All the Dangerous Things

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This is a novel of a mother’s worst nightmare, almost unimaginable!! Isabelle Drake put her toddler son to bed one evening and upon awakening she found that Mason was GONE!! No signs of forced entry but a window was open in the nursery. In a Nutshell: A slow, slow, slow “thriller”. Worth it for the final resolution, but the journey to reach that point was eye-roll-inducing. I’m making it official: I am tired of 1st person unreliable narrators that ramble too much and trust only themselves. I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher Minotaur, through Edelweiss. It was my pleasure to read and review this terrific thriller. This book is an adult mystery slow-burn psychological thriller. Who is the narrator for All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham? Terrific... Willingham’s strong affinity for characters and her superior plotting elevate All the Dangerous Things. . . seals her place as a talented novelist." – South Florida Sun Sentinel

Isabelle talks about the case, literally gives talks about the case any time she can. She figures talking about it, keeps the case alive. It keeps Mason's missing status in the forefront of people's minds. 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. Oh hey there! Listen to Novels & Nonsense Podcast episode 2: Goodreads & Bad Reads to hear me discuss this book and more. Can't wait to hear what you think💖It’s been 364 days since Isabelle Drake had a concrete night’s sleep. 364 days ago, her two-year-old son, Mason, was taken from his room in the middle of the night without a trace. Not only is her son missing, but the police can’t find any evidence of what happened to him, and Isabelle’s husband, Ben, has ended their marriage. Determined to find Mason, Isabelle must face her past, even if it means accepting that she might have put her son in danger.

I step into the light, walking with purpose toward the host as he signals me onstage. The crowd continues to yell, some of them standing, clapping, the beady little eyes of their iPhones pointed in my direction, taking me in, unblinking. I turn toward the audience, squinting at their silhouettes. My eyes adjust a bit, and I wave, smiling weakly before coming to a halt in the center. I did have a couple minor issues. There was a thread involving infidelity which I didn’t love. I understood where it served the story, but I couldn’t get behind why one party was being treated more sympathetically than the other, since it literally takes two. I also had to roll with one major aspect of the ending, which was explained but not realistic in today’s investigative world. The novel contains a multitude of dangerous things including insomnia and the fear it induces but it also takes a deep dive into the past. All these ‘dangerous things’ arise organically in the plot being expressed and described extremely well. I loved loved loved this book. It was so good. I guessed every character and I was wrong every time. All the characters seem to be untrustable.Isabelle Drake has never been perfect. In fact, she's felt extreme guilt since she was a child. But so much about her childhood seems to be behind a curtain of things she doesn't want to think about and things she can't quite remember. Instead, she moves forward and is thrilled when she is hired at her dream job. I understand that there’s something even more unsettling than being alone in the dark. It’s realizing that you’re not really alone at all. —Stacy Willingham, All the Dangerous Things My All the Dangerous Things ending complaint: It did feel a little too tidy. I found it verbose at times, and a few scenes were a little unrealistic for me (e.g., a particular scene with the psychiatrist). Isabelle Drake has been an insomniac in the truest sense of the word for a LONG time...since the disappearance of her beautiful baby son, Mason, a year and a half ago. Aside from the occasional drift or 'microsleep,' she's been battling her bleary eyed grief and dedicated herself to trying to bring Mason home. With no evident disruption to the room the night of the disappearance, a dead battery on the baby monitor, and no leads, the case has all but stalled entirely. Isabelle's husband Ben has moved out and she feels utterly alone...until after attending a True Crime convention, a podcaster named Waylon makes her acquaintance...and asks for The Interview. Ice breaker question: If you found out you were sleepwalking one night, where do you think you’d most likely go?

This is a gripping story of a mother looking for answers…answers to the mysteries surrounding her own troubled youth and answers to the mystery surrounding the unsettling disappearance of her son. This was a solid thriller with quite a few twists I wasn’t expecting. I loved the last 20 percent of the book, even though the pacing was a little slow in the beginning. Teaming up with true crime podcaster Waylon Spencer, Isabelle investigates her son’s case. But Waylon has motives of his own and as long-forgotten memories of Isabelle’s past resurface, doubt begins to cloud her sleepless nights. I was decently impressed with Willingham's sophomore effort after being an outlier on her first book (I figured it all out ahead of time), this one at least had a few more surprises on hand. I'm glad because "missing without a trace" is my favorite trope if done right, and this one had a good exposition and explanation.This book is slow and laborious. Willingham has a tendency to use more words than are necessary to say the most basic of things so it takes forever for her to just get to the point. A lot of people like that style of writing, and sometimes I do too, but for whatever reason it just didn't work for me here. I like my thrillers a little more thrilling. The mystery/suspense feels very guessable but has enough surprises and twists to keep you on your toes. A couple of the twists are nice but many of them were just silly. Some were farfetched. Isabelle has not slept, thus making her an unreliable narrator. She is tired and it affects her memory and recollections. Will talking to a true crime podcaster help her? What does he know about her past? The book looks at both Isabelle in the past and present. Isabelle Drake can’t sleep. Even