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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I’ll start with the negatives first since there are only two - and they don’t warrant taking off any stars. Her past is revealed slowly (a bit too slow at times) and it fits well with the main characters growing fear and paranoia. The novel is told exclusively through Isabella's POV and as she gets to know Waylon better, they begin to work as a team. While Isabelle tries to zero in on possible suspects, often acting impulsively in confronting those whom she suspects, it becomes clear that she is also a suspect in her son’s disappearance in the eyes of the police and others around her. As the narrative progresses we are taken back to Isabelle’s childhood and the traumatic events that have haunted her throughout her life – events for which Isabelle holds herself responsible.

Finally I got my hand on the audiobook, which I have been anticipating as more and more of my goodreads friends have read it. I’m making it official: I am tired of 1st person unreliable narrators that ramble too much and trust only themselves. But as she learns more about case by watching the security videos they recorded before the incident, she realizes there’s something more sinister about her life and only one to find out what happened to her son is Isabella by opening the Pandora’s box and bringing out the secrets she’s buried! With plenty of twists, endless revelations, and no shortage of suspects, Isabelle’s story and that of her missing son is sure to grip many readers, as the plot elements unfold, and the hidden secrets provide motive, a better understanding but also more clarity.But Waylon has motives of his own and as long-forgotten memories of Isabelle's past resurface, doubt begins to cloud her sleepless nights. Willingham has managed to take the common and simple act of sleepwalking to a whole new level, who knew it could be so dangerous and so creepy, not just for the sleepwalker themselves but for those around them too? Now separated from her husband and living in the isolation of her far-too-quiet home, Isabelle’s every waking hour (of which there are many) is dedicated to tracking down her son. Within the first 25% of the book I considered DNF’ing as many descriptions and similes felt forced and awkward.

Stacy Willingham is the New York Times, USA Today and internationally-bestselling author of several novels, including A Flicker in the Dark, All The Dangerous Things and the upcoming Only If You're Lucky.I figured it would be hard for her sophomore novel to even live up to her own high standards, much less surpass them. I wish I could always have tunnel vision: the ability to selectively focus on one single thing at a time. She can't trust herself or her decisions and her husband has just left her to it and carried on with his new life. To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. She)knew they were bloodshot, the little veins that were supposed to be invisible branching out across my sclera like a windshield after a wreck, bloodied and cracking.

All the Dangerous Things is a psychological thriller about memory and mental health, about questioning your own mind and your own past. It's also easy for listeners to differentiate the timeline from young Izzy vs now Izzy, male voices and other female characters are very noticeable as well. Despite her initial reluctance she also agrees to participate in a true-crime podcast hosted by Waylon Spencer, who has been successful in solving a cold case in the past and who was one of the attendees at a conference in which Isabelle speaks about her son’s disappearance. Isabelle has been giving speeches to packed audiences, pleading with attendees to come forward with any information, no matter how small. Stacy Willingham has knocked it out the park and then some with this stay up long into the night read which is appropriate owing to Isabelle’s insomniac state.What was particularly well done was highlighting the challenges of working mothers in balancing their work and their other relationships, when life cruelly deals them an unexpected blow. We also get to know more about her relationship with her husband Ben – how they met, their marriage, and subsequent events. Slow-burning yet simmering with tension and suspense, ALL THE DANGEROUS THINGS is hypnotic, immersive, and emotionally-impactful—the kind of mystery you’ll sink into, not coming up for air until you’ve turned the final page.

A riveting “past” timeline adds a layer of complexity, intrigue, and atmosphere to this immersive mystery. 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. When I read that one, I remember thinking it was thisclose to being a true four star, but fell solidly short. Willingham speaks the same literary language as the likes of Sandra Brown, Lisa Gardner and Lisa Scottoline and is heading down a path toward the same greatness they achieved.

and the reason was because Isabelle wasn’t very likeable – nor were any of the other women for that matter. With a sure hand, the author draws us inexorably into a harrowing blend of gothic storytelling and psychological suspense, dishing up new shocks every time another layer is peeled back. 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. In the present day – the police and the family are no further forward, and Isabelle begins to tell her story of the sleepless nights and anguish she feels because there are still no suspects, no answers and no one is any nearer to finding Mason.