Too many characters. Too philosophical.. It’s like a book that you need to take notes over to keep up. I don’t like thinking this hard when reading. This one wasn’t for me.

One of my favorite parts of this book was the discussion of Determinism, which was a fascinating concept. It’s the thread pulling the whole story together.

My only quibble with the story comes from the character of hide and his vendetta against Katie or, more specifically, her daughter. It would make sense for Hyde to want to correct course with her not existing if she were the daughter of Chris. But nothing else in the book suggests that Katie wouldn’t end up with Sam or they she wouldn’t have ended up with a daughter. So his insistence that she shouldn’t exist falls flat.

Big thanks to Celadon books for the approval to read an early copy of The Angel Maker. SUPER excited to get to read new Alex North. It is just as creepy and twisty as I remember The Whisper Man being! (haven't read The Shadows yet)

I did a hybrid of audiobook and ebook because I tried to listen to the audiobook while working (as I usually do) but could NOT keep anything straight without seeing words on the page, lol. It all came together by the end but certainly if you're like me you will need to work on focus :-)

My one downfall was it took some time to get the people and timelines straight. Like, I probably could have kept a notesheet of people & dates to have an easier time trying to make sense of the seemingly unrelated characters. BUT worry not-- everything comes together and makes sense by the end. Wow, just wow; the way all the character's lives end up being intertwined... crazy and twisty and awesome.

I loved the creepy feel of this story. Specifically descriptions of the house Hobbes lives in, the story of the serial killer Jack Lock, and the mystery of a missing child. I also found the aspect of determinism fascinating. It made me wonder if people that believe this find life super boring; they're just resigned that they have no say in what happens to them!? Nahhh, I ain't here for it.

Totally loved the story and thought the narrator did a wonderful job. The right inflections, differences in voice for dialogue. She blew it away!

3.75 stars / This review will be posted on goodreads.com today.

Not quite as good as The Whisper Man, nor as spooky, but still quite discomfiting.
North has the ability to make his readers very uncomfortable with tales of crime and horror. This one is no different.

Edward and Alan are two small boys with A very scary father. Edward is the model child who does everything his father asks. Alan is not so disciplined. When Alan finds his mom beaten on the kitchen floor he can't help but be devastated. He defies both his brother and his father and enters his father's private space. While Edward protests, Alan retrieves his father's sacred journal and absconds with it. The journal supposedly tells everything that will happen in the boys' lives. Deus scripsit.

Katie and Sam are high school sweethearts. Katie wants to go home after school with Sam, but she is always to meet her brother Chris and walk him home. Except for the one day she doesn't. Of course this would be the day that Chris becomes the victim of a random violent crime. The crime will forever alter Chris both physically and emotionally.

Flash forward many years later. Another violent crime has occurred. A strange car is seen lurking outside Katie's daughter's daycare. Chris has gone missing. While these could be unrelated events, somehow they all seem to be tied together. Detective Laurence Page was present after the first random crime, and now is caught up in these crimes as well. Will he be the one to finally put the pieces together?

Terrifying in its own way, this novel exemplifies the very dark side of human nature. But it also shows the best that some can be. Psychologically unsettling but also fascinating. Definitely recommend for those who love psychological crime.

I wouldn’t really classify this is a thriller and more of a crime type theme story. I couldn’t quite connect with the characters. I will say I did not expect that ending. I thought I figured it out but nope! And the ending felt super rushed.

This book was amazing! I couldn’t put it down. Absolutely terrifying and thrilling at the same time. One of my favorite books!!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Alex North for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Angel Maker coming out February 28, 2023. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Katie Shaw grew up in a grand house in the English countryside. Having lived a charmed life, she has big dreams after her graduation. She has a wonderful boyfriend, and a little brother she protects. One day a stranger changes the fate of her family. 

Years later, she is still unable rid herself of the guilt surrounding what happened to her brother, Chris. She now has a child of her own to protect, but she struggles with PTSD. One day she gets a phone call that Chris has gone missing and needs her.

Meanwhile, Detective Laurence Page is facing a particularly horrific crime. A distinguished professor has been gruesomely murdered just hours after firing his staff. All the evidence leads to two cold cases: the violent attack on teenager Christopher Shaw, and the despicable crimes of a notorious serial killer who, according to legend, could see the future.

Overall, I liked this book. I loved 2 other books by Alex North. He writes a good mix of crime and horror. I love the mystery aspect of his writing. This one felt a little different. I think I got a little confused with the storylines. The characters felt a little superficial at times. I’m not sure of their motives. I’m wondering if he chose the names Hobbes and Shaw based off the movie. I’m not sure if the ending came together the way I thought it would. I just think there was something missing for me.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys true crime stories!

Alex North has quickly become one of my favorites and this book was no exception. I loved the layers and the character development and then redemption arc!

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan Publishing for the advanced readers copy of The Angel Maker by Alex North. I was so excited to read this book! I had read a sampler of the book and new it was going to be a great thriller! I have read Alex North’s previous books and look forward to reading future books. There are a few storylines that take place and it all comes together in the end! If you like thrillers you wil like this one!

Took me a while to get through but overall, it was pretty good. I got confused at first with all the characters and the way it went back and forth in time. But once into the book, it did come together. I’d recommend it, especially if you liked his other books, which I did!

The Angel Maker by Alex North was a very unique, dark thriller. It pertained to the idea that everything that is going to happen is predetermined and already been decided by a greater force. The way the characters were all connected was fascinating. Although this book did start out a bit confusing, by about 40% in it was like "Ohhhhhh... I see what is happening here," yet it still was not predictable. You did really have to pay attention to the story to connect all the dots. More than just a casual read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was really excited to receive the ARC (advanced reader copy) of The Angel Maker by Alex North. I read two of his previous books, and found them highly enjoyable and was looking forward to his newest release. The story focuses on several threads. There is a serial killer named Jack Lock who targets children. His nickname is the Angel Maker. There is a wealthy man, found murdered in his home. There is a young teen boy, assaulted by a stranger and there is also a detective thread, trying to make sense of it all. First, I wouldn’t call this a thriller. At no point was I thrilled or nervous for the characters. Its a mystery. Unfortunately, the foreshadowing is too heavy handed which led to me guessing how some of the threads were connected. The only “twist” I predicted from the first clue. It was lacking any tension or intrigue so I didn’t feel compelled to keep reading. It would’ve been a DNF if it wasn’t a review copy.
His previous books have a spooky supernatural atmosphere which was virtually non-existent in the book, which is a bummer. The only speculative element is the accuracy of a prophetic book. If that atmosphere is important to you, I don’t think you’d like this one.

I struggle to bring you any positive points on this book. Some of the writing was nice. I highlighted “The house seemed as saturated by grief and sorrow as it was by the downpour.”
Characters? Nope. A lot of the characters felt 2-dimensional. The husband gaslights his wife when she is worried about someone who tries to break in their house. He’s quite deplorable. There are many characters and none of them fully realized.
There was interesting discussion on the idea of determinism. It posits that everything that is going to happen, will happen. You don’t have free will or choice. Everything is pre-determined for you. The murderer buys into this idea, thinking he is doing God’s will and has no choice in the matter. I wish that had been explored a bit more because that was really the only part leaving me wanting more.
Quote: “But on an evening, when you’re deciding whether to have that second glass of wine or not, it might feel like you’re free to make up your mind either way. But you aren’t. What will happen will happen. What happens was always going to happen.”
“Many religions consider God to be omniscient, all-knowing. And if God knows the future, then the future can’t be changed.”
Overall, this book lacked tension, intrigue, and character development. The discussion of the philosophy was intriguing, but overall, I don’t recommend. 2 stars.

The Angel Maker by Alex North 🔥

This dark thriller is about Katie and her younger brother Chris, and how a past incident shaped their future. When someone is murdered, they believe it is connected to the event from years ago. Further, they believe it is connected to a serial killer, who legend has it, could see the future.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆ ; after loving The Whisper Man, I was SO excited for North’s new book! I loved that this story had a unique storyline that I haven’t seen before (a serial killer who is known to see the future) and it definitely had creepy vibes! But… it was so confusing 🙈. There were lots of characters to keep track of that all seemed similar, and I finished it with sooo many questions still unanswered. I looked up some other reviews and I’m seeing that lots of others were confused as well.

For those who have read all of North’s books, should I still read The Shadows?!

Thank you @celadonbooks books for the advanced copy!! The Angel Maker releases on February 28!

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

After reading 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘯 last year, I knew that I would read anything written by Alex North . So, you can only guess how ecstatic I was to receive both the ebook & audiobook from my friends at Celadon Books! Thank you so much!

“𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚍𝚘𝚗‘𝚝 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎. 𝚈𝚘𝚞‘𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎.“

This story is so many different things, all at once. It’s a procedural thriller and a supernatural mystery. It’s heartfelt, heartbreaking, and real. It’s everything I love in a read!

“𝙼𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚏𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚜𝚎𝚝 𝚒𝚗 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚒𝚛𝚝𝚑.“

It took me less than 2 days to fly through this engaging, twisty read about Katie Shaw and her brother, Chris. I loved it and was left wanting more. More thrills, more chills, and more of North’s writing!

“𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚢𝚘𝚞‘𝚕𝚕 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚎.“

After loving The Whisper Man, I was so excited to get an ARC of The Angel Maker. Unfortunately I had some big issues with it. The story got very confusing with so many characters, plot lines, and timelines. It took a lot of focus for me to keep everything straight and I still ended up thinking “who was that again?” a few times. It didn’t help that I was listening to the audio version and there is only one female narrator for so many characters, most of them male. I had to switch over to the ebook version after a while because I was struggling too much.

I also wish this had been a creepier story, like The Whisper Man was. There were some tense moments, but that’s it. Once I got all the storylines straight, I was interested to see how they would all come together. I did figure out part of the big twist but I was interested to see where it would go.

I appreciate Alex North trying to do something different and wanting to push the envelope of a typical thriller, but this one didn’t quite work for me.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in audio and ebook!

The twists and turns in this one! Kept me on turning the pages and on the edge of my seat. Highly recommend. Alex North is the best.

Alex North had me sold from "The Whisper Man"; but The Angel Maker TOPS that for me! It's creepy in the best way possible leaving your mind reeling from what's happening. You've got serial killers, you've got family dynamics, you've got EVERYTHING you'll need for an amazing thriller.

I will have you know, this one is a lot slower than the previous couple as well as a ton of moving parts. This is one you'll have to pay attention to!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celedon books for my digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

First off thanks to netgalley for providing me an ARC!

I could not put this book down it was so good!!
The story follows 2 sets of siblings that are deeply troubled and their connection to a renowned serial killer, "the Angel Maker". The story keeps you hanging on how they are all intertwined together and each chapter leaves you hanging.
It changes POV from chapter to chapter, which we love. If you have issues reading about children getting harmed, this book is not for you. Overall, the book is incredibly well written and fast paced.

I loved it.

First, let me say thank you to NetGalley and Celedon books for my digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book read like a movie for me. It was wonderful. It had me guessing all the way to the end.

I appreciated that while the book is based around a serial killer there is a lot more to the story. There were a few things I could have guessed but for the most part the twists took me by surprise.

I will now be reading through Alex North’s other books.

This well-written book is absolutely fantastic! From beginning to end, it gripped me. The world build was crystal clear and the characters were vividly portrayed. The storyline and twists and turns. Danger, Suspense and yes, murder all packed up in this award worthy treasure. I highly recommend this book.

I just reviewed The Angel Maker by Alex North. #TheAngelMaker #NetGalley