I enjoyed the way she portrayed the uglier side of motherhood and society's expectations, especially as contrasted to the southern past. I really enjoyed Stacy Willingham’s previous book, A Flicker in the Dark so this was an easy pick for me, and I think it just might have the edge too!

Isabelle Drake tirelessly pounds the true crime circuit desperate to keep her 18 month old son Mason in the public eye after his kidnapping a year ago. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books for sharing this incredible digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts. 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.

Huge thanks to Vanessa and her publisher for giving us this early sneak peek—I can’t wait to read BLOOD SISTERS this fall! 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. It’s a harrowing and dark story you would never want to imagine could possibly be real and you would hope never would be but it’s so well written that it could be factual. And, now Isabelle Drake is the keynote speaker at TrueCrimeCon-the largest true crime conference in the world-drawing a global attendance of over 10,000-trying to keep her son’s case alive, as it grows COLD-still with no leads.

Following up her instant New York Times bestseller, A Flicker in the Dark, Stacy Willingham delivers a totally gripping thriller about a desperate mother with a troubled past in All the Dangerous Things.I pretty much figured out what happened in the past before it was all revealed, but I was wrong with my guesses about Mason's disappearance and who was responsible. The structure of the narrative, coupled with the moody atmosphere, works to slowly build a palpable level of tension. I read on my Kindle and also listened to the audio narrated by Karissa Vacker, who did a wonderful job with the voicing across genders and ages. I had so many jaw-dropping moments and times where I couldn't do anything but stare at the ceiling in disbelief after a big reveal. I walk past him, to the edge of the stage, and stand behind a black curtain, the audience just barely obscured from view.