Book Review - All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham

Title: All the Dangerous Things
Author: Stacy Willingham
Genre: Thriller/ Mystery
Published: 2023
 
Description: One year ago, Isabelle Drake’s life changed forever: her son Mason was take 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 nap 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.
 
Review: 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.
 
Rating: 3,5/ 5

Book Review - A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham

Title: A Flicker in the Dark

Series: -

Author: Stacy Willingham
 
Description: When Chloe Davis was twelve, six teenage girls went missing in her small Louisiana town. By the end of the summer, Chloe’s father had been arrested as a serial killer and promptly put in prison. Chloe and the rest of her family were left to grapple with the truth and try to move forward while dealing with the aftermath.

Now 20 years later, Chloe is a psychologist in private practice in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. She finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she’s worked so hard to get. Sometimes, though, she feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. And then a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, and that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, and seeing parallels that aren't really there, or for the second time in her life, is she about to unmask a killer?

Now 20 years later, Chloe is a psychologist in private practice in Baton Rouge and getting ready for her wedding. She finally has a fragile grasp on the happiness she’s worked so hard to get. Sometimes, though, she feels as out of control of her own life as the troubled teens who are her patients. And then a local teenage girl goes missing, and then another, and that terrifying summer comes crashing back. Is she paranoid, and seeing parallels that aren't really there, or for the second time in her life, is she about to unmask a killer?
 
Review: Stacy Willingham has come out with her debut novel “A Flicker in the Dark” and was nominated for a Good Reads choice award in the category mystery/ thriller. We meet Chloe Davis, a psychologist, whose father was convicted of murdering several teenage girls twenty years ago. When girls start disappearing again, Chloe is confronted with her past.
 
We follow the story from Chloe’s point of view and since she is on constant medication, she might be an unreliable narrator. We get to know her very well, since we are following to her in various time periods.
 
The start has a slow start, but yet you immediately feel a subcutaneous tension. And you also start questioning the people around her and Chloe’s mental health.  The setting is well-described and I liked the different timelines it was told in. Stacy Willingham’s writing is smooth and she wrote a pretty solid debut novel. I did kind of see that ending coming, even though we were misdirected a few times.
 
“A Flicker in the Dark” is a psychological thriller, with tension, but a not-so-surprising ending. Solid, but not something that will stick with me for too long.
 
Rating: 3/ 5