The Book:
All The Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
Published January 10th 2023 by Minotaur Books
Date read: November 27, 2022
The Characters:
Isabelle
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
The Plot (from Goodreads):
One year ago, Isabelle Drake’s life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken out of his crib in the middle of the night while she and her husband were asleep in the next room. With little evidence and few leads for the police to chase, the case quickly went cold. However, Isabelle cannot rest until Mason is returned to her—literally.
Except for the occasional catnap or small blackout where she loses track of time, she hasn’t slept in a year.
Isabelle’s entire existence now revolves around finding him, but she knows she can’t go on this way forever. 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. His incessant questioning paired with her severe insomnia has brought up uncomfortable memories from her own childhood, making Isabelle start to doubt her recollection of the night of Mason’s disappearance, as well as second-guess who she can trust… including herself. But she is determined to figure out the truth no matter where it leads.
The Reveal:
Isabelle’s mother had killed her little sister Margaret. She was suffering from postpartum depression/psychosis and tried to drown both girls in the marsh, but Isabelle’s dad found them in time and stopped her from killing Isabelle as well. Since her dad was a politician, it was all neatly covered up as an accident.
Isabelle also had nothing to do with Mason’s disappearance. Her husband Ben was a serial cheater. His previous wife Allison died by apparent overdose while Ben and Isabelle were dating. Whelan was Allison’s brother. He always thought Allison’s death was suspicious and was investigating Ben when he found out about Mason’s disappearance as well. Allison was pregnant when she died. Ben had never wanted kids, and it was too much of a coincidence.
Ben’s new girlfriend Valerie was the one who had taken Mason. She looked just like Isabelle. Ben had been bringing her around the house while Isabelle was away, so both Mason and the dog were familiar with her. Ben was clearly an accomplice because Valerie wouldn’t have known to turn off the baby monitor.
The Ending:
Mason was alive. Valerie had given to a mother who was unable to have kids, and they both disappeared. This other mother started showing up at Isabelle’s talks out of guilt, and the police were able to track her down. Isabelle got Mason back after a year.
The Review:
Thank you to @macmillan.audio for this gifted ALC.
If you liked Little Secrets by Jennifer Hillier, you’re going to want to read All The Dangerous Things. While the present-day plots are extremely similar, what stood out about All The Dangerous Things were the flashbacks to Isabelle’s past. I enjoyed the overlapping mysteries and how the author built suspense toward both reveals–does Isabelle’s past have anything to do with her son’s disappearance in the present? Could her insomnia have something to do with what happened to him?
I’d certainly consider this a bingeable thriller, as I finished it in just a day. Willingham’s writing makes it impossible to press pause or stop turning pages!
Audio Review: Karissa Vacker is one of my favorite thriller narrators. She does such a great job of building suspense! The production was great, and I’m very glad I listened to the audio version.
If you didn’t pick up a copy already from Book of the Month, All The Dangerous Things is available today.
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