In All The Dangerous Things, Stacy Willingham tosses in that pebble to keep the expertly crafted plot of this STUNNING thriller rippling, changing, and SURPRISING the reader from page one until its breathtaking end! Then I stand up, run my hands over the front of my pants, and slap my palms against my thighs, signaling that I’m ready. Though the pace does wane in parts, I enjoyed the plot development and the twists and turns along the way. It may be early, but I'm thrilled to add this to my list of 2023 favorite reads and that Willingham continues to not only stun and surprise, but much like that rippling pond in the moonlight. Or in familiar places, but with objects moved around, a trail of muddy footprints leading out your front door.

I lift my arm and take a sip of my Styrofoam cup of coffee—strong, black, squeaky when my chapped lips stick to the rim. But as they proceed with this, Isabelle starts questioning her own memories of what happened that night. Desperate to keep public attention on her son’s case, Isabelle now travels to true crime conventions, where she stands in front of crowds of hundreds of eager true crime aficionados, recounting the night that changed her life forever. Twelve months ago, Mason the 18-month-old son of Isabelle and Ben goes missing from his cot while the family slept in another room. Isabelle has been giving speeches to packed audiences, pleading with attendees to come forward with any information, no matter how small.Because Isabelle is a woman with secrets—in particular, a dark secret from her childhood that, if exposed, might make her look more guilty of harming her son than ever before. I feel like in real life, Ben would just get away with it all, so I didn’t mind him getting arrested, though he might get off on trial!

I'm glad I gave Willingham another chance and will be interested to see what she comes up with next. Isabelle has barely slept in the last year, meaning extreme sleep deprivation makes it hard for her to function, to trust her own thoughts - did she do something wrong on that dreadful night that Mason went missing, she knows that the detective investigating the case looks on her as a suspect. I won’t say that the end wasn’t entirely unpredictable but I was definitely surprised by how we got there. All-in-all it’s a fantastic second outing by Stacy Willingham and an excellent thriller to end my year!It has been almost a year since Isabelle Drake’s toddler son, Mason was taken from his crib in the middle of the night while Isabelle and her husband Ben slept in the next room.