This is my first book by this author. It definitely won’t be my last. The pace was medium and was told in two different timelines. I found the chop and change of timelines a bit confusing. I had to occasionally go back to remember what happened. I had thoughts what was going to happen but boy was I wrong! I was here for the twists and turns. And the final conclusion. It’s hard to say specifics without spoiling the story. This story involves motherhood, family, secrets and lies. You’ll just have to read it to find out what happens.

Thanks goes to net galley and the publishers for providing me with a review copy for an honest review.

I found the book a little slow to start but then a great storyline told in the past and present with lots of twists and turns that kept you guessing!!

This is an amazing psychological thriller. It is fast paced and the chapters are short. There are lots of twists. The story is told in a dual timeline. They connect well together. The characters are well developed and flawed

Well written that you can imagine the emptiness and the pain but let don but the fact our main character, the mother, just isn’t all that likeable.
Following two timelines so you find out what happened in the past as you’re in the present wit lots of plot twists and some are glaringly obvious whilst others are subtly woven through and shockingly come undone.
Dramatic and dark but it felt like it dragged a little, maybe because I didn’t particularly like any of the characters enough but I really think that was me as the reader and not the writer.

I received 5is book as an ARC and provided an honest review

A very gripping story with the added bonus of being part of (first actions) true crime podcast. I absolutely love a podcast story. It just gives a something extra and keeps me absorbed. Very impressive story and the twist is a shocker!

Dark and creepily life like. The mystery keeps you on your toes and is packed tight with so many twists and turns. Read with doors locked and lights on.

Took me a while to get into (perhaps because the main character is not the most likeable to begin with?!) but once I got past that initial hurdle, I zoomed through the book! Lots of twists along the way and wasn’t expecting that ending!

My rating 4.5 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2023/10/23/al...
My Five Word TL:DR Review : A Psychological and Twisted Thriller

All the Dangerous Things is a book that I read quite some time ago and was during a period where, due to personal circumstances my blogging and reviewing took a backseat for a while. During the past two months I’ve been striving to catch up and in fact this is the last of my outstanding posts. What I will say, going back to review a book when the feelings and emotions it prompted have had time to cool off is not my favourite way to do this, I like to write the review almost straight on the back of putting the book down, that way everything is fresh and crisp. With that in mind this is going to be a relatively short review because firstly. I don’t want to get any of the details wrong and secondly, there are some already glowing reviews out there and I don’t want to go over a plot that has already been well discussed Also, in spite of this being a late posting the overwhelming feeling of ‘this being your worst nightmare if you’re a mother’ is still strong.

So, basically, a year ago Ben and Isabelle’s son, Mason, was taken from his room at night. The case has never been solved although it remains open and during that time Isabelle has relentlessly pursued every avenue possible to keep the investigation alive and not give up on her search for answers. Her marriage has broken down. She isn’t at the top of the police’s ‘most favourite person’ list, she’s virtually an insomniac and has now taken to travelling around the country speaking at true crime conventions and painfully reliving the worst night of her life. It really is your basic nightmare.

At the same time as getting to know Isabelle in the current timeline we jump back to take a look at her childhood and we also have a second past timeline where we discover how she met her husband. Now clearly, these timelines are important to the story. They all feed into the mental instability that we begin to see coming through in Isabelle’s. Was she a good mother, was she sound asleep when Mason was kidnapped. Is she reliable as a narrator. It’s difficult to say and all these little snippets into her previous life, coupled with her current insomnia, bone deep tiredness and mental anguish begin to cast doubts. Particularly as the police also seem to have taken a dislike to her ‘interference’.

Now, in the current timeline Isabelle meets a young man, Waylon, a true crime podcaster, who is interested in her story and in spite of it perhaps not seeming like the best idea isabelle invites him to stay at her home so that the two of them can review the evidence together. On the face of it, the two are helping each other but there is a level also of mutual mistrust and you can’t help reading into the convenient way that the two of them met. In this way the author does a great job of making you suspect everyone and flip flopping back and forth like a headless chicken.

In some respects the story takes a little while to set up but this didn’t slow me down, I was so keen to get back to the here and now and find out what went on on that dreadful night that I felt almost annoyed at first with the jumps back in time, but slowly and surely the author begins to weave in doubt and red herrings. Isabelle herself is starting to lift the curtain on things from her past that have long since been buried and in fact this element of the story itself becomes gripping.

My advice, do yourself a favour and have a good night’s sleep before you pick this one up. You’ll probably want to read into the wee hours and on top of that I think I broke out in sympathetic exhaustion just thinking of everything Isabelle had, and continued, to go through. Her mental state was so fragile, she was so exhausted and it literally felt like she could crumble at any point.

Overall, this was a gripping read that I would definitely recommend. it may have a slowish start but to be fair everything in here is relevant to the story so pay close attention.

I receive a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.

A baby goes missing from his cot,his mother is still looking for him. She will try anything. A complex mystery with not very likeable characters but plenty of twists.

I found this an easy read and think it would be a great book for on the beach. I didn’t particularly like the main character but it didn’t put me off.

Thank you to #NetGalley for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A good read
This book has two time lines the past and the present
Definitely worth a read would recommend it
Thanks NetGalley

From its heart-pounding twists to its chilling climax, this narrative kept me reading with bated breath, dreading what might emerge from the shadows.

I enjoyed reading this thriller, which was about a woman called Isabelle, whose son Mason went missing from his bed a year before. She is still looking for him, and is out there trying to find him, but no-one else seems to care. Will she be able to find out what happened to him? Who can she trust?

Full of suspense and mystery, this is a great book, which I recommend highly.

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

Having enjoyed her previous book A Flicker in the Dark, I was keen to read the latest release from Stacy Willingham, All the Dangerous Things, and I was not disappointed. Isabelle Drake is in a very dark place – it is a year since her infant son Mason was snatched from his cot while she and her husband slept, and the police are no nearer to finding him. She has not been able to sleep since it happened, and this is having a disastrous effect on her mental health. She is struggling to tell what is real and what is not, does not trust her memories and we don’t either. She has been speaking in public to keep the case in the public domain, and even though she knows people think she is to blame she feels it’s worth putting herself through the ordeal. She is alone and does not know who she can trust. Her marriage to Ben has broken up, as often happens in cases like this, not helped by his opinion that she should have got over it and moved on. His behaviour rings alarm bells right from the start, even before we know anything about his past.
The characters are well written though flawed and not particularly likeable, including Isabelle, but I did empathise with her situation and what she was going through. In All the Dangerous Things, the author explores some very dark themes relating to the expectations society places on women and mothers, the guilt they feel, and emphasises that no one is perfect, we all make mistakes. The sinister atmosphere is enhanced by a lot of the scenes taking place at night, in the dark.
The story is told entirely from Isabelle’s perspective, alternately between the present and when she was a child. The trauma of her son going missing has brought back memories from her past, and she has to confront what she thought had happened to her sister Margaret all those years ago. I was gripped by this heartbreaking story, despite it being overly descriptive in places, and stayed up way too late to finish it. Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

Isabelle Drakes son , Mason, has disappeared from his bedroom and twelve months later after no clues as to his whereabouts everybody has given up except Isabelle.She rings nighttime radio shows to keep the memory alive and hoping for some answers. A true crime podcaster Waylon contacts her to offer help , she begins to trust him and even lets him stay at her house whilst working on the case.Isabelle starts noticing that Waylon is not always telling the truth . What are his motives and as the story goes on what don't we know about Isabelle's past ?
An exciting read with many twists.

As a lover of a Flicker in the Dark I had to read this one. Stacy is one of my new favourite thriller authors. This book follows a missing toddler case and a web of lies which throughout the novel is untangled. I enjoyed this one and the 'suspect everyone' vibe that it had. I felt like Willingham did well at making everyone seem like they could be guilty. An interesting read for sure!

What a wild ride of a story! This thriller took me by surprise in the best way possible. Going into it blind was the right choice, allowing the author's storytelling to sweep me away on an enthralling journey. The balance between a well-developed character and a fast-paced plot was expertly handled, making for an engaging read from start to finish.

The main character, Isabelle, is beautifully crafted with a past and present timeline that adds depth and complexity to her character. The author delves into her psyche, highlighting the maze of motherhood and the toll that grief and insomnia can take on one's life. Isabelle's struggles with her own memories and trust issues kept me on my toes, constantly questioning who and what to believe.

The book's pacing is exceptional, with short chapters that maintain a thrilling momentum. The eerie and subtle hints dropped throughout the story added an extra layer of suspense, making it addictive to read. I found myself performing mental gymnastics, constantly second-guessing the motives and intentions of the characters.

The author's exploration of grief and the complexities of human nature is commendable. The story reminds us that life and people are not simply black and white, showcasing the ugly forms that grief can take. The Author's Note provided valuable insights into the themes of the book and added depth to the overall narrative.

While the book had its flaws, such as certain plot points wrapping up too quickly and a few instances of convenience, these did not hinder my enjoyment. Multiple points of view could have elevated the story further, providing a more comprehensive perspective. However, these minor issues were overshadowed by the captivating plot and the unexpected twists that kicked into gear in the final third of the book.

The last 100 pages of the novel were a pleasant surprise, filled with unexpected turns that kept me flipping pages feverishly. The author's ability to deliver a strong and satisfying ending left a lasting impression. It was impressive to see how the story built up to such a thrilling and gripping conclusion.

Overall, this thriller exceeded my expectations. While it may have had a basic premise, the execution was remarkable. The author skillfully crafted a narrative that kept me guessing and engaged until the very end. Despite its minor flaws, this book left me wanting more from the author, and I eagerly anticipate their future works.

Wow! I absolutely loved this book!
There’s just something about Stacy Willingham’s writing style that keeps me completely hooked on the story, I couldn’t put it down.
Brilliantly written with such interesting characters and an intriguing storyline, I sailed through this book desperate to find out the conclusion and I was not disappointed.
Another author who I’ll look out for from now on. Great book!

Really troublesome. A toddler taken in the middle of the night. This is the things of nightmares. This is really powerful.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat till the end.

It's been a whole year that Isabella's 2 year old son went missing, kidnapped from her house during the night without trace. While the investigation went cold, she was determined to find out what happened to her son which means she has to face her past and secret.


The story has only Isabella's pov and I'm pulled into her story immediately. It's slow paced and shifts the present and her childhood, her memory is uncertain, so it kept me guessing what's really happened in her past and to her son. There are many possibilities who took her son and slowly built the tension to the end. This book has solid twists and my type of ending, a bit too neat I have to say. Though this was such a satisfying read.