Alex North has done it again!! Suspenseful, thrilling twist! Loved every page!! Criminal Minds vibes as always!

Katie Shaw had the carefree life everyone dreams of: about to graduate and head to college and her amazing relationship with her boyfriend Sam. When Katie decided to ditch her little brother Chris to hang out with Sam, her life and her family’s life is changed forever. Katie is still dealing with the guilt of Chris’ near death experience as she maneuvers adult life. When she gets a call from her mom that her estranged brother is missing, she knows she has to find him. A picture emerges of intertwined stories of Alan Hobbes, a professor, Chris and detective Laurence Page. Detective Page was there when Chris was attacked so many years ago, and now Chris is the suspect in professor Hobbes murder. There is more than meets the eye with each character and it’s Katie’s hope to put the pieces together
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I literally screamed when I got an email saying I was chosen for this ARC. Whisper Man and The Shadows are two of my favorite books, so I had been patiently awaiting the release of this one. This book DID NOT disappoint. Alex North is the best at weaving different character and their stories around until they eventually connect. It constantly kept me guessing and trying to figure out what happened next. Of course, I was completely wrong but my mind was blown by this book. I give this one all of the stars

First off, thank you netgalley, celadon books, and Alex North for this early copy of The Angel Maker. I'm a thriller lover through and through.

Chris Shaw grew up with his sister, mom, and dad. One day something terrible happens to Chris and thankfully he survives. Since that terrible day Chris started living on a downward spiral and he ended up involved in drugs. At a family even he stole his sister's money and disappeared for a couple years leaving his family to wonder what happened and if he was dead or alive. His father died at some point. And Chris returned to his mother looking healthy and off drugs. He explained to her that he got clean and has a successful job but would not go into further explanation. Then out of the blue he disappears again. Momma calls sister to investigate, even though she's the last person that wants to deal with it. She uncovers some sketchy things going on and also discovers that the guy who hurt her brother those many years ago is coming back to haunt them.

I enjoyed the twists and deeper backstory behind the book. I thought the beginning of the book up through about the halfway point was a bit confusing. It was hard to follow, but once I got past that, the other half really drew things together.

My favorite character is Alan. A selfless act saved his little boy even though he did have to make a huge sacrifice.

Overall, I enjoyed this book! It was slow to start, but it came together around 60% and I was enthralled by the plot. This is a slow-burn complex thriller that you have to take a little time with to understand completely. It had elements of a crime novel that I was not expecting, but I thought were necessary to help explain the plot.

I have not read The Whisper Man yet, I will add it to my TBR!

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I am an Alex North fan and I was so excited to get the opportunity to read this arc. This book did NOT disappoint.

There are so many moving parts and to see them all tied together in end was a work of art. I would recommend this to people who love thrillers. It was amazing.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for this ARC!!

Alex North does it again. This book gave me heart palpitations and chills simultaneously the entire book. I have loved both of the previous novels and cannot wait to read more by this author.

I was so excited to receive this ARC because I have loved both of Alex North’s previous books. When I started this book I was left confused for roughly half of the book by the amount of characters and the name changes along with the story line jumping around. In retrospect I think that using a characters first name in some chapters/timeline then on others going by the last name was what did it for me. By the end the story had truly picked up in North fashion and I couldn’t put it down. While I had made a crib sheet early on to keep track of characters this proved helpful in figuring out the underlying plot and even though I figured it out it didn’t spoil it. By then e I really enjoyed the book. Wish there were some 1/2 stars. Solid 3 1/2 for me

I may be the wrong audience for this, but I felt it had far too many storylines. As I read it over several days, I found myself having to refer back to remember characters, details.

Usually I would start one of these off by writing a synopsis of the material. With this book, however; writing a synopsis would be the ultimate spoiler. Seriously. I don't know how I would I would be able to compose a recap without spoiling one thing or another. My biggest piece of advice when starting The Angel Maker would be this: go in expecting nothing and maybe with a notebook, some pens, and your favorite highlighter. This one is a ride.

I have a lot of gripes with The Angel Maker, but one of my biggest ones is how it's marketed. I went in thinking this was going to be a mystery-thriller. What I got was a true crime whodunit. It's not a major issue, but a big reason I wanted to read this book is because I thought it was a thriller. And sure, it had it's thriller-esque moments, but not nearly enough.

The Angel Maker definitely had a lot of potential and I found myself enjoying the first 40-ish%. I was very intrigued by the characters and was excited to see them become fleshed out and complex... That never happened. Every character remained surface level and then even more got added. The "what happened?" part of this book was also very exciting... Until several timelines are introduced and everything goes haywire and it's nearly impossible to follow along. I am a good reader. I tested at a 12th grade reading comprehension level in 6th grade. I don't have problems with complicated reading materials and yet this book completely lost me several times.

All-in-all, it was a very underwhelming book when it finally ended. The conclusion was rushed and short. The plot was... meh at the best. Ultimately, this book was far too short. The characters, plot, and timelines deserved to be fleshed out and they didn't get to be. 100 or so more pages would have made this book awesome.

Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for the advanced copy of The Angel Maker.

I have enjoyed all of Alex North's books, and The Angel Maker was no exception. It was super creepy and bizarre, and I loved the serial killer aspect of it. It was such a strange story, but it captivated me from the first page and I refused to put it down until I had read the entire thing in a day! It was dark, twisty, and right up my alley!

This was my first read by Alex North although I have heard great things about his other Book, The Whisper Man. After reading this one it definitely has moved up on my TBR list. Thank you Netgalley and Celadon Books for this Arc.
This book has it all revenge, detectives , a serial killer and then there’s the book that is supposed to tell the future. It all sounded weird at first, but the twists, turns, and suspense that brought this entire story together was clever and had me guessing until the end, much like the detectives on how everything fit together until the jaw dropping conclusion. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. Add it to your TBR immediately !

I really enjoyed Alex North's previous books, so I was excited when I received an arc for The Angel Maker. It started out strong, and I was sure I would like it just as well as the previous books by North, but sadly, it fell somewhat flat for me.

I feel the main issue with the book is the numerous characters and time jumps. At times, I felt like I had no idea who the author was talking about and even had to backtrack. Constantly switching between people's first and last names also confused me greatly. Once I finally figured out who's who and the story neared its ending, I found myself skimming. There just wasn't enough excitement for me to want to finish the book anymore. And even now that I read it all, I still don't quite understand why it's titled The Angel Maker.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Genre: Mystery Thriller

The Angel Maker is a dark mystery thriller that follows multiple perspectives. It's about Katie and her younger brother Chris, and how a past incident shaped their future. Chris gets involved with people who are connected to a serial killer. This serial killer has a superhero ability. On the other hand, detective Laurence and his female partner are working on a murder investigation. Everything should connect at the end, giving you a clear picture of the story.

This is the first book I've read by the author. I have The Whisper Man on my TBR, but I decided to go first with this newer release. The biggest positive aspect of this book is its dark atmosphere. I have to give the author credit because the story has a really intense atmosphere, and the ambiguity of the plot has contributed greatly to keeping the atmosphere steady and strong throughout the narrative.

Where the story fell flat for me was the lack of focus. It is a confusing thriller due to the many perspectives and the different timelines. All this makes the book a hard story to follow and concentrate on. I really liked Katie’s part and her relationship with her brother. I can’t say the same about the other perspectives. Actually, I don’t feel the detective’s side was even that important or needed in the story. The characters really needed more development because they are introduced to the reader and you don’t get enough time to become acquainted with them before moving on to the next. The author does mention in his acknowledgment that he had to oversimplify things a bit to make them feel more entertaining. I just wish he made the plot less convoluted instead.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the ARC of this book.

Halfway through this book, I popped over to Goodreads after proclaiming loudly, do I smell a philosophy/theoretical physics crossover? Do I?! I ignored the looks from my family that said: "okay, she's at it again," and loaded the book page to see the genres people were labeling this, and not once did I read the words Sci-fi. You have let me down, GR!

So imagine how much I railed after flipping the last page of the book because I wasn't prepared!

The Sci-fi element is light in the grand scheme of things, really, but it's there, and it's beautiful and is a rabbit hole of research 2 hours after bedtime. It is everything right with books with such material in a way that's reachable to readers. It's subtle, in the background, telling you to enjoy the mystery, but there's still more yet to come.

I already loved North's work before this, but this is something so special. What am I supposed to do with myself now? I sat here for 2 days after writing my initial thoughts, and I still don't have the words to review this. And what can you really say that won't spoil the book?

Told between Laurence and Katie, I loved the alternating perspectives. The plot is intricate, it unfolds a bit like a Koontz book, where you have person A for a bit, then person B, maybe C, and then we circle back around. It's a unique storytelling style that might not be for everyone, but it's brilliant in the way everything comes together. This is a super fun mystery, with so many enjoyable elements working in the background. Thank you, Celadon Books, for sending over an ARC.

I was so excited to receive this eArc from NetGalley for review, as I absolutely loved The Whisper Man. Unfortunately I think this is my least favorite of two.

I think the biggest hurdle for me was how slow this story moved. Plus there were just too many POVs for my taste.

All in all, I enjoyed my time reading this and I would recommend it to a horror or thriller lover. I will also continue to read from this author in the future.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
Publish date 2/28/22

In true form, Alex North has given us a serpentine cast of characters and plot. Each aspect of the characters and how they play into the intricate plot slots together piece by piece.

Many of the characters are evil, some are evil due to circumstances. Past and current lives entwine to weave a story full of dark secrets, heinous events, and puzzle pieces forced together in a dark web only this author can weave.

I enjoyed this book. While there were some slower parts, the overall book was entertaining and kept me wondering where every plot point would land.

Alex North - The Angel Maker

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel.

Interesting serial killer thriller that delves into the history and past of another serial killer who believed in predestination. An intelligently written thriller that touches on other philosophical questions such as "nature versus nurture" and issues of murder in some unique ways that delve beyond your "average" mystery.

Until next time...

The Angel Maker, by Alex North, is his usual creepy novel. I would classify this one as in between a mystery and a thriller. Throughout the novel, the reader is questioning everything! This was very creatively written.

This is my third book by Alex North, and he is a reliable source of dark complicated thrillers.

Readers, grab your thinking caps for this one. You will need it to keep track of the characters and the plot in this one. Throw in a serial killer, a partially burned mansion, mysterious notebooks, and fate vs. conscious choices -- you have all the elements for a compelling read.

Katie and her brother Chris have a strong bond although she has a lot of guilt about a tragic accident that befell Chris while she was with her boyfriend. She lives in fear of another terrible thing happening to her family.

Years later, Katie is married and has a charming daughter, but still lives with a fearful mindset. Her fears are realized when she discovers that her brother is missing.

There’s a detective in this one who is investigating the murder of a philosophy professor. He wants to talk to Chris about the case but can’t seem to find him either. Katie starts to investigate on her own and I wanted to yank her out of dangerous situations!

Do you believe everything is fated to happen? Or can you change your destiny? That’s another theme in the book, adding to the mystery! And just who is the Angel Maker? It all came together in the end, and I enjoyed the journey, although I wouldn’t want to meet any of these characters in a dark alley.

My sincere thanks to Celadon for the chance to read this one and offer my honest review. Scheduled to release 2.28.2023. That's the closest I get to predicting the future!

Thank you to Celadon and NetGalley for this ARC. I enjoyed Alex North's previous books and was very excited to get my hands on The Angel Maker as soon as possible.

The book was definitely not what I expected, The plot was quite complex with multiple timelines and characters, and I times I felt that I lost the thread. While it took me some time to really get into the book, I was surprised by the twists and connections between the stories. I did ultimately like how everything tied together even if I feel as though I have open questions.

If you like your psychological thrillers with a heavy dose of Philosophy 101, this is the book for you. 3.5 stars