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A review by 3iii8v
All the Dangerous Things by Stacy Willingham
5.0
That’s the thing about a missing child, the thing nobody tells you: They never die. In a way, their goneness makes them immortal—always there, just barely out of view.
This was a great mystery. The story centers on Isabelle, her baby got kidnapped from his crib at night without a trace. One year later they still didn't find the kidnapper and people started to slowly forget about what happened. So, to keep his case alive Isabelle decides to go on talk shows and describe what took place on that terrible night. Some people believe that she's the one who kidnapped him calling her a "baby killer" because of her dreadful past and her sleepwalking problems. But what really happened that night? And are the people around her all what they seem to be?
The author did a fantastic job of creating red herrings and I changed my mind more times than I can count about who the villain was. When it was all revealed, the truth was both heartbreaking and believable. There was so much more to the story than just the kidnap of the baby, and the author weaved it all together brilliantly and tied up the loose ends. I also felt that the friendship between the sisters Isabelle and Margaret was authentic and convincing. I was frustrated with Isabelle regularly but I also felt like I had to cut her some slack based on the traumas that she had experienced.
I'll be honest, sometimes the writing wasn't that good. It felt overwritten and embellished in some places while being marvelous in others. But, the story redeemed the exaggerated parts of the book a bit.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and appreciated the many twists and turns throughout. I’d recommend it to those who read mysteries and psychological thrillers, and I'm going to track down some more books by this author. I’d give this 4.5 stars.
This was a great mystery. The story centers on Isabelle, her baby got kidnapped from his crib at night without a trace. One year later they still didn't find the kidnapper and people started to slowly forget about what happened. So, to keep his case alive Isabelle decides to go on talk shows and describe what took place on that terrible night. Some people believe that she's the one who kidnapped him calling her a "baby killer" because of her dreadful past and her sleepwalking problems. But what really happened that night? And are the people around her all what they seem to be?
The author did a fantastic job of creating red herrings and I changed my mind more times than I can count about who the villain was. When it was all revealed, the truth was both heartbreaking and believable. There was so much more to the story than just the kidnap of the baby, and the author weaved it all together brilliantly and tied up the loose ends. I also felt that the friendship between the sisters Isabelle and Margaret was authentic and convincing. I was frustrated with Isabelle regularly but I also felt like I had to cut her some slack based on the traumas that she had experienced.
I'll be honest, sometimes the writing wasn't that good. It felt overwritten and embellished in some places while being marvelous in others. But, the story redeemed the exaggerated parts of the book a bit.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and appreciated the many twists and turns throughout. I’d recommend it to those who read mysteries and psychological thrillers, and I'm going to track down some more books by this author. I’d give this 4.5 stars.