief makes Isabelle appear unstable. When a podcaster approaches her with the idea to feature the disappearance in a show, Isabelle readily agrees, even if she’s apprehensive about the motives for the podcast. Told in Isabelle’s voice, both past and present, and the fact that she’s a somewhat unreliable narrator, made this a complex and interesting story.

4.5⭐️A very strong sophomore novel by Stacy Willinghan that I couldn’t put down!!

Synopsis: For the past year Isabelle Drake has been searching for her missing son who was taken in the middle of the night from his bedroom. Sleep deprived and desperate for a lead, Isabelle agrees to work with a true crime podcaster and hosts him in her home. However, all this digging starts to bring up secrets from the past, and Izzy starts to second guess who she can trust… including herself

Thoughts: This was well-written, unpredictable, and one wild ride. I am not usually a fan of the unreliable narrator/ crazy mom trope but the Stacy Willingham made it work. I really enjoyed learning about Izzy’s relationships with the other characters, especially her ex husband and parents, and seeing how it all tied together. There were also flashbacks to Izzy’s childhood, which added an extra layer of suspense and eerie vibes. I had many predictions when reading and while some were correct, there were many twists that I was surprised by!

Read if you like:
-True crime podcasts
-Atmospheric settings
-Kidnapping stories
-Past/ present timelines

Pub date: 1/10/23