Ooh, this was twisty and there were so many intersecting stories that helped complete this mystery. I have had The Whisper Man and The Shadows on my TBR shelf for a couple of years and I am definitely going to have to move them up the list after reading this book.

Rosalie Craig did a great job of narrating this novel and I will look for more books narrated by Rosalie in the future.

When I read The Whisper Man in January of 2020, I was so impressed. It was everything I wanted in a Crime Thriller. It was gritty, eerie, sordid and compelling. That book single-handedly sealed the fate of my future with this author. I would anxiously await and then eagerly pick up all his new releases.

I ended up really enjoying The Shadows as well. Thus, when I heard about this book, North's most recent release, The Angel Maker, I was over the moon with anticipation. Sadly, this one ended up being a complete miss for me.

I listened to the audiobook and starting out, I was so jazzed. The narration was great and I was stoked to be getting early access to North's new book. The next thing I know, I am 20% in and I have NO CLUE what is happening, who anyone is, or what I am supposed to care about. I can recall the very beginning though, that was interesting and it did stick with me.

A teen girl, who is supposed to walk her brother home from school, chooses not to in lieu of spending some private time with her boyfriend. When she arrives home to police cars, lights and an active investigation, she's horrified to learn her kid brother had been viciously attacked.

Katie and Chris were the siblings. Here I am at the end of the novel and those are the only two characters I would be able to talk about with any confidence at all. I cannot name one other character. Truthfully, I couldn't follow this plot to save my life. It apparently required way more concentration than I was willing to give it. I didn't care at all. There were so many characters, none of which I felt were developed, besides Katie. After the 60%-point, I just wanted it to end and here we are.

With this being said, I am very aware that I am in the minority opinion on this one. There are so many people who read this and absolutely loved it. Therefore, do not take my opinion on this one as anything more than what it is: one Reader's jilted opinion.

Please note, even though this didn't work for me, I still think that Alex North is an incredible author and I will continue to pick up all his future novels. Thank you so much to the publisher, Celadon and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with copies to read and review.

I appreciate the opportunity to provide my opinion and look forward to seeing what North comes up with next.

I have been itching for a new Alex North novel! The time has finally come and it did not disappoint!

Warning my sweet book friends, this is a complex book. It centers around a very unique and mind-bending topic while adding 6+ characters to the plotline. It can be a lot to process at times.

BUT if you stay patient. Really sit with North's prose. Boy, this book will knock your socks off.

I really loved this book. I loved that it was weird. I loved that North centered his story around this weird complex topic of determinism. I loved being able to stop and think about the concept. I loved when the twists dropped. I loved when my brain melted out of my ears. It's awesome.

Pro-tip #1: Do the book and the audio together.

This really helped me a lot! I was able to grasp what was happening throughout the story listening and reading at the same time. As I said before this book is complex. It can be very confusing. Take your time be patient.

Pro-tip #2: Take notes

I am a person who thrives and understands better when I take extensive notes. Yes, I know...this feels like homework. But hear me out, this helps keeps the characters straight. No spoilers but that's important to fully get punched by North's twisty tale.

Pro-tip #3: Be Patient

I dropped a star rating from the book. It had to happen. It's difficult and frustrating at times to embrace this book. He throws a ton at you. Characters. Determinism. Crossing-storylines.

There are many times where I had to re-read sections of the book or reverse the audio thirty seconds backwards to full grasp what was written. I admit it got frustrating at times.

But be tolerant of the depth this book has. There are high rewards at the end.

I do highly recommend this book if you love twisty, weird and complicated stories. Alex North's stories are so good. You really don't want to miss this one.

It's terrifying in the most bizarre way.

It will open you're eyes about the way the world works around you.

It will make you think deeper.

It will confuse you but once everything clicks...your mouth will guarantee drop.

It lived up to the hype for me.

I've had Alex North on my radar for awhile, and my first book of his, The Angel Maker is now behind me.

Immediately after finishing this thriller, I headed to GoodReads to find an explanation for my lack of understanding in the plot and my "what did I just read" confusion. What I found in amongst the very positive reviews, were thoughts like mine: the plot and characters were just too much to keep track of.

The prologue had such promise, and it made me wish that I hadn't started this book right before bed! But then chapter one came, and I found myself questioning what was happening, wondering if maybe my eARC was missing a section, because there just seemed to be a huge gap between the prologue and this first chapter. As I kept reading, I continued to feel overwhelmed and as though I was thrown into a story that felt like it was already traveling at warp speed, with too many characters that weren't fully (or easily) explained, and a plot that I just couldn't grasp.

I did a tandem Kindle and audio combination for this thriller, and I had no issues with the narration. Since the words were in front of my eyes as my ears listened, I don't believe that my lack of comprehension was due to spacing out during the audiobook - but I also can't even explain what happened in this book.

While I read, I was hopeful that the plot, and the many characters would all come together in a twist that explained things and everything would click into place for me; sadly that "ah ha" moment never came.

It seems everyone loves The Whisper Man and The Shadows (both of which sit on my shelf), and I will pick them up in due time, but I'm not sure I'm in a rush.

Thank you NetGalley, Caladon Books and Macmillan Audio for the complimentary copies to read and review.

Oh wow how can I do this book justice in my review without giving away spoilers. So I will just keel my review brief and say it was completely and utterly brilliant.

When I saw news of the release of The Angel Maker, I was intrigued by the plot and I had liked The Whisper Man so I decided to give this a try.

I have an advanced egalley of the audiobook. I listened to it every day but somehow every time I came back to it I was confused by the plot. Unfortunately this just wasn't for me. I couldn't keep up with which characters were in present time vs past, there were too many names, and I didn't feel particularly interested in the plot or the characters. This might just be that the book doesn't translate well to audio, but I did see similar reviews elsewhere.

This book was a fast paced nail-biter, but also incredibly confusing. There are so many storylines and time switches, I found myself loss for a bit. I ended up enjoying it overall and found it to be creepy, just lacking something. I also wasn’t super impressed with the narrator, and I do wonder if I would have have a better reading experience reading a physical/eBook copy.

I was very grateful to have been gifted the audio edition of the Angel Maker by NetGalley and Macmillan audio. A long car trip seemed like the perfect time to listen to this story but my assumption was wrong.
This is a fast paced and ever twisting and turning thriller/ horror story with a touch of the mystical. It’s difficult to give any synopsis or insight into the plot and characters as the storyline kept changing in time, place and characters. This was not a simple story and wasn’t suited to my long car drive which also required some concentration.
Much of the story line was intriguing The reader was excellent. Initially it seemed to be the story of a sister and brother and an almost tragedy. But then I found myself thrust into the world of Professor Alan Hobbs , whose life’s work was focused on predestination. He knew when and how his life would end. It took a very long time to connect the pieces of the story along with an overflowing cast of characters , introduced and then gone.
At some point I will give this book another try at a time when I’m not involved in another task and am more able to give this story the concentration required to do it justice.

I love Alex North's works of writing and have read a lot by him. For me, I'm not sure if this is because it was an audiobook or because there was so much going on, but I could not focus enough to keep the story straight. I did love listening to the book, but will be re-reading the book on my Kindle so I can fully grasp it. Either way, I thought this book was well written and I can't wait to read about piece by Alex North.

This fast paced thriller will keep readers on their toes, but only if they read this book in as few sittings as possible. Why do I suggest that? Because there are multiple characters and storylines to keep up with. If readers don’t, it may cause confusion. I finished this in a day (shoutout travel days), and there were a few points where I was scratching my head.

Although there was a lot to remember, I really liked how much crime was incorporated rather than gore. Yes, there were some really creepy and gruesome descriptions, but there was more true crime than I was expecting. The atmosphere North provides definitely brought the eerie vibes to life, but too much was included to really give that slow burn, drag out the mystery, kind of feel.

One POV, Katie, is a mess and as Andy Bernard says, “I don’t trust you, Phyllis.” She’s not unstable per se, but her decisions are chaotic and the situations she finds herself in are a little too coincidental. Her actions alone annoyed me, which made the other POVs feel disjointed and as if they were a different story altogether.

There is another aspect that is very spoiler heavy so I won’t share it here. It involves mockery, which I found sort of hilarious, but maybe I turned it into dark humor when North didn’t have that intention.

Did I like it? Kind of. Did I predict the twist? Yes (really proud of myself for this). Will it be a thriller I recommend to folks? Probably not.

Big thank you to Celadon for the gifted copy.

Content warnings: murder, child abuse, suicide, drug abuse, addiction, misogyny, pedophilia

The Angel Maker tells the story of Katie, Chris, Alan, and Edward. They are all connected by a past that has not been unraveled that relates to a long ago serial killer called the Angel Maker. When Alan is murdered, it sets in motion events that can't be undone. Will everyone make it out alive?
This book was absolutely captivating. I loved that the book is rooted in the author’s philosophy studies. This book and it‘s views on religion and determinism really got to me. The twists and turns took me by surprise. Abuse and trauma and it’s effects on the next generation is a big topic but actually it is just a truly captivating thriller. I kept reading at the edge of my seat. I loved that the author was able to make this a semi-historical serial killer story without completely fixating on the serial killer - an intriguing concept well executed !

I wasn't quite sure if I'd read THE ANGEL MAKER by Alex North or not, but Rosalie Craig's narration drew me right in. I particularly liked her voice for the italicized text -- her inflection added to the words on the page.

As much as I have no complaints about the narration, I did opt to read the text for the rest of the book (honestly this could have just been a matter of it being a weekend, so my eyes weren't already tired by the time I picked up the book. Or my wanting a speed somewhere between 2x and 2.5x, which isn't possible via the NetGalley app).

As a not-infrequent mystery/thriller reader, THE ANGEL MAKER felt like pretty run of the mill crime fiction to me -- not terribly dark, suspenseful, or creepy. To be sure, I didn't set it aside for another book (it did keep my attention). There are a lot of moving parts from the beginning; I'd recommend reading it in one or two days, rather than over the course of a week+, for maximum enjoyment. This is the sort of book that I think could be a fun ride poolside or on a plane/train/road trip.

The plot comes together, and did so the way I was expecting it to -- nice to feel smart for working it all out early on, but would have enjoyed a twist or two.

I appreciate the opportunity to review but I was very bored by this. Too many timelines to follow to try to be complex. Just ended up losing my interest

BOOK REVIEW: The Angel Maker by Alex North
2023 Publication Date: February 28

⭐️⭐️

T.I.M.E. Most Anticipated Books Of 2023

Pages: 322
Genre: Thriller Books
Sub-Genre: Crime Fiction
Time Period: Present Day
Location: England
Publisher: Celadon Books | Macmillan Audio

PUBLISHER BOOK SYNOPSIS
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Whisper Man and The Shadows comes 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...

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.

--------------------

All my book reviews can be seen at This Is My Everybody | Simple Living | Denise Wilbanks at thisismyeverybody.com/blog/what-book-should-i-read

♡ Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

When it comes to THE ANGEL MAKER, I was expecting something on the verge of thriller/mystery, but what I got leaned much more crime novel. This is a book that almost has to be digested in a sitting or two or else facts and puzzle pieces start slipping through the cracks and the enjoyment of the reading experience gets away from you. Listening to the audiobook, I soldiered on knowing that my understanding of the story was fragile at best and if I put off finishing the book I would not be setting myself up for success. Ultimately I still a big fan of North's THE WHISPER MAN, this newest addition to their corpus of work just didn't do it for.

North is exceptional when it comes to crafting a decidedly creepy, foreboding atmosphere and I was really looking forward to experiencing that again. I thoroughly enjoyed The Shadows and I had really high hopes for The Angel Maker! Unfortunately, this one was just okay for me. North did a phenomenal job of playing with the levels of intensity in pacing making the read decidedly thriller creepy and tense. The narration by Rosalie Craig was great! She played Katie exceptionally well and even the other characters had their own flair. It made the listen that more enjoyable!

Unfortunately, I wasn't as hooked as I ought to have been. Philosophy, the idea of predetermination, and a bit of religion are integral pieces of this story and I struggled with it. A few times past 60 percent, I had to convince myself to start listening again. Once I pressed play it was fine but I wasn't desperate to dive back into the story.

I enjoyed Laurence's POVs the most and wish we had more time with him. I struggled with Katie as a character but I also have a daughter that is Sienna's age and I can be a bit feral when it comes to her protection and Katie's actions didn't make sense to me in that lens. The familial bonds and loyalty were all there on the page but I didn't feel connected enough to experience that emotion and angst this time around.

Ultimately, I think this North book was just "meh" for me. The story was clever and complicated and I got a little lost in the twists and philosophy. It may be a case of needing to read a physical copy to keep track but I doubt it this time. Maybe, I'm just not clever enough. After all, I did require a glass or two of wine for philosophy homework during college! A solid mystery/thriller from North but not my favorite.

*I voluntarily listened to an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I received an audio galley of this book from Netgalley. This does not affect the objectivity of my review.

I’ve read a couple of Alex North’s previous books, so I was excited to read The Angel Maker. This story follows Katie Shaw, whose brother was a young victim of an attempted murder. She feels guilty for not protecting him and that guilt has followed her into adulthood. When her brother once again goes missing, she steps in to help him.

The suspense and mystery throughout this story builds at a nice smooth pace. The story starts out peaceful, but slowly little things here and there go wrong and that sense of unease starts to creep in. I thought the tension was really good.

There are several storylines that occur in different places and times throughout the story. It creates a feeling of putting a puzzle together as we get more and more snippets of info. Upon occasion, I found the multiple storylines a little confusing, but for the most part I was able to follow it.

My biggest issue with this story was that I felt a little bit detached from the characters. I wanted to feel their feelings and really get to understand them, but it just felt a bit superficial.

All in all, this was a solid thriller/mystery. If you like family drama, serial killers, and lots of twists, you will likely like this too.

For the audiobook, the narrator was very good. I loved the way he read the story and found it easy to distinguish between characters.

This is my first novel by Alex North, but it won't be my last. Definitely pick this up if you enjoy an intricately plotted mystery. Mr. North weaves a lot of threads throughout, and winds the reader through quite a twisty thriller!

There are a lot of characters in this one spanning multiple timelines. I listened to the audiobook, and at times I wished I had the ebook or a physical copy so I could go back and look a few things up. (The narrator was fantastic and did a great job.) There are a lot of moving pieces to keep track of along the way!

I don't know what it was about this book, but I didn't enjoy it at all. In fact, I DNF'd it after many attempts to listen, at about the halfway point. I've loved North's last two novels so was very disappointed in this one.

New to me narrator Rosalie Craig knocked my socks off with this book! I loved the way she brought every voice into the story and made it their own. There were times I got goosebumps from how sinister a voice could come across and how soft and loving another would be. I won't say which characters made me feel either way but the narrator was amazing at bringing this horror novel to life.

I don't know where to start with a review for this book. I've finished it roughly 4 hours ago and I am raw. I feel like a part of me was sliced into and I am simply bleeding emotions from this story. When will I learn that Alex North has the capability to drag me into the depths of horror novel and make me cry with how much I am IN the story.

The Angel Maker focuses on something I have always wondered and studied: nature versus nurture. Are monsters born or are they created? Can you create a child into an empathetic productive member of society by the nurture of love and stability or will their DNA ultimately take over? North tackles this within The Angel Maker but you have to pay attention to what's going on as its unfolded before you in a unique and engaging way.

I was sucked into this story immediately and had so many theories on what was going on; who killed who, who was who and what does all of this actually mean. I have read the authors previous works so the familiarity of past to present to memories to articles to a side character showing up with a POV because it's how it has to happen was easy to fall into. But while this had a familiarity to it, North delivers a brand new story with depraved characters and those who fight against the dark.

I worried about Chris from the beginning. I worried why Katie thought it was her fault. I loathed Leland and that never changed. I didn't trust Sam though I wanted to. Alan broke my heart and made me cry. I liked that Detective Laurence had a connection to the attack on Chris as a teenager - that's something that comforts me in a way. Knowing the cop on the job is more than just a cop, you know? Pettifer was a great contrast to Laurence and the way they work together was a joy to witness.

I don't know how to describe this story without giving everything away that needs to be read. I keep thinking about forbidden text and people who think they really are doing gods work by murdering innocents, How much our past can influence our futures and how much free will or control we really have over what happens in our life.

I am in awe of the timeline in the book and how the author was able to keep it all straight as he wrote it, if he did keep it straight. I am just in awe of this book. Awe of the context and of the narrator. They are a beautiful match.