This one was in true Alex North's writing style. You would know right away who wrote this book and t his is a compliment. Alex North his a unique way of telling the story and this one was as intriguing as his other ones. You wont forget this.

Unfortunately, The Angel Maker just wasn't for me. While I have enjoyed Alex North's previous novels, The Angel Maker felt like it had too much going on yet nothing really happened.

This was my first Alex North and I will definitely be reading more. This was a complex thriller; I had to take notes throughout to keep everything straight but I think it all came together nicely in the end. There were some interesting twists and a few pulse-pounding moments. I recommend this one but just keep in mind there are multiple POVs and timelines involved but it pays off in the end!

Dear The Angel Maker,
You are a deeply interesting novel about the complex relationships between siblings, and the idea of nature vs. nurture. I loved the bigger things you had to say about free will and determinism as well. For being a thriller about a family being stalked and murder, there was so much more depth to you then I was expecting. I really liked Kate from the beginning, and her complicated relationships as well. I completely understood her motivations behind keeping her family safe, and mindset on vigilance. Having so many perspectives and time jumps could make you more difficult to follow, especially with the characters who were losing thier ties to reality, but you were so readable. I finished you in a day, because I had to keep listening and know more of what was happening!

I think this book might have gotten a better rating if I had read it instead of listening to it. But on audio it's just a confusing mess. The parts I understood I enjoyed, but overall it seems like it's convoluted for the sake of being convoluted. The plot just never came together for me in the way I wanted.

Thank you Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Wow! I felt like a person sent on a five hundred mile trip without a map or a phone going on a trip from point A to point B without knowing where either one was!

The first fifty percent, I was totally confused, the next twenty-five percent, I was mildly confused, and the last twenty-five, I was still befuddled.

I think I understood what North was trying to do, an attempt to make a thriller something different, using a few different approaches, the serial killer, the brother whose had suffered an attack that colors his whole life, a devoted sister, a professor who sees his death through predestination, a red car, and many characters, settings and my confusion.

I will say the author establishes a fine amount of atmosphere that is evil and frightening, but the cramming of all the above sent me onto a dizzy mission. I did listen to this story and perhaps a regular book would as been better for my "can't keep names and places straight brain."

I have liked the author's previous book, but for me this one was too much in its attempt to be different.
Thank you to Alex North, Macmillan Audio, (narration by Rosalie Craig, and NetGalley for the ability to listen to this story Which will publish on February 28, 2023.

This one has a bit of a slower start, but picked up about halfway. There are a lot of characterss and twists to follow, but I really enjoyed it! If you like Alex North's other books, I think you are likely to enjoy this one as well!

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for this alc.

I was very excited about being approved for this alc, this would be my first book written by the author and I will say that I was not impressed by it.

In this mystery novel, the seventeen-year-old Katie Shaw was not around when a stranger attacked her brother Chris. Now in her 30s, Chris has gone missing and Katie feels guilty about all her brother went through. There is also a professor who was brutally m^rd€red and all the leads point back to two old cold cases: the Christopher Shawn’s attack, and to a notorious serial killer known as The Angel Maker.

This mystery novel was confusing and lacked tension. I was not compelled to keep reading it and thought about DNFing it. There was a lot going on in this story, too many characters and threads, and it was difficult for me to keep up with this novel. The ending was a let down. There was nothing in this story that kept me interested in it.

Rosalie Craig does a phenomenal work narrating this book but the story does not really help. I don’t think I can recommend this novel to anyone and I will probably not read any more books written by Alex North.

I was so excited to receive this audiobook on NetGalley, since I've loved Alex North's other works. This audiobook didn't disappoint; it was rich with puzzles and mystery throughout. The premise is ambitious. The story centers around a famous philosophical thought experiment from Pierre-Simon Laplace. Laplace suggested that a hypothetical demon with perfect knowledge of the past and the laws of nature would be able to accurately predict the future. In The Angel Maker, a handful of characters in a handful of time periods are compelled by this idea; some devote their lives to studying it, for some the idea compels them to violence.

Here's one thing I loved about this book, and one thing I liked less.

First: I have an academic career in philosophy, so it is a huge pet peeve of mine when fiction books misrepresent philosophical ideas or appeal to philosophical ideas only in an attempt to appear 'deep' while really not being deep at all. Thankfully, this was not the case with The Angel Maker. North's exposition of determinism was done carefully, thoughtfully, accurately, and (most importantly) was perfectly warranted within the story. I think he did an impressive job of capturing what is so compelling about this idea, and it seemed realistic to me that the characters would respond to the idea in the way that they did. My favorite thing about how this was handled was the ending (although I won't spoil anything). Big kudos to him for actually doing his research and running with this idea. It is rare that I see a philosophical idea written about in fiction with such care and precision.

Something I liked less: it felt like most of the characters were older men with VERY similar names which left me feeling lost on more than one occasion. I don't actually remember all of these men's names now because it's been a week or so since I finished the book but it did seem as though all of the characters were called Edward. Also, I think sometimes the characters were referred to by their last names and sometimes by their first names which only added to the confusion. I wish that North had just given the characters slightly more distinctive names since a lot ended up hinging on us knowing which characters were related to whom etc, and which characters occupied which timeline. If I'd read a physical copy of the book, this may have been easier to keep up with but listening on audiobook, I sometimes struggled to remember who was who.

This was one of my most anticipated books! I am a HUGE fan of Alex North. I love the suspense he creates in his books and the perfect pace at which his discloses those twists. This book, didn’t really take me on that ride. It was slow and I felt like I couldn’t keep my focus. The ending was not as strong as I would’ve have wanted, but it didn’t stop me from finishing the book!

This is probably the least thrilling thriller I've ever read.

Usually I will begin a book review with a summary, but I'm not 100% sure what happened. (Nevertheless, I will attempt...) A young woman's brother is attacked and disfigured, and years later their relationship is strained as the brother has issues with homelessness and addiction. Decades earlier, two sons of a serial killer take very different paths after their father is captured. And, in the present, these plotlines come together. And, something about a book that tells the future.
Sorry, that's the best I can do. I'm confused AF.

Alternating perspectives of too many characters combined with haphazard timelines create a confounding and unenjoyable reading experience with no pay-off. This is really unfortunate, because buried beneath the confusion, I think North might (?) actually have had a creative and decent plot.

I've never read any of Alex North's books, and I can't say that this has encouraged me to read another.

A solid 3.5 stars! I really enjoyed this book, and the audiobook narrator was great. As others have suggested, the multiple perspectives and characters was hard to follow at times.

Thank you to NetGalley for an arc audiobook!

I do love a good dark thriller when done right. I would say this is definitely a dark thriller/horror/ suspense novel that focuses on the beliefs and thoughts of a serial killer who believes that the future can be foreseen and should be followed.
I don't want to give the story away, but this book focuses on the murder of a prominent College philosophy professor Alan Hobbes.
Also, this book focuses on the relationship of two siblings Katie and Chris Shaw who are drawn into a twisted tale of a serial killer that goes back decades earlier. Katie is trying to clear her brother Chris' name because he at the time of Professor Hobbes murder works for him, and she has not had the greatest relationship with her brother and wants to clear his name.
As I mentioned this book is a dark thriller, so the content in regard to serial killer mindset, and the discussion of the crimes in regard to some of the victims may not be for everyone.
This story is not for the faint of heart, but the author keeps the reader's attention, and the pace of the story is good and intriguing. The author does a very good job of putting all the pieces together, and I really enjoyed it. Again, not for everyone but I enjoyed it.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this Audiobook ARC in exchange for honest feedback!

I thought this story was overall good but there were some plot holes for me. I enjoyed the twists but I found them to be easily predicted. This wasn’t the strongest Alex North novel but it was still really enjoyable.

The narrator was excellent. I thought her portrayal of the story really drew the listener in and I would listen to her again!

Paranormal references and a bit of a disjointed cast of characters left me disconnected at times during the audiobook reading of this story, but the talent of the voice actor and otherwise decent fast-paced writing made it an overall engaging book. A young teacher who has been estranged from her brother, finds herself at the center of all sorts of danger. She works to locate the (former addict) brother only to discover the trouble he’s in has more to do with undiscovered family secrets than his own prior actions. The connections between the various characters left me still a little confused (perhaps an overly developed red herring.) Ultimately she is able to uncover the truth and save the day.

An advance review copy of audiobook version was provided in exchange for this review.

“It’s just an example, because I certainly do. 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. You had no more choice than the pen did just then.”

QUICK RECAP 🖊️
A sister who is still living with grief of a brutal attack on her brother leaving him scarred is caught up in more than she could have imagined years later. A detective who keeps coming back to two old cases, trying to find a connection.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Thank you @netgalley @macmillanaudio & @celadonbooks for a copy of both the eARC and audio ALC. I was able tandem read these, Alex North has been on my radar since The Whisper Man so to receive these I was thrilled.
I will say this book is PACKED so I enjoyed reading vs. listening for this reason alone.

I did enjoy the narrator, but like I said, there’s so much packed into this book the book makes it easier for me to follow.

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon books for the gifted copy of this one in exchange for an honest review!
To be honest, this one was not for me. I wanted to love it, as I have loved both Alex North’s other books. I found myself getting confused and bored with this one. I struggled to follow along because it wasn’t keeping my interest. This one was a serious bummer for me.

The first two books by this author were a top read (The Whisper Man) and very good (The Shadows). The Angel Maker slipped as it was a challenge to follow (maybe partly the narrator of the audiobook) and the story was just average for me. Other than one significant twist, I wasn’t on the edge of my seat for this listen. It still had a steadiness with eerie suspense which is what I really like about this author’s books. He definitely still is a new release author for me and I am confident that I’ll enjoy the next book as much as the first two from the pseudonym author Alex North. I like the other title, The Half Burnt House, more for this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity in exchange for an honest review.

I’ve read Alex North “Shadows” book before this one and enjoyed it so I was excited going into this book. This book follows Kelly and Chris Shaw’s life, who has not had a walk in the park type of life. Katie has always tried to be there and take care of her brother but over time they have become estranged. Katie has found she maybe has had a little resentment in her life towards him. Everyone always has cared about Chris and treated him special and she has been left to fend more for herself.

One day Chris ends up missing and Katie’s mom calls her to ask her to check up on her brother. She thinks he’s in trouble and cannot let it go until Katie gets more information. Katie goes to his last place of residence and this is when she realizes in her gut something is terribly wrong.

Katie is stuck digging through their past to piece together all of the mysteries before it’s too late.

🗯️My first thought is I would classify this book more as a crime fiction versus a typical thriller. This doesn’t take away from anything but I sometimes think if not classified right it can set the wrong expectation. Anywho, I loved the setting of this gritty and dark book. It was fast paced and very twisty and I in no way, shape or form had any of it figured out. 😅 This is a book you have to pay very close attention to the different timelines. At times listening I got a little confused but it did work itself out when it all came together! I think Alex does such a nice job with his character development and his creep factor is on point! I also want to point out I really appreciate when an author brings in a unique idea and Alex does that with the topic of “determinism”. Bravo!

Looking forward to getting to The Whisper Man soon! 🤩

“A dark, suspenseful new thriller about the mysteries of fate, the unbreakable bond of siblings, and a notorious serial killer who was said to know the future.“

This in not my usual fare, but I’m glad I dipped my toe into the Thriller/Mystery genre.

The story itself was fairly convoluted, with lots of timelines and characters and points of view.

I enjoyed the different familial relationships – parent/child, siblings, spouses – and was happy with how several of them were resolved.

I also liked that, while this book is considered Horror, it wasn’t GROSS. I mean, it wasn’t a HAPPY tale, but the author didn’t revel in the literary blood-lust that some do.

For that I am eternally grateful.

The things I liked most, however, was all the philosophical talk of Free Will vs Determinism, and the question of whether or not the killer can see the future. There’s something nice about some of the parts of the story being left unresolved.

Lots of gristly bits on which to chew.

I’ve heard good things about his other book, The Whisper Man, so I’ll check that one out next.

7/10

Thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and Macmillan Audio for this creepy ARC.