This book gripped me from start to finish - I loved it! I was kept guessing and didn’t guess some of the twists.

When Isabelle's baby son is taken in the middle of the night without trace her marriage can't survive and Isabelle can't cope with another tragedy in her life. The story flits between the present and the past where secrets are revealed leaving not only the reader but also Isabelle doubting her involvement in the disappearance of Mason and a!so the death of her sister years ago. A tense and at time gripping storyline

I loved Stacy Willingham's debut last year so requesting this was a no-brainer for me. While I didn't love it as much as A Flicker in the Dark, I was fully immersed in the mystery.

All the dangerous things initially feels like it's taken on the true crime trope that has been very popular over the last few years but then it quickly descends into something else entirely. The main character's toddler has been missing now for a year after disappearing from his bed while his parents slept. The case has run cold and as expected, many people are happy to point the finger at the mother. Glimpses of her past and knowing that she has struggled with sleep disorders throughout her life make her an unreliable narrator. And you do spend a lot of time questioning whether she did something, either intentionally or otherwise.

I won't say much more on that note to avoid spoilers but this book really does pack several punches. Willingham is incredibly skilled at writing books like this where you never truly know what's coming. The twists always come out of nowhere, adding new layers and changing the dynamic of the plot over and over again.

Overall I thought it was an interesting plot that was executed in an equally interesting way. I can't wait to see what Willingham writes next because it's sure to be equally great.

All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham is a fascinating story, which has so many different perspectives and is quite a chilling story in parts.
One year ago while Isabelle Drake and her husband Ben were both asleep, their young son Mason disappeared out of his crib. Isabelle has been unable to sleep, other than catnaps, since his disappearance was discovered.
She spends her time giving talks about his disappearance in the hopes that one day he will be found.
Unfortunately her insomnia triggers events from her childhood when her young sister Margaret was found drowned and Isabelle believes she was responsible, because of her sleepwalking. She wonders at times whether she is responsible for Mason’s disappearance.
There are many different layers to the storyline which when pealed away, the reader can then see who was responsible and what happened to Margaret and also to Mason.
An enjoyable read.
Highly recommended

Having enjoyed Stacy Willingham’s debut novel, ‘A Flicker in the Dark’, I was eager to devour this one as well. Switching between different timelines, linking incidents from the main protagonist’s childhood, marriage, and current circumstances, the tension is well maintained.

One year on from her toddler son Mason’s mysterious disappearance, Isabelle Drake is an insomniac wreck, spending her hyper-wakeful hours desperately combing the internet for answers she doesn’t have yet.

Her life mission is to discover what happened to her son and find him alive and well again. This single-minded goal drives her to give speeches and make appeals for information to help keep Mason’s disappearance in the police and public consciousness.

After one such talk, she is approached by Waylon, a true crime podcaster eager to interview her. Isabelle refuses at first then decides to open up. But her caffeine-drugged hyper-vigilance, and inability to fully trust anyone, cast a shadow on their growing friendship.

A missing child scenario definitely tugs at the heartstrings. We completely understand Isabelle’s great determination to find whoever took Mason from her home and her fears for his safety and welfare one year later.

Although the police appear to have given up on the case, her relationship with her husband breaks down, and he doesn’t support her efforts, this doesn’t deter Isabelle from pursuing every possible avenue of interest and hope.

This is a pacey novel, full of twists and turns and red herrings. Though Isabelle is an unreliable narrator because she has such a skewed view of events and is too exhausted to think straight, I think it’s a deliberate reflection of her disturbed mental state.

It’s a gripping read, even better than ‘A Flicker in the Dark’, a multi-layered and complex thriller that will keep you turning the pages right to the brilliant ending. Grateful thanks to Harper Collins and NetGalley for the ARC. A well deserved 5**

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This is the story of Isabelle. Her 18 month old son was abducted from his bed in the middle of the night. Since then she has been unable to sleep and spends all her free time trying to find answers. The strain of the disappearance has caused Issy and her husband Ben to separate. Whilst travelling to true crime events to tell her story she meets up with a podcaster who wants to feature her story on his podcast in the hope it will help.

This story flashes from Issy’s childhood back to the present day. It was the flashbacks that kept me interested . i found that this book was quite slow and I didn’t feel that much happened in this book until the last 15%. I enjoyed it for what it was but would recommend it for those new to the thriller genre.

A woman’s son (Mason) is taken in the night and since it happened, she can’t sleep. Her marriage has fallen apart due to her obsession with finding out what happened. This obsession leads her to speak publicly at various true crime events across the country and in doing so she meets a man who has a podcast and who asks her questions that make her think, not only about Mason’s disappearance but also her own childhood.

The main character of Isabelle is a sympathetic one, for obvious reasons. But, crikey! There’s word overload in this book. I struggled to get into it and then it plodded a ways, before picking up and gaining momentum and concluding satisfactorily. Overall, an OK read.

Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to preview in exchange for my honest review.

The best thriller I've read in a year!

It's not a crazy wild ride but a very well-written atmospheric thriller. I've seen many 5-star reviews of this book and I agree with them. The unreliable sleep deprived protagonist's past and secrets are revealed slowly, and I really just wanted to find out more. I finished it in like one day and that hadn't happened with a thriller for a long time for me. The twists and revelations are great. I didn’t see them coming. Loved how it explored the pressure put on a new mother as well. It’s something readers can relate with, and I certanly grew empathetic with the main character.

But the best thing about this book for me is Willingham’s beautiful writing. It’s moody and has a quiet quality that is just beautiful, and I didn’t expect that from psychological thriller. If you're looking for a high-quality thriller, I highly recommend this one!

👉Missing child
👉Dual timelines
👉Unreliable narrator (sleepwalking and sleep-deprived)
👉Motherhood
👉Moody, atmospheric writing

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. 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. 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.
A well written slow build book that draws you in as the tension rises, the characters are well portrayed & have depth. There are secrets, twists & plenty of suspects in this engrossing read, it flowed well & although it was unsettling at times I had to keep reading until all was revesled
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Another stellar thriller from Stacy Williamson, this one focuses on a mother Isabelle whose son disappeared almost one-year before. Unable to sit and wait for the police to find him, she travels to true-crime conferences speaking aboutt his horrendous experience, hoping that she can tap into the true-crime zeitgeist and help solve the case. A podcaster wants to interview her to help give the case even more exposure, but Isabelle is worried that she is taking it too far if she agrees... And so begins the twisty-turny weeks where Isabelle doesn't know what or who to believe anymore.

I enjoyed this immensely - there was always something happening and once I got to the final quarter I couldn't put it down!

Blimey! This book had me from the first line and kept me hooked all the way to the end! I turned page after page not being able to put it down
I absolutely loved the pace and the dual timeline going from past to present. The vivid description of places and Isabelle's feelings put so perfectly on paper by Stacy Willingham brought proper chills down my spine
I particularly enjoyed reading about Isabelle's struggle as a mother and the fight to get things right. She is one strong woman, flawed but a proper badass as well
The entire story was built as a puzzle and the picture revealed at the very end. I wasn't expecting that at all. I had a few theories in place but .... I guess I am not that good at plots

Thank you for NetGalley for providing me with this book for review. A difficult subject matter to tackle, lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing, loved the ending.

Many thanks to Netgalley and HarperCollins UK and HarperFiction for my ARC in exchange for an honest review. I absolutely devoured this book much like Stacy’s debut A Flicker In The Dark which is also a must read. Another dark and twisted story which was an absolute pleasure to read and cannot wait for what Stacy comes up with next!

A complex story about a woman’s search for her missing child while at they same time harbouring the the thought that she may be somehow responsible . It is a very dark story about the mental health of mothers grieving over lost children and also about a manipulative husband.
The story unfolds slowly towards a dramatic and surprising end.

All The Dangerous Things starts with Isabelle Drake making a speech at TrueCrimeCon almost 1 year to the day of her baby sons disappearance. Mason was taken from his crib in the middle of the night and has not been seen since. It seems as though the search for Mason has slowed so Isabelle agrees to speak to a podcaster.

Since Mason has been gone Isabelle has had insomnia which, in my opinion, is used perfectly to show how isolated and alone she is on top of what sleep deprivation can do to a person. Especially as she is not sure who she can trust.

I highly recommend this book it is full of twists and turns and will keep you guessing.

Thank you #Netgalley and #HarperCollins UK for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

This was much darker than I thought it would be.
With themes of postpartum depression/psychosis.
Isabelle is portrayed as an unreliable narrator. With her history of sleepwalking, a mystery in her past and being sleep deprived now her son is missing.
Throughout the book there's moments where you question both Isabelle and her husband Ben. I found some things became obvious but they didn't ruin the story as the build up to those moments had me gripped.
This book has twists and turns throughout. Making me question everyone.
While it took me a couple of chapters to get fully invested once I was I just couldn't put the book down. Not wanting to sleep until I finished.

This was a slow start for me, easy to put down and pick up again later. And then it suddenly took off and had me racing through the pages to the end.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for an honest and unbiased opinion.

A mother searching for the truth after her son disappears from their house in the night. Torn wirh memories of her our childhood. Is she involved? Brilliant book from start to finish. Like the layers of an onion the author cleverly peels away the layers leading to a brilliant ending.....and even with that it will leave you thinking....

That was very slow paced book. In the first two thirds nothing was happening and it was not easy to motivate myself to continue reading. The characters are weak, psychologically not convincing. A couple twists in the end and everything finished.

“All The Dangerous Things” is the February read with A Story Shared Book Club. We could start our detective team if needed - we are all very suspicious! I love these reads we all participate in; our group chats always keep me smiling and entertained.

This book is worth a read if you are a fan of this genre. Although, please research the trigger warnings, as this may upset some readers.

I had my predictions about the characters involved in this storyline, but I am delighted to say I was utterly wrong. The writing style had me invested; this is a book of two halves. The second half is full of twists and shocking revelations and offers an utterly unforeseen conclusion. I wasn’t entirely sure where it was all heading at first, but the second half made it worth sticking with.

This is worth a five-star rating: a well-executed thriller full of family secrets, lies, intriguing characters and a suspenseful atmosphere. I highly recommend this recent release and cannot wait to read more by this author.