All the Dangerous Things

Isabelle Drake can’t sleep.  Even as a child she struggled with what happened after she closed her eyes at night. Her repeated sleepwalking episodes were a mystery to her parents and troubling to her little sister, Margaret, who adored her big sister but was frightened by these behaviors. 

Now things are even worse. It’s been a year since her toddler was taken from his crib in the night, and six months since her husband Ben left her. He thinks she needs to move on, but Isabelle can’t and won’t rest until she finds their son Mason. After she speaks at a true crime con, podcaster Waylon Spencer offers to let her tell her story. After all, there are still some who think SHE’S behind Mason’s disappearance, and a tragic event from her past isn’t helping.

Between her extreme sleep deprivation, the strange, glassy-eyed old man she encounters during night-time neighborhood walks, some unexpected discoveries on a laptop, Ben’s new relationship and a dogged detective who seems to treat everything she says with suspicion, Isabelle begins to wonder if she really IS the villain in this story.

As impressed as I was with her debut, A Flicker in the Dark, I think this book is even better. Willingham’s writing is beautiful and she didn’t rely on flashy, “in your face” twists and thrills to grab attention. Rather, she let the story unfold organically, in a way that didn’t require constant suspension of disbelief, which was nice! I thought the whodunnit was believable, and I didn’t figure it out ahead of time, unlike her last book. I also appreciated the attention brought to a specific mental health issue. Read the author’s note AFTER the book. It’s very thoughtful!

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.

I read on my Kindle and also listened to the audio narrated by Karissa Vacker, who did a wonderful job with the voicing across genders and ages. My only quibble is that sometimes the emotion is Isabelle’s voice could’ve been reigned in just a teeny tiny bit, but that’s just personal preference.

All-in-all it’s a fantastic second outing by Stacy Willingham and an excellent thriller to end my year!

★★★★ ½ 

Thanks to St. Martin's Press/Minotaur Books, NetGalley and author Stacy Willingham for the digital ARC and Macmillan Audio for the ALC to honestly review. Both will be available on January 10, 2023.