A little tough to get into - perhaps I'm just not in the right mood for this - and I've never read anything by North so this was an interesting intro to his work.

I loved both The Shadows and The Whisper Man, so when I saw Alex North had a new book coming out this year I was beyond excited! The Angel Maker has a similar otherworldly feel as The Shadows did, so if you enjoyed that one then I definitely think you will enjoy this one. At times the plot seemed a bit intricate with trying to remember how all the characters fit in, but regardless I enjoyed seeing the puzzle come together. In true Alex North fashion this book is packed to the brim with creepy scenes that will keep you up at night. Overall I enjoyed this one and if you are looking for a unique serial killer thriller that has a paranormal feel, then I highly recommend checking this one out!

Dark and thought provoking. I liked the philosophical elements, and the characters were well-rounded.

“If you could see the future, would you want to?”

If the cover didn’t already catch your attention, the prologue definitely will! Alex North has a way of writing thrillers that will chill you to your core.

Told by multiple POVs (big cast of characters), with multiple timelines, the Angel Maker is not for the faint of heart, or for those looking for an easy read. You have to hang in there for this demented ride, as it takes awhile for all the storylines to merge.

Detective Laurence Page brought some much needed humor to a rather dark thriller. He was probably my favorite character, next to Katie. It also helped that within Laurence’s chapters, the reader received bullet points of found information needed to solve this convoluted mystery.

While I loved The Whisper Man, The Angel Maker was… different. (Too different?) I enjoyed solving the mystery and I appreciated the nod to murderabilia from his previous work. But… I’m not sure I loved the slow burn journey it took to get to the end. One thing I do know is this book won’t be for everyone, however, it could make for some pretty interesting book club discussions.

Thank you to Celadon and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⚠️ Trigger Warning: Harm to children

All opinions are my own.

Great book! A blend of family secrets and bonds, dark pasts, and a bit of a murder mystery. This book starts out with a flashback related to a tragic event that happened to Chris, who may have just been at the wrong place at the wrong time, and how it affected his sister. Then we pivot to the story of two sons of a serial killer, one good and the other destined to follow in father's footsteps. The serial killer also has a bit of a religious mission in his acts, which also adds to the story. As the two stories unfold, we learn how they are related in ways you would not have imagined, and the author gives you just enough detail to reveal details and making you want more.

I liked this one okay. I had trouble getting into it and keeping going, but I knew from this author’s previous books that the reveal would be worth it. And it was! It just took awhile to get there. There were a lot (too many) points of view in this one, and I was getting confused about what was happening and when. I am glad it came together in the end.

First, a big thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for providing a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.

As a huge fan of The Whisper Man, I was really excited to read another book from Alex North. The Angel Maker, however, didn’t quite work for me.

One major pitfall is the amount of characters it follows, paired with the minimal development of each one. I’d have a hard time 1) listing all of the characters, or 2) telling you anything about their personality. There were elements of some characters I thought were very interesting, but not a lot of payoff throughout the book. We also jump around in the timeline, but not in a very cohesive way, and it really made it hard to focus.

Next, the plot is quite convoluted. Trying to decide on a basic plot summary is proving to be a challenge because there are so many different threads, but they don’t all tie together quite as neatly as I expected. Ultimately, a violent event in childhood alters the course of Chris Shaw’s life, and leaves his older sister, Katie, with lingering feelings of guilt. We fast forward to their adulthood, and the siblings have drifted apart. However, their stories get thrown together when Chris disappears & Katie is left to figure out why. Then there’s a plot line with an old serial killer religious fanatic who believes he can tell the future…

There is a lot thrown in the pot, yet the story felt really long and honestly quite slow. There was also a sort of random supernatural element that felt slightly undeveloped and honestly out of place…it just didn’t work for me.

This is one time where I wish I kept to the physical or ebook version, instead of listening to it. While the narration was great, I had a hard time staying focused and I got lost a bit. Even though I know the ending, I think I'd like to read this book again in a few months to fully get the story. (3.5 rounded up to 4)

The parts of the story I did understand, I thought were great. I really like the way Alex North writes. I thought it was a slow burn with good twists. I don't necessarily think it was a thriller though!

This was my first book by Alex North and it won't be my last! I actually bought The Shadows and am so excited to read it! I was lucky when it came to this book, I have so many copies! Thank you to Celadon Books for my physical and digital copy, and to Macmillan Audio for my audio!

“The Angel Maker” by Alex North
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I enjoyed yet another suspenseful read by North. You had the past coming and meddling in the present and causing all kinds of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming. Katie can’t get past the fact of not being there when her brother was attacked years ago so when called he’s missing she’s on the case. Laurence the detective on the case years ago is now on a murder that has some alarming similarities and the history of a serial killer is emerging making him wonder what the connections may be. The weaving of this story and characters is done so well and left with this sense of eerie all the way through that had you racing to finish.

*thank you Celadon books for this beautiful arc.

Well, I had really high hopes for this one but it just didn’t do it for me. It was confusing at times and felt pretty slow for most of the book. It didn’t really pick up until the last 50 pages. It was entertaining but I don’t think it will be one I recommend. Thank you netgalley for my free copy.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. It was my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more in the future! This book was a tad confusing at first with all the timelines, but once I sorted out the characters it was easier to follow. The twists and reveals had my jaw on the floor and I was invested in the ending and the fate of the characters. It was creepy and I was a bit bothered by some of the religious sacrilege but all in all I really enjoyed it and found it to be a good story.

I'm keeping this review short because NetGalley logged me out after I had written most of a long review but before I hit "Send Review" so I lost the review. The Angel Maker was my third Alex North novel and I have enjoyed each of them. This story took place over two timelines, one mid-to-late-1900's and the other current. The two are tied together by a modern day disappearance. I found the two different timelines pretty easy to follow and was equally interested in both. My average rating is due to the lack of enough character development to get me invested in anyone. Lack of development made me question the likelihood of many decisions or beliefs of characters, which kept me from fully immersing myself in the story like I prefer for my 4 and 5 star reviews.

I had high hopes for this one. I absolutely loved the whisper man but honestly this one just didn’t do it for me. I pushed through because I don’t DNF books but this one was hard.

I really enjoyed Alex North's The Whisper Man so I knew I had to read The Angel Maker. I really enjoyed this book overall, but I thought that there were almost too many characters. In the beginning, I was struggling to keep up with who was who. And they were all men besides Katie and a detective, who was hardly involved in the book. I also feel like there was a lot more that could have been involved regarding the father and how his two sons grew up. There just seemed like a lot missing that could have been included to make the story a little more intriguing.

I found myself having a really hard time following along with this one. I struggled with both audio and digital copies. The prologue hooked me immediately but after I was mostly confused with little to keep me engaged or invested. Thank you Celadon Books for inviting me to read this book.

Decent read. I liked the story line. However, initially it was a bit confusing especially the philosophy parts. Thankfully, it did not impair my reading of the book. Also, not quite a fan of the ending. Overall, the writing and characters were good.

When I read The Whisper Man in January of 2020, I was so impressed. It was everything I wanted in a Crime Thriller. It was gritty, eerie, sordid and compelling. That book single-handedly sealed the fate of my future with this author. I would anxiously await and then eagerly pick up all his new releases.

I ended up really enjoying The Shadows as well. Thus, when I heard about this book, North's most recent release, The Angel Maker, I was over the moon with anticipation. Sadly, this one ended up being a complete miss for me.

I listened to the audiobook and starting out, I was so jazzed. The narration was great and I was stoked to be getting early access to North's new book. The next thing I know, I am 20% in and I have NO CLUE what is happening, who anyone is, or what I am supposed to care about. I can recall the very beginning though, that was interesting and it did stick with me.

A teen girl, who is supposed to walk her brother home from school, chooses not to in lieu of spending some private time with her boyfriend. When she arrives home to police cars, lights and an active investigation, she's horrified to learn her kid brother had been viciously attacked.

Katie and Chris were the siblings. Here I am at the end of the novel and those are the only two characters I would be able to talk about with any confidence at all. I cannot name one other character. Truthfully, I couldn't follow this plot to save my life. It apparently required way more concentration than I was willing to give it. I didn't care at all. There were so many characters, none of which I felt were developed, besides Katie. After the 60%-point, I just wanted it to end and here we are.

With this being said, I am very aware that I am in the minority opinion on this one. There are so many people who read this and absolutely loved it. Therefore, do not take my opinion on this one as anything more than what it is: one Reader's jilted opinion.

Please note, even though this didn't work for me, I still think that Alex North is an incredible author and I will continue to pick up all his future novels. Thank you so much to the publisher, Celadon and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

I appreciate the opportunity to provide my opinion and look forward to seeing what North comes up with next.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC of this book. I love Alex North and this book didn’t disappoint. Chris Shaw and his sister Katie are estranged. The last time they saw each other, Chris stole money from her purse. Chris isn’t the man he could be. When he was a child, a man tried to remove his face. Now that man is out of prison and stalking Katie and her family. Chris’ boss, Alan Hobbs, dies in his bed. Was it murder? Why was Chris there? Why did he destroy the video evidence? This book is also one of those timeless books. There is a car. Not a red 2021 Nissan. There is a phone. Not described as iphone 14. This book will likely be a movie or tv show. The creators of that can set it anywhere. Alex North doesn’t complicate things by telling us towns, or streets, or pub names. This is great for an imaginative reader. Be that reader

Alex North is a gifted story teller. I have a hard time because his books scare me, but it’s worth it as long as I only read during the day. I struggled with all the characters in this book. I felt like I was half done and still being introduced to new players. I wanted to know the story badly enough that I just went with it and didn’t try to hard to keep everyone’s story straight. In the end I really end like the twist and the connections. I’m glad I stick with it.

Alex North will always be something I add to my TBR even with the scary nature of his work.

I give this 3.5 stars. This book is very confusing and it takes a lot to remember who people are and how they fit in the story. There are a lot of twists and turns. There is also an element that makes you think about situations in real life and in your own life. I did find the book interesting and it kept me engaged.