I have to be honest, some of the time jumping confused me, but I really didn't want to put this book down. I was totally into the story and couldn't figure out where it was going or how what happened came to be. Katie Shaw made a choice when she was a teenager and it changed the course of her family's lives forever. Years later, her brother Chris is a drifter and their relationship is on the rocks. In talking to her mom, she hears that Chris has come back, but didn't want her to know. Now Chris is missing and Katie thinks she owes it to him to help unravel the secrets he has been keeping and get him back safe. Katie's husband hasn't always been the perfect man, and he doesn't want her involved in this, but she is finally taking a stand and doing what she believes in.
This story goes from past to present and jumps around quite a bit. There are a lot of characters too, and some have multiple names so it was a little clunky for me to figure out what was actually happening, but in the end the story came together nicely and I was left a little dumbfounded. There were many twists that I didn't see coming, starting off pretty early.
The narration was spot on and I really enjoyed the audio.
Thank you to Macmillian, Netgalley and Alex North for an early copy.

2.5 Stars

Do NOT listen to the audiobook while multitasking. There are a bunch of different characters and POVs. Not only that but the story jumps back and forth between the past and present quite often. I was so confused by the time I reached the 44% mark, that I decided to return to the beginning and start all over again. The second time around, all my focus was on the novel. Even then, I still had some issues with the writing's clarity. Therefore, the story wasn't as compelling as it could be.

Overall, I like the concept and the ending but didn't enjoy the journey.

***I would like to thank NetGalley, Alex North (the author), and Macmillan Audio for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

Thank you for the advanced copy of this audiobook. I had heard great things, so I was excited to jump in. Perhaps being an audiobook rather than physical copy, left me rather distracted at times. I thought it was a solid thriller, however I wanted it to keep my attention a little more. I may reread in the future as a physical book.

3.5
I was so thankful to be given the opportunity to listen to this arc as The Whisper Man is a book that ranked very high for me. I felt like I was unfairly comparing The Angel Maker to Whisper Man. That being said, I really enjoyed The Angel Maker. At first I had a bit of trouble keeping track of who was who but once I had that down, there were no issues. I was hoping to be more creeped out than I was but it kept my interest until the very end. This story was worth the read! The narration was great as well. .

While there are a lot of layers, timelines, and characters that make this book (especially as an audio) confusing, if you CAN at some point grasp it all, it's quite the story. I do feel like some of the chapters/perspectives could have been a little clearer, it still is a decent thriller. I do feel like title is a little misleading....there's very little related to "The Angel Maker" and truthfully, if some of that had been taken out, it wouldn't have taken away from the plot. I guess I thought there would be more to it if there was an entire plot related to it.

It felt like there was a lot of story/world/character building & then a lot of loose ends. I did enjoy the actual "twist", if you want to call it that, and those elements of it. I didn't find this especially thrilling...maybe more suspenseful?

3/5

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the advanced listening copy.

A violent stranger drastically changed the course of Katie Shaw and her brother, Chris's lives, right on the cusp of everything Katie had ever wanted. Years later, Chris is missing and Katie is getting the sense that something isn't right. On the other side of town, Detective Laurence Page is investigating a particular gruesome murder who, as it happens, has connections to the Shaw family. Everything seems to be leading back to Christopher Shaw...

This book was extremely confused and was, possibly, saved by the last 25%. For the most part, I could not follow who was who or what was going on. There was just enough of a string tying everything together for me that I continued with the audio, and I'm glad I did. I will give Alex North credit-- he wrapped up an extremely confusing plot very well. I feel good about where every character ended up and how we got there. However, the rest of the book was so chaotic it ruined the experience for me. I'm intrigued enough to seek out other work of Alex North's but this one was just okay.

Generally I have enjoyed North’s books but this one just seemed to drag and was a mystery that could have been wrapped up a lot faster. Wasn’t my favorite.

I was really letdown with this book! After loving this authors previous works, I had to have this one and was so excited to dive in. However, it was confusing, all over the place and lost my interest. I did not find it comparative to his previous works. The narrator did not hold my interest at all.

Alex North has a brilliant way of taking the macabre and bringing it to life in a thriller. This has an intricate plot with a lot of characters from different time periods who are somehow all connected, yet we don’t know how or why until the end. I had to go back and re-listen to certain sections, mostly in the beginning and middle, to make sure I understood and didn’t miss anything. I think this book translated better in the non-audio version due to its complexity. There were several great twists and North wraps up the ending very nicely with a satisfying conclusion.

I was so happy to be granted an ARC of the new Alex North! I started it immediately.

This one focuses on serial killers and determinism - the idea that everything is preordained.

The book begins with Alan Hobbes thinking about the lives that are connected to his as he waits to die:
1/ Katie Shaw, who feels overprotective of her daughter and guilty because of something that happened to her little brother when he was a kid and she left him alone.
2/ Christopher Shaw, who is Katie's younger brother and has a history of drug use amongst other things resulting from what happened to him as child.
3/ Detective Page, who will be assigned Alan's death and discover that it is linked with 2 cases he previously worked.

My only real complaint about this book was that it took me awhile to figure out the cast of characters and whether they were supposed to be good or evil. We get some past instances in Alan's life mixed in to the story following his death as well. I wasn't sure how it would end and I can definitely say I've never read this story before. Another big winner from Alex North!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to review this book ahead of publication. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

This book is like one of those ambitious jigsaw puzzles with itty-bitty pieces. They're time-consuming, challenging, and you must REALLY want to see the final picture to even care enough to make it to the end. Thankfully I did care, but it wasn't an easy journey. 😂

The Angel Maker has a large cast of characters, and multiple perspectives and subplots. It's one of those "note card books" (meaning you need a note card to keep track of it all). If I hadn't been listening to this read by the PHENOMENAL Rosalie Craig (I mean, really. Out-of-this-world talent 👏🏻), I'm not sure I'd have enjoyed it *quite* as much. I tend to not want to think this hard when reading fiction 😂 -- it required a great deal of attention to detail.

Though I'm pleased to say, it was worth it in the end once the final picture revealed itself. Though this was largely due to how enjoyable the narrator made my listening experience. Well done!! 👏🏻

Definitely recommend this book in this format!

Story: 4 stars
Audiobook narration: 5 stars

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for my gifted ALC in exchange for my honest review.💕

I really, really wanted to like this one. Author Alex North has a fierce following as he's known to put out horror hit after hit. Maybe it's this hype, or maybe it's the fact this was audio rather than physical but I struggled to keep characters straight and the jumping around really added to the confusion. I so desperately wanted to like this and the ending was truly Hollywood, but the story and buildup didn't hook me as I hoped it would.

I had trouble connecting to the book. I don't know if it's just me right now or the book, but I had to restart it twice before I could get into it. Once I got into it, there where some very absorbing parts but other parts were slow and just kind of dragged. I expected much more thrills and scary stuff

I bought The Whisper Man & The Shadows with my BOTM subscription the month they were published. I’ve since passed the books to another reader even though Doctor Who (Christopher Eccleston) also read me The Whisper Man on Audible … why? 🤷🏼‍♀️

They were both good just not superb.

I didn’t plan on reading or listening to this one. I avoided the summary. I generally don’t read a book unless I’ve investigated & think I’ll love it. Who has time for mediocre books?! I read the summary and decided to take a chance on this, I just had a feeling, maybe the cover? I’m so glad I did!! I throughly enjoyed this book. I might even say it’s my favorite of the 3 I’ve read by Alex North.

Now I want a copy for my library!

The multiple time lines! The jumping back & forth slowly brings the confusing story into focus. The serial killer. The seeing into the future. Young Katie, what happened to her brother, how it affected her & is still impacting her today with her own child!! Now her brother, Christopher has gone missing!! The gruesome murder! The detective solving it all.

Ya know that feeling that you’re not sure what’s going on & you need to wait to the end to find out … not here. You get this feeling multiple times so after the first AHA moment you start paying closer attention.

I also believe the narration was the best yet! I got chills! A great creepy book! I look forward to owning a hard copy & a reread! Amazing!

Thank you Macmillan Audio & NetGalley! I will buy this book.

Thank you Macmillan Audio and Celadon books for this ARC of Alex North’s, “ The Angel Maker “. This is my first book book by Alex North. It had great components, serial killer, family bonds and protectiveness, a bit of creepy and a look into the future. Wow, that’s a lot for a book. I had to get my bearings in the beginning, but once I did it was a heck of a ride from there. All I can hear now is “ Red Car “ over and over. The innocence of a child! Katie’s fierce love of Chris was the whole story in a nutshell, what you won’t do for your siblings. A mystical,magical,philosophical book I look forward to reading more of Alex North’s books. Great narration, kudos to Alex North keep the good books coming!!

While this story had plenty of twists and turns, there were so many overlapping characters and perspectives that it was challenging to keep them all straight. This audiobook required way more concentration than a typical thriller, but even then, I found myself lost at times trying to remember who was who. This book might have been better in print so I could have flipped back to refresh my memory, though I don’t know that the resolution to this thriller would be worth that amount of work.

The narrator was fantastic, but the story was so convoluted that it got in its own way.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advance copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was... wild, and I don't know how I feel about it.

The story was good. There certainly were thriller elements, family discord playing a big part, but also some interesting Fantasy notes that didn't QUITE get explained. The ending was satisfying, if telegraphed fairly early.

See, here's the problem. It was so chock full of different elements that, honestly, I lost the feed a couple times, and by the end I feel like North may have as well. There were also a few elements (one super early on) that I feel were left on the table rather than really well developed.

So for me, kind of a letdown compared to North's other books.

Still, for fans of the dark thriller subgenre, I'd say go out on a limb for it. Alex's literary voice and command of the reveal are certainly still on display here!

For audiobook listeners, the narrator was good. Not robotic, not too effusive. Right down the middle of the lane.

My thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I’ve read/listened to by Alex North. It was definitely dark, but not off putting. The question throughout the novel: would you want a son who does as they are told, or one that forges their own path? I appreciated the ending and was just left with one lingering question.

My first by Alex North and I really enjoyed it. The writing is top notch and loved the narrator!
Suspense, crime, mystery and family bonds drive the narrative. Interesting and engaging. I will definitely read another by the author. Well done!
Thanks Macmillan Audio via NetGalley.

It was alright, just pleasant enough to listen, but a bit boring at times. The narrators were fine, I liked them. This was my first book by the author and I'm not sure if I'll come back for more.