One year ago, Isabelle Drake’s life changed forever: her toddler son, Mason, was taken 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 catnap 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.

Tuesday, September 8, 2026
12:05 PM

I’ve read everything Stacy Willingham has put out at this point, and I’ve mostly enjoyed them, though a couple of her books landed more on the meh side. So, yeah, a little hit or miss. This one was a definite hit for me.

A year before this book opens, Isabelle Drake’s toddler son was taken from his crib in the middle of the night. She and her husband were asleep in the next room, but heard nothing. The case has no leads and the police have done everything they can, but Isabelle isn’t about to move on and is determined to find out what happened to her son. She hasn’t slept in a year aside from the occasional catnap. And sure, there is the occasional blackout where she loses track of time. When a true-crime podcaster reaches out offering to bring the case a wider audience, she agrees to be interviewed, hoping something new shakes loose. But the podcaster keeps circling back to Isabelle’s childhood where things happened that she’d rather not think about. Between his questions and her insomnia and the old memories starting to bubble back up, she begins to wonder if she actually remembers the night Mason disappeared as clearly as she thought she did, and whether she can trust her own version of events at all.

I really liked the structure here. The book moves between past and present, and the glimpses into Isabelle’s childhood really help paint a clearer picture as to who she is and what shaped her. There are things from her past that start creeping back in as the present-day investigation picks up steam, and it had me speculating about people and what might have actually happened to her son. Isabelle is a compelling narrator because she’s so clearly unreliable (and you know I love an unreliable narrator). The tension builds steadily, and I stayed engaged the whole way through.

Another thing that I really liked was I thought I had this one figured out early. I landed on what I was sure was the answer and settled in to watch it play out. But Willingham got me on this one. I did not clock what was actually happening at all and when the reveal landed, I didn’t see it coming. I absolutely loved it. And the way everything wraps up? Let me just say, everyone in this book got exactly what they deserved.

If you like psychological thrillers with narrative bite, a compelling mystery and the perfect payback, add this one to your list.

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