This was a great audiobook and the narrator was very easy to listen to. The plot and twists kept you wanting to,keep,reading. This was a very enjoyable audiobook.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this arc!
4 ⭐ read for me!
Katie was living an every day life until her brother was attacked when she didnt walk him home from school. She still feels guilt followjbg the attack. Worried that something can happen again. Years later her mother calls and says that her brother Chris is missing. She must keep her daughter safe all the while finding her brother.

Very twisty and turny! A fun ride to the very end!

TITLE: THE ANGEL MAKER
NARRATOR: Rosalie Craig
LENGTH: 10h 30m
AUTHOR: Alex North
PUB DATE: 02.27.2023 Preorder Now

Terrifying
Thrilling
Tense

I really enjoyed The Angel Maker, and found myself reading and listening to this book in a couple of sittings - and that is a good sign. This may be my favorite Alex North book.

There are multiple story lines that converge together. There are siblings Katie and Chris Shaw whose lives have changed after a brutal attack on Chris by a violent stranger. Then there are siblings Alan and Edward, raised by a religious serial killer who believes fate is destined. Detective Laurence Page and his partner in the meantime is investigating a strange death of a professor that is linked to Chris Shaw.

The writing goes back and forth in time, and yet converges together through an invisible string that linked these stories together into a chilling and thrilling conclusion as relationships are revealed. The story is suspenseful and with the addition of characters that are truly evil, gave me the creeps and the chills.

Audio Review:
Rosalie Craig did an awesome job - I really enjoyed the narration - that captured the tense and horrifying scenes, as well as distinct characters voices.

I really enjoyed The Angel Maker by Alex North. This is my 3rd from this author and he's turning into a personal favorite for sure. It was a slow start but once the plot started moving, I was hooked. I would have loved more storyline around the Angel Maker himself, or even Edward because there was more intrigue there, for me, than for Katie or Chris. The narrator was SO good and she kept me coming back for more.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was very excited to be accepted to review this audiobook as I was anticipating it’s 2023 release .
The Angel Maker introduces a very interesting topic , would we want to see the future if it was a possibility? I was intrigued by the premise however when I listened to the audiobook narrated by Rosalie Craig, I found myself disinterested but not by the story line but rather the cadence of the narrator. There are many intricacies and complex elements in the story line that were difficult to follow via the narration.

Overall, I think the concept of the book was good but I did not enjoy the execution of the narration.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sharing this audiobook with me. In exchange for an honest unbiased review Your generosity is much appreciated..

Slow burn crime thriller with an added serial killer element. The story was a little too disjointed to ever keep me fully immersed and wrapped up WAY too quickly given the intricacies of the plot. Will I forget nearly everything about this book in a few months? Most likely, but sometimes you just need a twisted mystery to occupy the ol’ noggin for a few hours, and this got the job done!

3.5 stars. Intricately plotted and well-written, as always. Hard to follow for me personally, at times. So many names! Some components more interesting than others, but I can always appreciate the eerie thriller tied with just a hint of magic that North always manages to create. The Angel Maker is no different!

Thank you to MacMillan audiobook for the review copy of Angel Maker by Alex North. I think this might be a book that is better for me as a reader in physical form as compared to an audiobook; the production and voice acting are fine but it's just a confusing plot with a lot of timeline issues/characters to track and this is a kind of book that rarely works for me as an audiobook. So take my review for what it is, a comment on a story that might be great but might not be the best for audiobook.

what worked: an interesting plot for fans, like me, of the serial killer genre and general suspense fans. I admit I wouldn't say this is a thriller per se, a bit too slow burn for me to say it has a steady thriller suspense vibe, but it did make me wonder what was going on/how the story would resolve.
Themes on philosophy/fate and family bonds and connections are also welcome and well developed so this is a book that could foster some interesting discussions!

rating: 3 star audiobook, 4 star narration/acting style, 4 star plot potential.

A serial killer who claims to see the future. A brutal attack on a young boy. A woman who will stop at nothing to keep her family safe. Seemingly unrelated but intricately connected.

Alex North is an automatic read for me. His books are the perfect combo of mystery/thriller and creepy horror. This one is no exception. Alex weaves a complicated story with several POVs and time hops but it didn’t keep me from being engaged. I had to know how it all came together. I did have to rewind and relisten to a few parts bc I got distracted. So be prepared to focus and think hard to get all the “bread crumbs” Alex is leaving.

Add to your TBR if you are into
-dark thrillers
-fate vs free will
-protective big sister vibes
-complex character connections

Pub date: February 28
Narrators: 🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
Spice: none

Thanks @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for this audiobook ARC.

Thank you Netgalley & Macmillan Audio for an audio-listening copy of The Angel Maker by Alex North. The Whisper Man was one of my favorite audiobooks of 2022, so I absolutely couldn’t wait to get my hands (and ears) on this one.

This book intertwines two storylines, the first being Katie Shaw’s. As an adult, she’s still struggling with guilt surrounding what happened to her brother, Chris, when they were younger. She also has her own child to protect now. She gets a phone call that Chris has gone missing and needs help - And she must decide who to put first.

At the same time, Detective Laurence Page is dealing with the gruesome brutal murder of a professor just hours after firing all of his staff. It’s almost as if he knew he was about to be murdered…but how? All leads for the case lead back to the attach on Chris as a teenager, and the crimes of a notorious serial killer who is said to have been able to see into the future.

This isn’t an audiobook that you can put on while doing other activities. I found myself having to rewind quite a few times as there are multiple timelines and points of view. There’s detail in EVERYTHING, so pay close attention. Because of this, one may decide that book format is easier to follow. This one requires you to suspend disbelief quite a bit, at least in my opinion. It’s a fast-paced read, but not my favorite of this author’s. Regardless I can’t wait to see what else he comes up with in the future.

Ok. This was one that you have to devote your whole attention to and pay close attention. There are a lot of timeline switches and POVs. This was hard to listen to on audiobook simply because of that. The POVs often ended abruptly and I had to rewind and listen again to catch everything. And that was after I slowed it down in the beginning to try and catch every detail! Rosalie Craig did a wonderful job narrating, but it was just the way that the book was written that made it hard to follow in audio form.

I did love the storyline. It gave me major Frailty vibes (you know, the Matthew McConaughey movie from 2001? I feel like I just aged myself there) I was a little worried that it would rip that off but Alex North took the premise and put his own spin on it.

Katie Shaw knows what a dangerous world this is. When she was in high school, she went home with her boyfriend and made her (also in high school age) brother walk home by himself. The one time she didn’t do as she was told and there was a tragedy. Now there are too many dangerous coincidences happening and her husband doesn’t believe her 😒 and then her mom calls gasping something about her brother. Try to piece together the clues of this complex puzzle, and trace all of the strings of the spider’s web to the center to try and figure out what is going on.

This is my second Alex North book and I find his writing to not be my favorite style. It is hard for me to get into and even harder to track what is going on. Especially with the audio book I had to go back and re-listen to chapters. it was 4 separate pov's with others sprinkled in and a lot of then/now stuff which is a lot to keep straight. For me it's reminiscent of the Angels and Demons type books/movies.

For all that complex and winding plot, I feel like the characters are kind of thrown around and not super well developed so plot points like the way Katie's husband treats her and the way the police both care deeply and don't care at all depending on the instance of plot convenience needed. It's a book that needed a little more connection to the characters and at a fairly short 8 hour run time there was room for it in my opinion.

That all said I flew through it because I did want to know how it all wrapped up and even though I am pretty sure I missed some stuff and had a few questions left over, I think it was wrapped up pretty well and the twists were good. North's books have a certain feel and this one definitely captured the same feeling as The Whisper Man so if you loved that one, I think you will like this one too. Great plot, pretty good execution, character development leaves a bit to be desired but kept me enthralled the whole time. I could see this as a movie and I think add that visual element would help this all go together.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC of the audiobook!

This was a fast-paced why done it thriller. We know from the beginning who the “bad” guys are, but their exact relationships and motivations are revealed bit by bit as the book progresses. There was a bit more supernatural elements included than I usually like. This is fine (not my cuppa but I understand that others like this), but the listed genres and blurb don’t really indicate this which left me coming away with an unsettled feeling. Is this a paranormal thriller? A police procedural? A psych thriller? I’m still not sure. I also felt there were a few loose ends left untied. As an audiobook, I found the beginning a little confusing for several reasons. 1. There were a lot of names and then same characters who changed their names and the author wasn’t consistent with what he called them.
2. The time jumps were a little too much, too often, and keeping track of when things were happening was a bit hard without having the dates in front of me to go back and reference. I get that this was deliberate (one of the characters has some philosophical or maybe paranormal theories about time where these jumps make some sense).
I loved the banter/relationship between the two cops. That was great! The narrator of this audiobook was good although many of the male voices sounded the same. This doesn’t bother me though. I did also like how most of the plot points were interwoven and connected.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for providing this ARC copy to read and review. All the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading the book.

The story was decent, but it didn't keep my interest all the way through. Maybe I should have read it instead of listening to it because I found myself zoning out of the story a few times.

If you liked North's previous two novels, The Whisper Man and The Shadows, then you will definitely enjoy his latest, The Angel Maker. Told from a few timelines and by various narrators, so I found it somewhat confusing, especially listening to it as an audiobook. This story has so much going on, I would recommend reading vs. listening to this one! Katie Shaw's younger brother Chris is attacked when they were teenagers, and the guilt of it has never left Katie. Even years later, she is married and has a daughter of her own to protect. The attack on Christopher Shaw seems to be somehow connected to a current crime that Detective Laurence Page is assigned, the death of a professor who teachers free will vs. fate. All of the characters and this intricate plot do weave together, but it's definitely a thriller you need to focus on! Overall, it was enjoyable and as always Alex North does a great job delivering originality to his thrillers!

One day, a violent stranger changed Katie's and her brother, Chris', life. Now, years later, Chris is missing again, and he needs her help. Chris' attack years ago is now considered the doing of a serial killer by Detective page.
Um... what? I loved The Whisper Man by this author, it gave me actual chills (which never happens to me when I read). After, I read The Shadows, which was OK, but felt very similar. And now, The Angel Maker fells the same, but without the thrill. I did not like this. I listened to the audio book, and although the narrator did a great job, the story was so confusing, there were so many characters, my mind kept wandering. The premise was interesting, but this thriller/murder mystery filled with hard topics (check your TWs) fell flat. I will try to read a physical copy, because I feel this story was much to complex for me to be able to completely focus on it on audio.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

AUDIOBOOK
Alex North does it again, inserts a level of creepiness into any story - while more of a thriller than horror, this is one you won't soon forget. Rosalind Craig's voice is perfect for this story!

Kate, her brother Chris and boyfriend Sam experience an event as children that changes their lives irrevocably. Kate is still dealing with the trauma many years later when she receives a call that her brother is missing. As she travels back to her village she begins to suffer from PTSD. What really happened many years ago and is it connected to her brother's disappearance?
#MacMillanAudio #TheAngelMaker #AlexNorth

TW: Murder, drug abuse, toxic parent relationship, language, bullying, gory scenes, depression, death of children

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book: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.
Release Date: February 28th, 2023
Genre: Horror - Thriller
Pages: 336
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. The premise of the book sounded good

What I Didn't Like:
1. Cheesy dialog
2. It always feels like the same book
3. No surprises

Overall Thoughts:
This was my 3rd Alex North book I read. The other two; The Whisper Man and The Shadows . Both these books just fell flat for me and I was bored. So I was hopeful that the old saying "Third times a charm" would be true. I was wrong though.

This book reminds me so much of Frailty - which is a great movie staring the wonderful Bill Paxton and Matthew McConaughey. Let me tell you what that movie is about; "One day, a widowed blue-collar worker has a revelation: he must destroy those revealed to him as demons. He then begins the serial killings of `God's Hand Killer' across Texas, but he also has two young sons, the younger of whom idolises him and believes in the cause, while his older brother is revolted but cannot bring himself to stop his father. Twenty years later, the elder son walks into a police station and confesses."

I was bored. Actually really really bored. I don't know how Alex North manages to write books that all feel like his last books. This is the third book of his where it's a serial killer with some kind of catchy name where he kills in a certain way.

Nothing happens in this book that I didn't see happening from page one. This book reminded me too much of something I've seen before. I felt like I knew what was happening and was waiting on the book to catch up.

Final Thoughts:
I've tried 3 times to like Alex North's books and I just can't get into them. This is where I'm parting ways.

Recommend For:
• Fake books about serial killers
• Simple story telling
• Scary scenes

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this advanced copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Katie has been filled with guilt ever since she was a teenager and left her brother Chris to walk home alone from school one day and he was attacked. As an adult, he has had a rough time of it battling addiction and homelessness, and their relationship has been rocky. When he goes missing, Katie starts looking for him more out of duty and for the sake of her mother than anything else...until she realizes there is actually something bad going on. Even her own daughter might be in danger! Turns out, it's more of a twisty mess than she ever imagined.

As another reviewer said, I do not recommend listening while multitasking. I can often listen to a thriller while I'm working but I was so terribly confused. There are a few reasons this book requires focus.

a) There are a lot of characters.
b) The author switches between referring to them by their first names and last names.
c) The story switches between timelines, often multiple times in one chapter, and if you miss the date....you will have no idea what is going on. This happened to me many times with the audiobook. Whoops!

I had to go back and listen to several chapters again, and I took some notes so I could clarify and remember who all of the characters were. After a little homework, I got back on track. But if I got a little distracted and missed a minute or two....I had to go back and listen again.

Now, I could blame that entirely on myself, but I don't think a book HAS to be quite that confusing. The author could have made things slightly clearer without dumbing things down for us.

I thought the story was mostly twisty and turny and devious and good! The end wasn't a cop out and there were no cheap tricks. It's definitely something more original than the standard fare domestic thrillers going around these days.

But I was still left with some questions when it finished, and there were some loose ends that were not tied up. Since I was so confused before that, I just can't give this TOO high of a rating. Maybe read a physical copy of this one rather than the audiobook, and you'll have better luck.

This was my first book by this author and I can’t believe I have been missing out. This book has such an intricate and interesting storyline that I couldn’t stop listening!

I thought the combination of a new crime and what each of the main characters part in the story was great.

It was twisty and thought provoking with the the spiritual element being very interesting.