After the first few pages, I knew this was a book I wasn’t going to be able to put down, until I got to The End. Compulsive and gripping! Suspenseful, addictive and complex! Will keep you swiping the pages furiously. If you like absolutely unpredictable, twisted suspense as much as I do, you can't go wrong with this book!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

I was so disappointed in this book can't believe this came from the person who wrote "The Whisper man"

The timeline was very confusing, the characters were terrible and it just didn't make any sense

Description

"Growing up in a beautiful house in the English countryside, Katie Shaw lived a charmed life. At the cusp of graduation, she had big dreams, a devoted boyfriend, and a little brother she protected fiercely. Until the day a violent stranger changed the fate of her family forever.

Years later, still unable to live down the guilt surrounding what happened to her brother, Chris, and now with a child of her own to protect, Katie struggles to separate the real threats from the imagined. Then she gets the phone call: Chris has gone missing and needs his big sister once more.

Meanwhile, Detective Laurence Page is facing a particularly gruesome crime. A distinguished professor of fate and free will has been brutally murdered just hours after firing his staff. All the leads point back to two old cases: the gruesome attack on teenager Christopher Shaw, and the despicable crimes of a notorious serial killer who, legend had it, could see the future."

This ended up being a DNF for me. The storyline was a jumbled mess and the POV constantly changing didn’t help. I wanted to like this so much because I’ve loved his other works. I will be back.

Thanks to Netgalley and Celadon Books for the e-ARC of this novel. I struggle to review this one because there were parts of the book that I liked, but others that I felt really slowed the book down and made me lose interest. Though I typically like multiple perspective books, I thought this one got a little complicated, especially when switching between different time periods of each characters experience. I did enjoy the ending however and how different storylines came together. While this won't stop me from possibly picking up other Alex North novels, this one was not a favorite.

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
#NetGalley #CeladonBooks #AlexNorth #TheAngelMaker
This was a treat to read as is typical for Alex North. He always delivers compelling plots and relatable characters. This thriller begins with Katie Shaw choosing to go home with her boyfriend instead of seeing her younger brother home. She will never forgive herself when she finds out that, on his way home alone, Chris has been attacked and stabbed several times. Although he survives these injuries, their lives are never the same. Years later, Chris has become a recovering drug addict and he and Katie have become estranged. Katie is now a teacher and living with her boyfriend now husband and their three year old daughter, Siena.
One day, she gets a call from her mother saying that her brother is missing. Meanwhile, the detective who handled Chris’ stabbing has another grisly crime to solve. Could they be related?
Alex North is firmly in the thriller genre if you ask me. He has always ridden the line between thriller and horror really well. In this book, there are even some flavors of true crime. There are no overt paranormal happenings but there are whispers of them. His original plot line and familiar prose is both comforting and terrifying. I have always felt that “The Whisper Man” was his best work. I believe this one has taken its place for me now. The ending was predictable and I still loved it. It was the only way to end it.
There were a few small plot holes that didn’t get the attention that I would have liked. Even so, the story was addictive and compelling. Alex North has hooked me again!

This book was really good. It has a lot of twists and turns.

However, I did find it a little confusing to keep track of the names of the two brothers and how their names were changed. I definitely had to go back and forth a few times to make sure I was on the right track.

Overall, a good and fast paced read.

Personally, this was not my cup of tea and ended up being a DNF for me. The conflicting timelines and POVs made me lose track.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC I received of The Angel Maker by Alex North.

Quick synopsis - a young teenage boy named Chris is brutally attacked in his way home from school by a knife wielding maniac. He survives the incident. His sister Kate feels guilt for the attack as she wasn’t there and was supposed to be. Fast forward and now they are adults. Chris has had a hard life of drugs and stealing and homelessness and Kate and him have lost their sibling bond and friendship.

Chris ends up getting clean and a boyfriend and working for a rich old man who is murdered one night.

This all ties together is a really superb plot and web. I really liked how everything tied in and the little bit of the back story you got.

I also liked how this flipped time frames and people.

What I didn’t like - it seemed surface level writing to me. I feel like some details needed to be made into more but weren’t and so it didn’t catch my attention. I also wished that there was more for the Jack Lock story and his sons. This one didn’t grab my attention like his other books did.

I still enjoyed it and thought the ending was great and kind of symbolic.

I like Alex North's books, and "The Angel Maker" was no exception, although I think it was probably my least favorite of the three; the plot was confusing at times and the villain seemed a little too evil to be fully believable. (North does try to explain this, but I still think it's a bit too much.) Once I got through the beginning of the book, however, things started to pick up and I was happy to be along for the ride, even if I wasn't always sure where things were going. The book was definitely atmospheric--I really liked the setting of the story's denoument--and there were some very creepy scenes, one of which in particular has stayed with me and still unsettles me when I think about it--always a good sign in a horror book or thriller!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon books for providing me with an ARC of this title in return for my honest review.

Here’s the deal. I wanted to like this one. I really did want to like this one. I liked the cover. Alex North is a popular thriller author. The book was all over Instagram, but, in the end, it wasn’t for me.

I thought the plot drug on and skipped nonsensically all over the place between different storylines and different timelines. It didn’t hold my attention. I wasn’t attached to the characters…honestly, I didn’t care what happened to the characters. I had to force myself to finish it, so I could give my opinion on the whole book and not just the part I finished. I didn’t get that massive feeling of relief when the book was over where I was happy to know how things ended and where I was leaving the characters (i.e., my new friends).

Thank you to Net Galley for my free copy in exchange for my honest review. It was my pleasure. I keep hearing that Alex North’s “The Whisper Man” is excellent, so I’m going to give that one a try!

If you read the Angel Maker, let me know how it strikes you. I’ve seen a lot of mixed reviews on this one, so I’m curious about your thoughts!

2

This book was amazing! This author is one of my favorites and this one did not disappoint! Alex North will always be a must-read author for me. I can not wait to see what else he comes out with!

I absolutely loved his other two books, so I think I had really high hopes for this one. It was okay. I think that a lot of people will really enjoy it.

Original, creepy, and engrossing as you’d expect any Alex North book to be. While I enjoyed the story, the multitude of characters and their multiple monikers, made it difficult to keep the details straight. This negatively impacted my overall opinion on the book as it felt like extra work to go back and figure out who was who.. Just too much of a distraction. Won’t be my last Alex North though as I think this was a one-off!

I’m not sure how I feel about this book which is why I went with 3 stars.. I wanted to keep reading.. but I’m not sure I liked the story.. I’m very conflicted with my feelings so I am open to other’s perspectives to help me narrow mine down haha!⁣ Overall, this was my least favorite of his books.

Alex North you genius!!! This is his most complicated one yet. I loved it. So many twists and turns. The only thing I did not like was the detective. His character was a bit of. Other than that, genius!!

I really really wanted to love this one. Womp wooomp. And unfortunately...I did not. I didn't hate it, but I definitely didn't love it.

North's debut 'The Whisper Man' was one of my favorite books of the year, definitely made it to my "creme de la creme of thrillers" list. It was in that very special sweet spot. Where most thrillers prioritize storytelling and lack in characterization and technical writing skills, 'Whisper Man' didn't do that. The writing was sharp and on point & the characters were raw, and flawed, and cutting, so naturally I expected the same when I picked up 'The Angel Maker,' but sadly I just don't think North delivered.

My main complaint is that it all just felt a tad bit convoluted. I think North was going for something larger in scope, but in the end it didn't wind up working, it just felt like there were way too many threads. The reveal didn't wow me and felt ...just off, and forced.

I liked this well enough, it kept me engaged enough to continue to turn the pages even as I was confused about what was happening so North has some kind of talent as a storyteller, but I can't give this any more than 3 stars. (really I'd say a 2.75) but considering I loved 'Whisper Man,' so much I can't help but say that the prevailing sentiment seems to be one of disappointment.

Wow! What an intense story of the hurt, hatred, and distrust, between two brothers that affected so many people. And there were a lot of people to keep track of in this story. At times, I struggled to keep up with the continuous rotation of characters and overlap and sometimes had to reread sections for clarity. Regardless, North spun a intricate web of characters that made for a very interesting story. As each chapter unfolded, I think my jaw dropped further and further. I loved the ominous feel of the estate and how North conveyed the pure evil that seeped through the brothers.

Thank you to #netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC. The story started out intriguing enough but I struggled to keep focused on it. Normally I love all this authors novels, but this one is not as good as his previous ones.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

This was my first book by Alex North. While I usually love multiple viewpoints in books, this was a few too many for me. It took me about halfway through to really connect and remember the characters. Slow moving at first but made up for it in the end. 3/5 stars.

This is my first Alex North book and I can’t believe this author hasn’t been on my radar before.
The story starts with a philosophy professor Alan Hobbes found murdered after he had fired his whole staff the previous day which seems a little bit suspicious.
Unaware of this is Katie Shaw, a mom to a toddler and married to the love of her life. But isn’t happy because of her estranged relationship with her brother who she feels responsible for since he was attacked at a time when they were teens when she should have taken care of him and had ignored it to be with her boyfriend. The guilt has haunted her forever.
Her brother is suddenly missing and she is willing to do anything to find him, even when her husband doesn’t even approve.
I lost myself in this book totally. Since I’m an avid reader I’m usually able to guess who did it, but with this book I just couldn’t and Alex North did an amazing job of wrapping everything up so well.
Looking forward to reading more of his books!
Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for an advanced copy of this book.