Thank you @celadonbooks and @netgalley for my complimentary digital copy AND audiobook! I was thrilled to receive these and my thoughts are my own.

I have been waiting for this book for the last year and I was so excited to finally read it! For my friends who want to read a book with a creepy storyline and a few grisly murders, this one is for you!

This book opens up with a murder that will give you cold chills! But there is a conundrum too. It’s almost as if the victim, a popular college professor, KNEW he was going to be murdered!

Meanwhile, in a seemingly unrelated case, Katie Shaw’s brother is missing. As she searches for him she begins to feel she is being watched and she fears her family is in danger.

As Detective Laurence Page investigates the murder of the professor, he finds ties to an old case and a dead serial killer from the past…one who claimed to be able to see the future!

All of these cases tie together and lead to a dramatic conclusion!

MY THOUGHTS: This is a complex story, with multiple characters and switching timelines. I started with the audiobook but switched to the print version. For me, the print version was easier to follow and allowed me to pick up on the intricacies of the mystery…things I may have missed if I wasn’t totally focused on the audio version. Read this if you enjoy complex dark thrillers!

I received both the ebook and audiobook for The Angel Maker - and I truly enjoyed listening along to this story. The narrator is perfect and the pace of her reading felt very true to the words.

The Angel Maker - a prolific serial killer from the past known for their deprave crimes - left a legacy written in paper and blood. Both, forgotten - and time passes. But both the book left behind and the boys who survived will lead a tale that is intricately woven into the lives of the Shaw family. Katie and Chris Shaw are siblings - haunted by the day Chris is attacked and severely injured while Katie, just once, lets him out of her sight. But the Shaw siblings’ tale is preordained - in a book, in blood, and in the actions of those they’ve yet to meet.

Alex North is a master at taking timelines and characters and making them so intricately woven that a reader just has to stop and appreciate what’s been written for them. The end of this book blew my mind - it’s a perfectly wrapped up story, with all the minor details coming together at the penultimate chapters. The cast of characters in this book is loaded with nuance and layers - reading each part of the book peeled back more and more until the essence of each is laid bare. This was my first Alex North and I know I’ll be going back to read his prior work.

If you’re looking for a gritty, quick crime story - this is not your book. But if you’re looking for a tale of crime so artfully designed and laid out that the journey is just as important as the motive, definitely checkout this one today.

I know that Alex North has many popular books out, like The Whisper Man and The Shadows, but I never read them.

Synopsis:
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.

Thoughts:
The Angle Maker starts off with an explosive beginning but then slows down considerably.

I think with that beginning it was hard to get into the middle because it was a little slower but I also expect that from a thriller.

Many, many twists and turns.

By the time I finished this one I was just confused and didn’t connect with characters as much as I wanted to.

Three stars for me. After I finished I forgot to write my review right away and forgot about a lot of details. Yikes! I am sure others will enjoy this one more. The audiobook was a nice edition though if you are into audiobooks.

After loving The Whisper Man and The Shadows, I had high hopes for this one. It fell short of those two novels, and I think the main reason is because I found it to be fairly confusing. I had a hard time getting into the book and had a difficult time following the plot. Maybe it was just me!

I thoroughly enjoyed The Whisper Man and The Shadows, so I was very excited to receive an audio ARC of The Angel Maker by Alex North. As usual Alex North delivers a compelling thriller and I was on the edge of my seat for majority of it. I normally don't prefer dual timelines in stories, but it really helped demonstrate the fate vs. free choice, and it was incredibly interesting with how the story played out.

The only difficulty I had was listening to the multiple POVs. I feel like if I had the book in front of me, it would have been a lot easier to keep the stories straight.

I personally think Rosalie Craig was the perfect choice to narrate this story. Rosalie’s voice was incredibly pleasant to listen to and I would love to hear her voice again on any audio book!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy of this audio book!

A propulsive, dual timeline thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed the brother-sister relationship and the serial killer angle. The narrator wasn't my favorite though. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

As usual with Alex North books, I am CONFUSED for most of it. But contrary to my usual experiences, I actually enjoyed the confusion this time around. It helped that the real action started within the first few pages, but I really enjoyed the focus on the future as a theme. Would you truly want to know what would happen, especially if it meant you couldn't stop it? The narrator did an amazing job contrasting the dark themes with her light and concise voice, but still added so much drama to the story. Plus the entire idea of controlling your own fate mixed with the tales of a serial killer is just so delectable. I think I would've enjoyed it more on paper, but it's still a super fun and gruesome thriller.

*Thank you to Celadon and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

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 phenomenal. I mean beginning to end so dang good. I haven’t been this engrossed in a story in a long time. I was trying so hard to figure it out but I couldn’t. I loved the characters that he built. One of my favorite things was his ability to make this a serial killer story without completely fixating on the serial killer. He was an ancillary character and nothing more and that’s what is so brilliant about this story. Most need the serial killer to keep you interested. This one absolutely did not. By far my favorite Alex North and definitely a contender for favorite book of the year!

The Angel Maker is my first Alex North novel, but now I see what the hype is about. Alex North takes what is seemingly a random attack at the beginning of the book and weaves a complicated and totally addictive backstory and then takes it forward into the future, explaining that maybe it wasn't so random after all, that maybe it was always fated to happen, I really enjoyed the character of Katie Shaw. who really is just trying to do the right thing and protect those she loves, but is caught up in circumstances that are beyond her control. The audio version of The Angel Maker is perfectly narrated, taking what is already a great book and giving it that little bit something extra.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the audio ARC in exchange for a review. This is based on the narrator only; they did a fab job! A great listen for your ear holes

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. Totally unbelievable and didn’t catch my attention much. Ending predictable and also way too drawn out. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is one that you need to focus when listening/reading, There are a lot of characters and storylines that somehow go together. To me - this book was a bit confusing - I suppose I didn't focus as much as I should have because I have just finished and quite honestly I don't really know what happened or why. I did love The Whisper Man by this author but this one was just kind of a miss for me.

The Angel Maker is the type of book I should have loved but drowned in the details. Bluntly put, there is just too many characters and timelines. I thought getting the audiobook version would help, but I still struggled to become invested.

Thank you for giving me access to this audio ARC.

When a professor is brutally murdered, Detective Page finds themself caught in the middle of two cases from years past - a supposed future-seeing serial killer and a teenager (Chris) savagely attacked. The phone call Chris' sister Katie receives telling them Chris has gone missing is the start of the investigation which will bring the serial killer and the connections altogether.

The storyline is magnificent. The suspense is excellent. I had difficulty trying to keep everything in line at the beginning of the story. However, once I was past the initial issues, I was completely enthralled with the plotline.

The narrator, Rosalie Craig, was wonderful. They sounded professional and perfect voice for this suspenseful story.

I have liked the Alex North books I’ve read so far. And I liked this, too. There were some things that just bothered me about it. It is all based and dependent on people taking a philosophical mind exercise and making it literal. That’s where it gets hard to accept, at least one of the places. I also had a little bit of trouble with the main character. Aside from being shallow and boring, she was so blind to her brother. Yeah, he has a lot of problems. You would to if your sister decided sex with her boyfriend was more important than walking home with you and some guy stabs you several times and tries to remove your face. That’s gonna leave some emotional scars that no one seems to really want to see. Sure, she has her own guilt, but it is completely a self-centered view of what happened.

I guess this wasn’t my favorite Alex North book. It was ok.

The Angel Maker is a little difficult to review. I liked that the book is a combination of crime-thriller and paranormal with a philosophical undercurrent but I also struggled keeping track of what was really happening. The core story is very interesting but the book is a slow burn with multiple viewpoints that hops around a lot and twists the timeline. As someone who enjoys when a story unravels through multiple perspectives, this was a lot to keep track of, especially in the beginning. The audio for The Angel Maker actually very well done but I do need to note that this isn't an audio book that is multitask friendly. With how things are revealed throughout the book, I found myself having to rewind even while doing simple task, so I didn't miss anything.

After reading The Whisper Man by Alex North, this book was highly anticipated for me. Unfortunately, it didn't work for me that well. I enjoyed the concept of the book, a crime thriller with paranormal and alternate universe tropes. The parts I struggled with were how much of a slow burn the book was as well as the multiple points of view and timelines. Normally, I enjoy multiple points of view, however, in this book they skipped around a lot and at times it was hard to know which character I was reading about. I felt the timelines were a bit jumbled as well, at times jumping around without any clear delineation on what timeline I was reading. I also felt the characters were hard to connect with. The final twist at the end was interesting, however, I did guess it. All in all, this was a decent read, but not one that I will remember in a few years time. I will read more from this author though, because I did enjoy The Whisper Man.

Alex North’s books are hit or miss for me. I really enjoyed The Whisper Man; however, The Shadows was just OK. This one fell into the just OK category. This book took lots of concentration to understand what was going on. Multiple puzzle pieces that had to fit together in just the right way. It was a creepy read. I will give it that. The cast of characters was vast and it was hard at times to keep track of each one of them. I thought the idea of this story was unique and on target. The beginning was too much of a slow-burn and then I just got confused as the story went on. I do hope others enjoy reading The Angel Maker.

A twisty mind-bending anxiety attack from cover to cover. The narrator was absolutely perfect for this work. She had me so tense I thought I was going to pop a blood vessel.
The intertwined storylines gave me so much to think about and I loved it. Each piece was so important to focus on and remember. Great characters to follow, and I ate it up. Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this audioArc in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Oy vey! This was a flop for me, which was a big disappointment because I loved North’s other two books.

Where to begin… Well, this started off strong with a good opening that grabbed my attention. After that, not so much. This is told in different timelines, from multiple points of view. There are two major storylines. And overall, it’s mostly confusing and it just didn’t keep my interest. My mind kept wondering, a lot.

What I liked: there is a philosophical debate that is central to the overall plot. It was thought provoking and I enjoyed the questions it presented. Unfortunately, that’s petty much it.

As I said earlier, there are two major storylines. I kept listening, waiting for the “Aha” moment to arrive, that explained how they were connected. It never happened. The one storyline seems to be completely pointless, with so much left unanswered. I finished and thought ok, what the heck did I miss? I saw another friend post about it that day and asked her if she understood the point; caught something I didn’t. She felt the same way and had the same questions.

As much as I love this publisher and author, this is unfortunately one I just can’t recommend.