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The Angel Maker
By Alex North
This review (if ya wanna call it that lol) will be for both the ebook and the audiobook
Thank you to you Netgalley, Celadon Books and Macmillan Audio for the ARC and early listen
This was my first Alex North read/listen. I do own some of his books so will be reading those soon.
I really enjoyed the author's writing style. Did a great job on character development. Loved the background history and the mystery surrounding the characters. Will definitely recommend this book to those that enjoy this genre.
As for the narrator in the audiobook she was okay. Hard to differentiate between the characters as she told the story. Had to rewind a few times to figure which character she was at times.

I was really excited when I was chosen to read this ARC by Alex North. I have loved his books in the past and was excited about a new one. However, I was really disappointed overall in this one. I found the multiple perspectives a bit hard to follow and the overall book just didn't grab my attention. Sadly, I was just looking for this one to be over as I was left bored.

There is a lot going on in this book and it was on the slower side for most of the book, but I didn't mind as much as I normally would as I was trying to figure out who was who and how things were connected. Not going to lie, this took some time. I also read some passages repeatedly to get my footing. It was work and yet I enjoyed it. North gives readers little tidbits as the book progresses to keep them intrigued, invested and glued to the pages.
Don't forget! Come back

I was excited to receive an ARC copy of this book but honestly there were far too many characters to keep up with. They each had their own storylines which I knew would connect, and that plot kept me reading, but the last couple of chapters were kind of a let down for how much the story had been built up.

I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley in return for a review.

The Angel Maker
by Alex North
4/5 ⭐️

Katie Shaw was the obedient daughter, the loving sister and the perfect student. Everything was going to plan until she made a choice that went against her normal will. This little decision seemed to change her life forever and allow evil to violently hurt her family, particularly her brother, Chris. Even years later, Katie is challenged with choosing to protect her own child or her brother. Chris has gone missing and as Katie searches for him she discovers that Chris’s secrets are really threats.

Simultaneously, Detective Laurence Page is investigating the horrific murder of Alan Hobbes. Alan Hobbes was brutally killed in his home just hours after releasing all of his staff. Hobbes’ death seems calculated and preplanned by him. The investigation leads Page to two other cold cases: the shocking attack on a teenager, Christopher Shaw and the Angel Maker, a known serial killer who proclaimed he could see the future.

This book was determined for me to read it! And if you have read the book, you know how eerie that sounds. I first discovered a physical copy in my neighborhood @littlefreelibrary and then was approved for the audio book by @netgalley within days of each other.

This book is dark, riveting, and grows more mysterious with each part. It’s centered around the philosophy of determinism. The characters are well developed and have multiple layers revealed over various timelines. This was my first book by Alex North and found his writing style to be almost poetic and unique. I will be reading his other books asap. I will say I was happy to have the physical copy as because it did get confusing at times and I had to take notes.

Thank you to @netgalley and @Macmillan.Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

📖Publication date: February 28, 2023

I enjoyed the authors previous work, the whisper man, and had high hopes for this one as well. Unfortunately I found myself confused through most of it, and not in a good mystery kind of way. There were so many characters and so much time jumping that it got hard to keep track of when things were happening. I don’t know if this is just an audiobook problem and wish I had read it instead. Maybe it would be easier to keep track of things in a physical book

I blew through this novel and had to say, upon finishing it, that I am at a loss on how to review it. It started out strong and I was really excited to get into the story and figure out the mystery, but as time went on I became confused and disinterested in all the characters and their storylines because there were so many of them and none of them were fully fleshed. I did really enjoy the narrator, though, and will continue to try more Alex North books in the future!

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

North is back with another interesting story - I have to admit that while this wasn't my favourite of his books, the discussions in this book were quite interesting, specifically that of determinism. This author definitely has a knack for creating twisted characters that stay with you.

That being said, this is the kind of book you need to read with your eyes and not with your ears. There is detail in everything, multiple timelines and multiple character POVs, which made it hard to follow and grasp everything as an audiobook.

Either way, still an interesting and enjoyable read.

CW: murder, child abuse, child death.

A huge thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

This was a very interesting story. I am giving three stars because I am left with so many questions and no answers to them. Maybe there will be another addition to this book. I’ll definitely read it if so. It was a story that definitely kept you reading and guessing. And even at the end not enough questions were answered for me personally but it’s a fabulous book and definitely worth the read! Thank you to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read it early! I’ll definitely be exploring Alex North’s other books!

Was sent both ebook and audio, chose to consume through ebook as I was not a fan of the narration in the audio version.

While Whisper Man still holds the spot of my favorite Alex North novel, I did enjoy the intricate and nuanced plot line of The Angel Maker. I did feel a bit confused towards the beginning of the story, but thankfully things began to fit together in the second half. The idea of determinism woven in throughout, offered a really unique and interesting dynamic.

I listened to this on audio and the narrator, Rosalie Craig, did an excellent job bringing the story and its characters to life. There is always an eerie quality to North’s books and that really comes through in the audiobook as well.

Read if you like:
•more thriller than horror
•intricate mysteries
•slower paced stories
•dual time lines

Thank you Celadon and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Fans of Alex North's previous novels have undoubtedly been waiting the arrival of The Angel Maker. This new thriller is an atmospheric story about unrivaled sibling loyalty (and sibling rivalry), a serial killer who can predict the future, and a detective determined to put the pieces together.

While this novel takes you along for another thrilling ride, jot some notes down about characters and names. Having listened to the well-narrated audio version, I did find myself confused by the multiple characters and their names (as character names are changed throughout the story).

Unlike Alex North's previous novels, The Angel Maker dips into the supernatural, and the reader is never quite certain of the reality or origins of the black book of predictions. A well-rounded thriller that just misses the mark of North's previous work.

The Angel Maker by Alex North
⭐⭐/5

Outlier review alert . 😓
Here I am, again . Here to ruin everything. When I say, I did not love this book as much as others seemed to .

In simplicity. An audio book should not be this hard to listen to .

I was actually confused . There was just way to much going on . . There were so many story lines . And then so many timelines in which these story lines were settled into . And I myself - just couldn't settle into enjoying this book . It honestly was a bit of a chore to press play. I was hoping the end would possibly tie everything together but it really just didn't seem to .

Well. There you go . Maybe I missed something major. I don't know . But I suggest checking out other reviews as well as mine, if your interested in this book . As a majority of the audience loved the book .

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for sending me the widget for this book for free in return for my honest review.

Don’t ask me what happened because I was confused through most of this story. Multiple story lines and quite a few characters. It was a little hard to follow and keep track of it all. I was expecting better as his other books have been great.

The Angel Maker is a twisty, dark thriller with a complex plot that will keep you on your toes. There is a serial killer that can predict the future, which is unique, but for me, the story moved slowly at times. Overall, I liked the story a lot and enjoyed trying to put all the pieces together.

The narration was great, especially with all the characters.

Thanks, NetGalley for the ARC. I have loved North's other novels but this one was too much for my brain to comprehend. I started the audio three or four times because I felt like I had missed something and nothing was making sense. That feeling stayed with me throughout the entire book. It was very hard for me to follow so I think I need to give the hard copy a try to see if that helps. I can usually follow complicated storylines with audio but I struggled with this one and I'm not sure what actually happened for most of the novel, so I feel like giving it an actual review would be unfair.



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.

Having enjoyed North’s previous books, I was excited to dive into The Angel Maker. Unfortunately this one is so hard to follow along with.

It has multiple points of view plus alternating timelines that just result in a lot of confusion. I saw a few folks note this before I started listening, so I tried hard to pay close attention and keep the characters straight but it was still too complicated.

I’d pass on this one - enjoying a thriller shouldn’t be this hard.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my advance audiobook copy.

“People choose their own paths, and however much you love them there comes a point when they have to take responsibility themselves for the journey they’ve embarked upon.” 🙌🏻

Katie Shaw lived a charmed life in the English countryside. At the cusp of graduation, she had big dreams, her devoted boyfriend Sam, 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, 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 and wealthy professor of fate and free will has been brutally murdered. 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.

“It is a parent’s job to guide their children gently and hope for the best, not to control them.”

Ever since I read The Whisper Man, @alex had been an auto-buy author for me. So I was elated when I was given both the ARC and ALC of his newer book! And it did not disappoint. This is a multi faceted story spanning multiple generations with both deeply disturbed and supremely honorable characters. Initially I was not sure how these different stories intertwined but what a joy that ah ha moment was when it all came together. There were a few twists I had an inkling about and some I did NOT see coming. A solid thriller!

The audiobook was fantastic and narrated with just the right amount of emotion to have you feeling the angst and fear and determination of the characters.

Thank you to Netgalley, Celadon Books, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the advanced copies in exchange for an honest review.

This book is engaging and well-written, however it is also complex with approximately 5-6 running plot lines with switching POVs throughout. I think the difficulty of this book in audio, is that there is no identification of whose POV we are in until their name is said or a character aspect that is unique. If the audio chapters were headlined by name, that would be a big improvement. The narrator is good and the story I enjoyed a lot.

I absolutely LOVED this. This is the kind of smart, meticulous, puzzle filled crime book I’ve been looking for for so long. Yes there are quite a few characters and sub splots, time jumps into different parts of the past, and mysteries on top of mysteries but this truly all came together SO WELL.

I was at the edge of my seat from the beginning, I just couldn’t turn the pages fast enough but I also wanted to absorb all the careful details and bends North sprinkles in.

If you’re looking for a quick popcorn thriller or crime, this isn’t it. I so often find myself bored with the obvious traps and crimes found in many crime and thrillers lately but not so here!

This is crafted expertly with small clues meant to embed themselves in your mind and keep you guessing and working. It’s truly like doing a puzzle where even though you know you’ve found the right piece for a section, you have to turn it a few ways to get it to fit. You can’t tune this out or be distracted while reading this. To really appreciate the story, this demands and for me, definitely captured my full attention.

This will definitely be one I recommend again and again as crime fiction that feels like a real return to the genre and move away from the cheap crime thrillers and obvious detective stories that have been saturating the genre. The audiobook is narrated so well that really elevates the reading experiences, immersing you in the tension expertly and really ratcheting up the emotions. Thank you so much Celadon for my galley and ALC!