Scan barcode
A review by joyceheinen
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
After her very successful debut novel “A Flicker in the Dark”, author Stacy Willingham is back with “All the Dangerous Things”. A compelling mystery that focuses on the nightmare of a mother and the dangerous secrets she discovers while looking for the truth. “A Flicker in the Dark” was a good book, I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t anything spectacular. The same goes for “All the Dangerous Things” even though I liked it a little bit more.
We meet Isabelle, a mother whose son Mason was taken from his crib in the middle of the night, now one year ago. They never found him or anything that would lead to a suspect. But Isabelle never managed to let go. When she agrees to be interviewed for a true-crime podcast, Isabelle discovers dark secrets that could lead her to the truth. And she doesn’t know who she can and cannot trust, including herself.
We follow the story from Isabelle’s perspective. Because she is mentally unstable due to the lack of sleep and her past as a sleepwalker, she is an unreliable narrator. I always love that trope. We also jump back in time a couple of times, where we learn about her life as a child and how she met her husband Ben, whom she is now separated from.
It takes some time to get into the book, it’s not a very fast paced story. But eventually you really become invested and there are some good twists and turns. There was one that I didn’t particularly liked, but overall the twist were surprising and strong.
If you have liked or loved Stacy Willingham’s first book, you will also enjoy “All the Dangerous Things”. A very solid thriller, with strong character building and some nice twists.
We meet Isabelle, a mother whose son Mason was taken from his crib in the middle of the night, now one year ago. They never found him or anything that would lead to a suspect. But Isabelle never managed to let go. When she agrees to be interviewed for a true-crime podcast, Isabelle discovers dark secrets that could lead her to the truth. And she doesn’t know who she can and cannot trust, including herself.
We follow the story from Isabelle’s perspective. Because she is mentally unstable due to the lack of sleep and her past as a sleepwalker, she is an unreliable narrator. I always love that trope. We also jump back in time a couple of times, where we learn about her life as a child and how she met her husband Ben, whom she is now separated from.
It takes some time to get into the book, it’s not a very fast paced story. But eventually you really become invested and there are some good twists and turns. There was one that I didn’t particularly liked, but overall the twist were surprising and strong.
If you have liked or loved Stacy Willingham’s first book, you will also enjoy “All the Dangerous Things”. A very solid thriller, with strong character building and some nice twists.