Book Review: ‘All the Dangerous Things’ by Stacy Willingham

Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy of ‘All the Dangerous Things’ in exchange for an honest review. I liked Willingham’s first book (‘A Flicker in the Dark’) so was very intrigued to see what would follow…

This book is told from the point of view of Isabelle Drake, a mother trying to make sense of her young son’s disappearance from his bedroom a year before. As she tells her story at true crime conventions, she attracts the attention of many people who all have their own theories about what happened to the toddler – including podcaster Waylon Spencer who convinces Isabelle to collaborate on his show. As Isabelle’s past is raked over, some unexpected and disturbing truths come to light.

I’ll admit that I came to this book with a little trepidation as I find things about missing children upsetting, but Willingham has handled it well and gives us a nuanced and realistic portrait of a grieving mother who is seeking the truth, no matter how painful that could prove to be, Isabelle is an interesting character as she is plagued with insomnia – something that renders her narrative a little fragmented, incomplete and unreliable at times. The reader is left to question what can be believed – while also feeling desperately sorry for Isabelle.

There were so many points in the story where I thought I’d figured it out – and I really hadn’t. The story continues twisting and revealing surprises right to the end. This makes for a compelling read and a mostly satisfying conclusion, although I did have a few question marks over the forensics of part of the ending. I blame myself for reading too many police procedurals!

This is a compelling and interesting tale – and one I’d recommend. I think Willingham is one to watch – her two books have been quite different, but both packed with an eerie tension and clever ideas. I look forward to whatever she writes next.


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TheQuickandtheRead

Bookworm, Mum and English teacher. Resident of Cheshire in the rainy north of England but an Essex girl at heart and by birth.

2 thoughts on “Book Review: ‘All the Dangerous Things’ by Stacy Willingham”

  1. Great review, Kate! I’m always on the search for good thriller/mysteries that actually turn out unexpected and sounds like this one fits the bill. I listen to a lot of true crime podcasts so I think I’d enjoy reading a story where a podcast host is featured as a character. Thanks for sharing!

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