All the Dangerous Things: The gripping new psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of A Flicker in the Dark

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Twelve months ago, Mason the 18-month-old son of Isabelle and Ben goes missing from his cot while the family slept in another room. Isabelle and her younger sister Margaret spend their days playing, adventuring on the mansion’s grounds, and trying to stay cool in the oppressive heat of a Southern summer. The book has already been praised as “riveting” (Megan Miranda) and “bingeworthy” (Caroline Kepnes), and it’s sure to be one of fall’s must-read crime novels. Once her baby is born she's so exhausted but eventually she wants more, only to lose everything she had left. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Karissa Vacker, and I'm not the biggest fan of her narration (too much whispering) but I was kept interested and entertained regardless.

Stacy Willingham’s masterful command of her material allows this story to unfold piece by expertly-laid piece, drawing readers ever deeper into its many mysteries. ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS is a hypnotic, immersive mystery—a masterful story that proves you don’t need mile-a-minute action or twists every other page to sustain tension and build suspense.At first she's appalled and wants nothing to do with him but after taking time to think about it more she believes he may be able to help so the two work together to try to find Mason. Everyone else has moved on – the detectives, the press, her husband – but she can’t rest until she knows the truth. Isabelle (Izzy) Drake's toddler, Mason was snatched from his crib in the middle of the night, the baby monitor ran out of battery and there was no break-in. I’m making it official: I am tired of 1st person unreliable narrators that ramble too much and trust only themselves. Unlike another thriller I read about insomnia earlier this year that shall remain nameless, Isabelle's insomnia and how she dealt with it were handled in a REALISTIC way, which only added fuel to the fire.

I walk past him, to the edge of the stage, and stand behind a black curtain, the audience just barely obscured from view. True crime's trending appeal and Willingham's mastery of the domestic mystery promise popularity for this one.The identity of the kidnapper and the resolution of the mystery were easily the best parts of the book. 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. I felt the characters grow on me from the first page and I was completely engrossed in their story, wondering what had happened and considering many options but none prepared me for what had actually happened in the dramatic ending.

Isabelle’s agony, grief, and instability is palpable; her increasing desperation can be viscerally felt on the page, and the deeper readers venture into her world, the more curious they will find themselves about Isabelle’s past, and what exactly the terrible secret she’s hiding might be. 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. A riveting “past” timeline adds a layer of complexity, intrigue, and atmosphere to this immersive mystery. Isabella rejects his offer at first but as she sees she stuck in her own house, memories about her childhood she’s buried deep, slowly fading away at each day she struggle to sleep a wink, she decides she has nothing more to lose. Despite working out the plot far too early, I was still gripped with the unpredictability of the sub plots, unsure of how the story would come together, and then of course the unveiling of peoples secrets and characters, was a great feature of the book.This is a true-to-life yet completely unbelievable account of how Isabelle finds out what happened to Mason. I enjoyed the sleep deprivation/sleepwalker aspect, especially since I was a prolific sleepwalker until about 12 years old. i was able to figure out everything very early on, but thats only because ive read loads of mystery/thrillers and can spot the ‘whodunnit’ a mile away. Like “A Flicker in the Dark” this story is a slow burn 🔥, immediately captivating, plausible story of SUSPENSE-filled with beautiful vivid descriptions, contemplative prose and intricate plotting. the pacing is good, the reveals are timed well, the characters have depth to them, and i enjoyed how the past is woven into the present.

With nothing to lose, Isabelle invites him into her home, and into the nightmare that her life has become.

It’s a harrowing and dark story you would never want to imagine could possibly be real and you would hope never would be but it’s so well written that it could be factual.