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 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.

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. 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. After some thought, Isabelle agrees and Waylon comes to stay in Savannah, to be near her and make the interview process easier on them both. Willingham's strong affinity for characters and her superior plotting elevate All the Dangerous Things .Narrated solely by Isabelle, the narrative alternates between the present and 1999, when Isabelle was a child.

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.

I wasn't the biggest fan of Stacy Willingham’s previous novel, A Flicker in the Dark , but I thoroughly enjoyed All the Dangerous Things. A year later with no clue to go by, the investigation stalled and it's up to Izzy to keep the case going and maintain public interest. Then comes marriage and a baby although along the way she loses so much of herself, her hopes, her identity. 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 enjoyed the way she portrayed the uglier side of motherhood and society's expectations, especially as contrasted to the southern past.

Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn't slept in a year. ONE WHOLE YEAR, since her eighteen month old toddler, was taken from his room, in the middle of the night-the window by his crib open-but neither she, nor her husband Ben, awakened by any noise. Though the pace does wane in parts, I enjoyed the plot development and the twists and turns along the way.The structure of the narrative, coupled with the moody atmosphere, works to slowly build a palpable level of tension.

Though the primary mystery is that of Mason’s disappearance, a lot is going on in Isabelle’s life and the author seamlessly weaves past events into the primary narrative and expertly brings it all together in the end. Much is to be discovered, not just about herself, but others too, and a it’s gripping read just wanting to know where it will all end. A crime novel dealing with the themes that Willingham tackles here—themes including motherhood, grief, and guilt—needs an intimate, up-close-and-personal relationship with its protagonist to deliver, and that’s exactly the kind of no-holds-barred glimpse Willingham gives us into the life of her complex protagonist. Suspense and twists, lies and deception, flawed characters and an intriguing well-structured plot make for an engaging psychological thriller.There was an air of foreboding throughout and frankly, this is yet another book that would play beautifully on screen. Isabella keeps joining at TrueCrime conventions as guest speaker to raise awareness and attract attention to the case. This aspect of the novel is done incredibly well as the author makes you feel the mental and physical toll it has taken and you totally get her obsessive pursuit of the truth. With no one above suspicion and over a year since Mason was taken, will Isabelle be able to figure out what happened on that fateful night? There’s just one problem: Isabelle can’t totally remember the facts of what happened that fateful summer, and she has reason to believe she might be implicated in the tragedy itself.