Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC and audiobook.


Description from NetGalley:
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.


Isabelle's entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever. 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.

I enjoyed Stacy Willingham’s first book, A Flicker in the Dark. So, I was excited to read All the Dangerous Things. The story focuses around a missing toddler, which made part of this hard for me to listen/read as I have a toddler. However, Stacy did not disappoint. The narrator did a great job with the book. This book has a dual timeline, but I was definitely more interested in the modern timeline. I felt for Isabelle as she works with people and continues to look for her son a year after his disappearance.


Overall: 4/5

Y'all, I'm SHOOK! A wild ride at break neck speed from beginning to end. 5 stars and awe for Stacy Willingham yet again! Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for an AudioARC in exchange for an honest review.

Isabel hasn't slept soundly in a year...ever since her infant son was taken from his crib in the middle of the night. To keep the case alive she has done multiple TV interviews as well as travelled to crime conventions in hopes someone will come forward. When she stumbles upon an opportunity to work with a true crime podcaster whom has helped close cold cases, she begins to dive deeper into the events surrounding Mason's disappearance. Will sleep deprivation skew her memory of events, or will she find ghosts of her past were hidden away for a reason?

Stacy Willingham has done it yet again! A Flicker in the Dark was one of my top reads of 2022 and All the Dangerous Things is right on par to be one of my top reads for 2023. It will take an act of God for it to be dethroned and I'll be recommending this to everyone I can. Thriller lovers will devour this, mystery lovers will be chomping at the bit to find out whodunnit, and readers looking to get back into reading will find themselves hooked.

Five stars and a heavy recommendation for All the Dangerous Places. Recommended for readers who enjoyed A Flicker in the Dark and other thrilling mysteries. Recommended for ages 15+ as the twists and turns contain some adult themes. Start 2023 off with a 🤯head blowing bang🤯 and enjoy all the twists and mysteries this has to offer!

Isabelle is a young mother suffering through the unthinkable: her child has vanished from his crib. A year later she still can't sleep and her current trauma is making her remember another event from her childhood that might be related. As her insomnia drives her to question everything she thinks she knows, all Isabelle wants are answers. This novel starts off slow and it took me some time to feel connected to the main character, but as the mystery unveils, I found it impossible to put the book down. Answers lead to more questions and the ending came to a satisfying conclusion. Outside of the mystery, it's also an interesting look at women's roles in society and the undue burden motherhood can bring.

The narration was excellent. Pacing felt just right and the voices for characters matched up nicely.

I really like this author's writing style. I was hooked right from the beginning and was fully engaged in the characters and the mystery. I did see a few of the plot twists/motivations of a few characters coming, but the suspense and intrigue was still there. A really enjoyable read. The narrator of this book did a really good job telling this story. I half listened and half read this book and really enjoyed the audiobook the best.

I waited and waited for a twist, and boy did it come. But not till the very end. I do feel some things were unresolved as far as the "past" portion of the storyline. But overall it kept me hooked and entertained.

I really enjoyed this audiobook. It kept me on my toes the entire time. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

4.75 (rounded up to five) - For the past year, Isabelle Drake hasn't had a good night's sleep. Really, she's lucky when she manages to get an hour or two. It started when her son, Mason, was taken and has yet to be found. She doesn't care what measures she has to go to find the culprit be it attending true crime conventions or investigating her neighbors. But as memories of her childhood begin to surface, she starts to wonder if maybe she is the one to blame.

The book jumps around three key points in Isabelle's life: Her childhood with her sister Margaret, meeting her now ex-husband, Ben, and the present day where she meets a true crime podcaster whom she eventually agrees to do an interview with. The timelines are woven together wonderfully and are full of suspense.

I found the characterization to be rich and the most enjoyable part of the story but I loved the plot as well. Though there were certainly predictable moments, it still had a twisty vibe and little details were placed well that they can get pushed to the back of the mind until they're brought up again. Super atmospheric, too.

The writing style isn't my favorite but I didn't notice the over-description so much on the audiobook version. However, I did find the narrator a little bit overdramatic. Not in the sense where it was read more like a drama, but rather that so much of it was read in a half-whisper. It distracted me. Otherwise, she did a good job.

I read 'A Flicker in the Dark' last year and found it just okay. 'All the Dangerous Things' greatly surpasses it in my mind and I'm very excited to see what Stacy Willingham has in store for us next.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for providing me with a free audio copy of the book to listen to and review!

Wow what a ride! Couldn’t put it down. I really like the narrator. Definitely a good thriller. From the start I was intrigued

All of the Dangerous Things was a hard book to read/listen. The narrator did a brilliant job but the story itself was very dark. Isabelle Drake thought her life was finally on track with the man she loved and an adorable baby until he was abducted from his crib one night. The police are getting nowhere in their investigation so she has to find her child herself. Unfortunately, her past keeps coming back to haunt her and doubts about her own culpability surface.
I struggled with the first part of the book but it did get easier toward the end when the twists started to unravel.
I want to thank NetGalley for allowing me to listen to this audiobook and give my honest review

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was such a wild read! omg the whole time i was wondering what would happen next! I swear my mouth was wide open in shock at the end lmao would recommend and reread

One year has passed since the worst night of her life. One year ago she was a happily married mother of a wonderful little boy. As her missing son's case sits unresolved, Isabelle does not give up. Finding her little boy is her life's mission. From interviewing the neighbors and potential suspects she moves to true crime speaking. That's where she meets HIM, the person who will make her see the truth.

A missing child is any mother's true nightmare. Isabelle's determination to find her son is beyond inspiring. She does not break under pressure but instead uses it as a motivation to find the truth. This was definitely one of the more addictive can't-put-down reads that I've read this year. While the story was not insanely original, it was extremely compelling.

Thank you, NetGalley for a free and advanced copy of the novel in the exchange for my honest review.

This book was not my cup of tea. It was tragic and it was deep, but I could not get into the backstories and flashbacks that were presented. about halfway through I started really getting interested in the outcome. The characters were not bad. They were realistic enough. As expected, everyone was a suspect at some point (at least in my head) and the plot took turns that I expected, but later in the novel, not when they appeared. That was a good thing, it kept me reading. Though this was not really my kind of book, I would recommend it to readers who enjoy the kind of book it describes in the summary.
UPDATE to 4*:
I had to reread the last parts of the book. I kept thinking about the story and I kept thinking I didn't give it a fair shake. There is the mystery of the missing child and the common underlying questions about who did what. Then there is the way the characters deal with grief and loss and the overwhelming depression that can cripple someone and cause them to act extremely out of character. That is the part I sort of ignored. I was more focused on the mystery and not the entire story under the surface. For me the book got much better at the halfway mark and then rereading some of the more salient parts brought a heavier impact than it did originally for me.

I enjoyed Ms. Willingham's second book as much as the first! Such an intriguing story line. I can't even imagine. This was a crazy psychological thriller.

2.75

I did not love Willingham’s debut A Flicker in the Dark, but I liked enough elements that I was willing to give her sophomore release a chance.

While I had some similar complaints (so many similes and in general prose that felt overwritten and plot threads/twists that felt stereotypical) this book worked much better for me than her debut did. All the Dangerous Things is a thriller that deals with memory and mental health and motherhood in some really interesting ways. I liked Willingham’s author’s note that talked about how women feel the weight of motherhood from the minute they pick up their first doll and how little the mental health of mother’s is taken seriously. I loved that she made her female characters messy and how she approached this idea of an “unfit” mother. I also liked that she brought in a true crime element and would have loved to see more commentary on how societal obsession with true crime shaped cases.

That being said, I accurately predicted every plot twist and while sometimes I’m okay with that and enjoy being along for the ride anyway there were elements of this story that made it feel a little tedious when I knew the twists. Given that I had a similar reaction to her debut and in both cases the majority of other readers have given rave 4 and 5 star review, I think I just need to accept that Stacy Willingham is not the author for me.

I was offered an audio review copy, narrated by Karissa Vacker, and I thought the production was excellent. Vacker’s voices for each character felt spot on and I would say the listening experience is a large part of my enjoyment of this book. I will be looking out for more of her work!

This book is going to be in my top 10 for the year and it’s only January!

Review: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

All the Dangerous Things, by Stacy Willingham, was phenomenal!

One year ago Isabelle’s son, Mason, was taken from his crib. While the case has gone cold, Isabelle will literally not rest until she has answers. She agrees to be interviewees by a podcaster to help spark potential leads. Isabelle’s past begins to cause questions and she doesn’t know who or what to believe.

Willingham’s writing and character development was top notch. The flashbacks and dual timelines were presented flawlessly. I was able to understand, connect, and get attached to every aspect of the story. Every time I thought I knew something or suspected someone I would be shocked and change my theories. The twist was so well done that I only really had inklings about it so it wasn’t predictable.

I went into this book blind and as a buddy read and loved every minute!

@stacyvwillingham is official an auto buy author for me.

#allthedangerousthings #stacywillingham #suspense #thriller #netgalley #audio #arc #fivestars #autobuyauthor #newrelease #reading #books #review #bookreview #newreview #bookrecs

This book was AMAZING!!! Every time I "thought" I knew what was coming next - I was wrong!!! All the Dangerous Things was a topsy-turvy thriller and I seriously enjoyed it!! There were moments where I completely questioned the sanity of Isabelle (the main character) - and I was suspicious of every single character - except the one that I shouldn't have!!! The narrator, Karissa Vacker did an amazing job. I have a new to me author, Stacy Willingham - that I"m adding to my pre-order list. Thank you to Netgalley, Stacy Willingham and Macmillan Audio for sending this audio to me in exchange for an honest review. This book was amazing - you won't be sorry you picked it up!!!

It has been a year since the worst day of Isabell's life. Her 18 month old Mason was stolen out of his crib in the middle of the night. Isabelle now dedicates her life to finding her missing son. She attends True Crime seminars to try to keep his case alive. She also hasn't slept since that dreadful night. Her husband and her separated because he believes she needs to move on and accept that their son is never coming back, but Isabell will never give up on finding her son.

While on a flight home from a seminar the man (Waylon) in the seat next to her invites her to go on his podcast to get her story out. She is hesitant at first but eventually gives him a call and they begin to work on solving this case together on and off air for his podcast.

Isabelle also has a dark past and a history of sleep walking causing painful memories to creep to the surface during long sleepless nights. One night she decides to take the dog for a walk to clear her head. While on that walk she sees a mysterious man she has never seen before in her neighborhood. The more she looks into this the more she starts to fear what she may find out.

Isabell has no idea who she can trust including her self. Will she solve this case and does she even want to .....

I throughly enjoyed this and definitely got blindside by a few of the twists. This was heartbreaking to even imagine your child being taken and still feeling he’s alive. The panic of wondering due to your past if you had no some involvement. Definitely highly recommend this one

I love that the story switches between now and then while new information is parceled out in each story line. Stacy Willingham did a great job of tying the two story lines together and making them both relevant to the reveal. This book was a quick read and kept me engaged from beginning to end.

Karissa Vacker did a great job of narrating this audiobook, her voice was clear and I was able to listen to the audiobook at 2x speed and still understand everything being said. I will look for books narrated by Karissa in the future.

OMG! Another perfect novel by Willingham! She is quickly becoming a staple for me, and I'll definitely buy ANYTHING that she writes. Loved this book even more than Flicker. This one was much less predictable. My first 5 star of the year!