It's been a year since Isabella's son has gone missing, he dissappeared from his cot one night and now Isabelle is broken, sleep deprived and desperate for answers. She doesn't know who she can trust and not even sure if she should trust herself.

I thought this was a little slow to get going at first but it soon really picked up and I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the twisty mystery to it and loved the ending. It definitely keeps you on your toes and I would definitely recommend it to any thriller/mystery fan.

Thanks to Netgalley for the Arc.

This was one of the best psychological thrillers I've read in some time. Absolutely edge-of-your-seat stuff!!

The biggest nightmare a parent can ever have is waking up in the morning to find their baby missing from his nursery and an open window. This is what happened to Izzy.
It is now a year later. 365 days of not knowing what happened to her son. She went from somebody who could sleep through a storm to an insomniac who have not had a night's rest since Mason disappeared. She will not give up on finding her son. She believes he is still out there although her estranged husband believes him to be dead. She will keep fighting for information about what happened that night and who took her son.

The author manages to plant some really disturbing thoughts in your head about what actually happened that night but the truth is even more shocking.

BRILLIANT!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins UK for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

EXCERPT: 'As I'm sure you all know, my name is Isabelle Drake, and my son, Mason, was kidnapped one year ago,' I say. 'His case is still unsolved.'
Chairs squeak; throats are cleared. A mousy woman in the front row is shaking her head gently, tears in her eyes. She is loving this right now, I know she is. It's like she is watching her favourite movie, mindlessly snacking on popcorn as her lips move gently, reciting every word. She's heard my speech already; she knows what happened. She knows, but she still can't get enough. None of them can. The murderers on the t-shirts are the villains; the uniformed men in back, the heroes. Mason is the victim . . . and I'm not really sure where that leaves me.
The lone survivor, maybe. The one with a story to tell.

ABOUT 'ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS': 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.

MY THOUGHTS: First off, I don't class this as a thriller. Go into All the Dangerous Things expecting a thriller, and you will be disappointed. A more honest classification, in my opinion, is psychological drama. A slow-burning psychological drama.

The story is told entirely from Isabelle's pov, over two timelines - the present and the past, encompassing her own childhood and her early years with Ben - so we are privy to her innermost thoughts, her doubts and fears. She has a lot of both.

Obsessed with finding her son, her marriage to Ben has broken down and she is sleep deprived. Isabelle has always had sleep issues. She was a sleepwalker as a child and is now an insomniac. Flickers of the memory of something that happened when she was a child, and a death she has always blamed herself for continue to haunt her. Is it possible that she has harmed her own son?

For most of this read I was thinking 3-stars, but the final twenty percent totally blew me away.

⭐⭐⭐.9

#AlltheDangerousThings #NetGalley

I: @stacyvwillingham @harpercollinsuk

T: @svwillingham @HarperCollinsUK

#contemporaryfiction #crime #domesticdrama #mystery #psychologicaldrama

THE AUTHOR: Prior to writing fiction full time, Stacy worked as a copywriter and brand strategist for various marketing agencies. She earned her BA in Magazine Journalism from the University of Georgia and MFA in Writing from the Savannah College of Art & Design.

She currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina, with her husband, Britt, and her Labradoodle, Mako.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Harper Collins UK, Harper Fiction via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review is also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and my webpage

A difficult subject to write about,very emote heartbreaking at times.
Beautifully written in parts the author really gets into the mindset of the mothe
Iso enjoyed reading this book.

If you like thrillers and stories that touch on the area of true crime podcasts, this might be one for you.

Isabelle Drake hasn't slept through the night since her 18-month-old son Mason was snatched from his cot a year ago, while her and her husband were sleeping in the next room.

She's now separated and touring the country, publicising her son's case at true crime conventions. She enlists the help of podcaster Waylan, who moves into her home to cover her story, but his questions unearth secrets about a tragic accident at her childhood home in South Carolina 20 years before. Is there a connection between the two incidences, and is Isabelle responsible for the murder of her own son?

This was a slow-burn of a thriller, but I still found it to be immersive and enjoyable. It's twisty enough to be consuming, and the dual timelines make for a pacey and tense read. If you haven't yet tired of the troubled, unreliable narrator trope, give this one a whirl.

Thank you to @harpercollinsuk for my early copy.

Immersive, Unexpected..
Tension mounting suspense in this immersive and unexpected novel of grief and unravelling. Sleep eludes Isabelle - it’s hardly surprising given the trauma she experienced and is still experiencing on a daily basis - but she will not, cannot, move on until the truth is discovered. With deftly drawn characters, red herrings aplenty and an edgy narrative the story is told as the reader is moved between past and present timelines. A disturbing and twisted tale indeed, leading to a tension fuelled denouement.

Isabella Drake’s baby has been missing for 364 days… Isabella hasn’t slept since his disappearance and she is relentless in her search for him. Her husband has moved on with a new lover and the police have no leads. There was no evidence of a break in and Isabella knows that they think she’s a suspect. When a true crime podcaster offers his help, Isabella’s past becomes a focus and she wants to avoid secrets coming to light.

What happened to Mason Drake?
What if the past is better left buried?

This is a dark story, and as a mother, my worse nightmare. Like her debut novel A Flicker in the Dark, Stacy knows how to catch your attention. You feel Isabella’s exhaustion, desperation and fear and the insufferable heat of the Deep South adds to the cloying tension throughout the book.

With an unreliable narrator and dual timelines, you will constantly be waiting for the next twist (and there are plenty!). I did not see the ending coming and boy was it a whopper! I love a thriller with short chapters which helps carry you through the story. The pacing of the book was at times very slow, but I think it worked really well to emphasise the tension and dark atmosphere of the story.

I loved Stacey’s debut A Flicker in the Dark, and All The Dangerous Things proves that she’s able to give her readers a truly terrifying story to sink their teeth into.

All the Dangerous Things is out today! Thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins UK for the arc! 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I haven't read A Flicker in the Dark, but I have heard so many goods things about it so I was very pleaser to get this arc!

I reqlly enjoyed this fast paced, plot driven thriller. It was 2 stories/mysterious in one and it was so clever the way they both played out. I didn't guess the ending which I tend to do nowadays with thrillers.

This is the second book I have read with an insomnia trope and I must admit when I start I become sceptical but I have ended up loving both!

An absolutely incredible read. I couldn't put it down. An incredibly moving story of what can happen when women's mental health issues are ignored or when women are gaslight, controlled, manipulated and used. Reading this as a woman and a mother definitely hits harder. Was the main character likeable? Not particularly. Was this the intention of Stacy Willingham? I think so and despite not particularly liking Izzy, I cared deeply for her. I had to discover the truth not just as a reader but I wanted her to have the closure she so desperately needed. Highly highly recommend.

A baby has been missing for one year after an assumed kidnap from his nursery . A mother, relentless in her search for her son; for the perpetrator; for part of a night with some sleep; any answers that might give closure to her endless nightmares and struggles to survive the living hell of her existence. That there is a second dimension to this already enthralling premise , further complicates our impressions and judgement on the story. As a young child, her sister had drowned in mysterious circumstances with no obvious or acceptable answers. Does lightning ever strike twice and is coincidence stretching the facts beyond any reasonable doubt. A heartbreaking story of one mothers search for truth. Acknowledgment that women have an inbred , inherent , deep seated conditioning to accept guilt . The pace of this story gallops along excruciatingly raising more questions than answers to a complex mystery until the final denouement where unexpected actions and new information results in a shocking conclusion to a 5* read. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this hugely enjoyable ARC.

An intriguing story on many levels, it explores motherhood, mental health and the mystery of sleep in an atmospheric and intense psychological suspense. Isabelle has had 364 days without meaningful sleep since her baby son was taken from her home. The story follows her current existence with flashbacks to her childhood and the times leading up to her devastating loss. She is an unreliable narrator, but the reader sympathises with her and wants her to discover what happened to her son.
The many plot twists create a suspenseful ethos, and the characterisation of the main protagonist is well-written. All the female characters are complex. The ending is dramatic and satisfying.

I like the story's emotional depth, the setting, and the suspense.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

Rating - 4.5 stars (rounded off to 5)

Insomnia trope works its magic!

Thanks HarperCollins, UK, HarperFiction and NetGalley for the ARC.

Synopsis -

Isabelle Drake hasn’t slept in over a year. After her little boy Mason was taken from her, she is restlessly doing everything possible to search for him, even after the case nearing closure without any potential leads. But when she agrees to get interviewed by a true crime podcaster, Isabelle finds that she can’t trust anyone, even herself and her own memories around the fateful day.

Review -

After the brilliant book - A Flicker In the Dark, the author has outdone herself with this atmospheric, dark and multi-layered thriller.

Isabelle’s sleeplessness and her relentless quest to find her son drew me in quickly - even if it meant wading against every force that’s trying to rest her case. One can really feel a mother’s longing for her lost child – the helplessness, anguish, will power and her instincts to do whatever it takes to get him back, in the author’s portrayal.

Once the reporter makes his way into Isabelle’s life, she gradually turns inward and ceases to be a reliable narrator. Although I sympathized with Isabelle - what with her insomnia blurring the lines of reality and dream-like states, it became rather difficult to trust her. Given the state of her marriage after Mason’s disappearance, her husband Ben too looks suspicious.

As Isabelle revisits her childhood via flashbacks, we get a sense of her upbringing and can’t help but wonder how the traumas she experienced as a child is shaping her adult life and affecting her mental health.

Soon the plot gets deeper and more complex, gathers pace, the tension palpable and impossibly compelling. All our speculation and theories turn to dust, as the author makes stunning revelations that are sure blow our mind and gasp for breath. I bet you will not see the twists coming in that ending!

Tackling themes of insomnia, depression, emotionally abusive/controlling relationships, gaslighting and postpartum mental health issues, this book is hard to read at times.

Nonetheless, this meticulously crafted, utterly engrossing book is a treat to psychological thriller fans.

Sadly I found this way too long winded and just couldn’t gel with the main character so did not finish

The telling of the story was just so long winded I found I was longing for the ending to come. So the basic puzzle I did want to get resolved so I kept reading but not sure it was worth it. Unlikeable and unreliable pov character with a huge back story that failed to thrill.

At the opening of the book, the narrator gives the number of nights she hasn't properly slept, which amounts to a year. This is since her baby son disappeared from his cot whilst his parents slept in another room. Unfortunately, not everyone she comes across is terribly sympathetic. It soon becomes clear why.

Told in the first person by the mother of the missing child, she comes across as a self-absorbed person at times, appearing at real crime conventions, giving interviews a year after the tragic event. Evidence doesn't point at a break-in or anything violent. It is as if he just disappeared and the police can do little more. For the first half of the book it seems to be about bagging her dishy married boss and privately deciding to get pregnant. All very tedious. Then she meets up with a true-crime podcaster and everything changes.

The timeline goes between the present and her childhood, where fragments remain about her family, especially her sister. The pace increases in the second half of the book, creepier, more disturbing and totally immersive. The story is tense and atmospheric and expertly expressed through to the unexpected ending, where everything is explained.

The themes are concerned with guilt: perceived and actual, typically for women and especially mothers, but also for men. The search for truth and justice, silence and secrets. A great read, recommended.

A slow burn drama about the pain of a missing child

I'm not sure this author's work is for me, since I also gave A Flicker in the Dark three stars as well..Not that three stars is bad🤷‍♀️

There were things I enjoyed about this book, like the flashbacks to Isabelle's childhood, and the atmosphere, but ultimately, the pace was too slow. I also didn't like any of the characters or their actions. It was hard to feel sympathy for such unpleasant people! Isabelle was a wholly unlikeable character, and *sighs* was ANOTHER unreliable narrator. I said this in my review of flicker, that I'm sick of this trope, but here we are again. I can relate to both insomnia, and to the struggles of having a difficult newborn, but I found her single pov too much at times.

I also called a fair few of the twists, which were pretty obvious I thought.

Furthermore, the policing was extremely suspect 😂🤔

Some of the final twists were good though, like what actually happened to Mason, but it took too long to get there.

I just found this average, and thought it felt quite similar to the first book, but I'm definitely in the minority here!

👶👶👶

I read A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham last year and was awestruck by how a debut novel could be so well-written. I picked her second book because I had high expectations.

She didn't disappoint.

The Story:
Isabelle Drake has not slept for a year - ever since the day her toddler, Mason was taken right from their home. The investigations led nowhere and Mason is still missing.
To top this, her husband, Ben, has left her too.

Crippled with insomnia, Isabelle starts looking for clues in places she thinks the police might have missed. When Waylon, a podcast host, starts asking her questions, she slowly opens up to him in the hopes of getting new clues.

But these interviews reveal a darker side to Isabelle's personality. The memories she tried to forget. And with her insomnia, it becomes hard to trust anyone - even herself.

Will she be able to uncover the mystery of her son's kidnapping? Was she responsible? Who can she trust?

What I Liked:

1) Strong characterization: Just like in the author's first book, the characterizations were excellent. Even as I read about Isabelle's insomnia, my eyes burned. Ben's heartless behaviour made me want to hit him. Waylon's inquisitiveness annoyed me. The characters affected me just as they should have and I loved it.

2) The story: For parents, losing their child might be one of the biggest tragedies. The author has brought forward the pain well. Isabelle Drake's relentless search for her son resonated with me. Plus, the tight storytelling kept me hooked.

3) No loose ends

4) The twist

What I Disliked:

1) The too-convenient ending: It seemed too contrived and too gift-wrapped perfectly.

Final Thoughts:

If you are looking for a taut thriller, this is it. Whether or not you have read A Flicker in the Dark, I completely recommend this book.

4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for the ARC.

A year ago, Ben and Isabelle Drake’s 18 month old son, Mason was taken from his cot in the middle of the night, while his parents were sleeping. 6 months later and Ben and Isabelle have separated.

After Mason has been missing a year and the police investigation has stalled, Isabelle agrees to work with Waylon Spencer, a podcaster, in the hope someone has some information on where he is.

This story was full of secrets, secrets stemming back many years. Isabelle will stop at nothing to find out what has happened to her son. The characters were believable and I liked the two stories that ran side by side - Now and Then which related back to Isabelle’s childhood.

It was an extremely tense story that kept me on the edge of my seat. Any story about a missing child is quite a difficult subject to read about and the book was written well. The ending was not what I was expecting at all.

My thanks to Harper Collins U.K. and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

Stacy Willingham impressed with her debut “A Flicker In The Dark” (2022), a twisty Louisiana-set thriller with skilful misdirections and careful plotting. All this is evident in her second novel which I think I enjoyed even more than the debut.
Isabelle Drake, a freelance journalist, is facing a year since her three year old son was snatched from his bedroom by speaking at a true-crime convention in the hope that someone might come up with unforseen evidence. On the way home she meets Waylon, who can provide the opportunity for new perspectives on the case. Isabelle’s family has been shrouded in secrets, from her childhood and her relationship with the husband she separated from since her son’s disappearance.
This is an intense thriller with the author drip-feeding us information which shifts almost continually how we perceive events. The author states she has written it as an acknowledgement of the weight of motherhood, having to go it alone with feelings that might not feel normal but are in terms of blame and guilt and responsibility.
I like the Southern setting, the characterisation, the touches of gothic, neighbours who seem to appear out of nowhere, the stifling heat and the boggy marshes. This is a strong second novel.
All The Dangerous Things will be published by Harper Collins on 2nd February 2023. Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the advance review copy.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest, independent review.

Toddler Mason is taken out of his crib in the middle of the night, while his parents sleep in the room next door.

It is now 365 days later and with very few leads or evidence, the case has gone cold. Until he has been found, Mason's mother Isabelle Drake cannot rest... She has severe insomnia and, apart from the occasional catnap or small blackout when she loses track of time, Isabelle has not slept in a year.

After meeting a true-crime podcaster, his questions lead to Isabelle questioning her past and wondering who she can really trust... and if she can even be trusted?

I loved Willingham's debut A Flicker in the Dark so I was really looking forward to reading her latest offering!

All the Dangerous Things started off as a bit of a slow burner for me, but then it sped up and I could not put it down! I even read it while eating my dinner just so I could see how it concluded!

At times moody and dark, I was absorbed by the plot and unexpected twists. I kept questioning everything throughout and was not sure how the story would turn out.

Many topics are explored including sleep deprivation, mental health and motherhood. The story is told in two timelines - 1999 and now, as Isabella seeks to find answers to her son's disappearance.

There are a mix of characters who are not 100% likeable at times, and I struggled to know who to trust. Isabelle is complex and full of flaws with a past guilt from childhood hanging over her, so it makes it difficult to know if she can be trusted now. Her husband Ben is quite a shady character and I was not sure about him at all.

A brilliant thriller full of twists and turns that will keep you on your toes!