I really wanted to love this one. I've read his previous books and had high hopes for The Angel Maker, but it missed the mark with me. Perhaps it was because it was an audiobook, so at some future date I'll try again with a paper copy. For me the issue was the very....slow.....burn. Too slow. It started out great, but then I found my mind wandering and that's why I'm thinking a paper copy would allow me to set the pace and that might have kept me interested.

Thank you Macmillan Audio & Netgalley for allow me to listen to this audio arc

The Angel Maker was a pretty enjoyable listen. I enjoyed the multiple points of view and the shifting timelines. I liked the unraveling family drama and it was a very tense listen.

The Angel Maker
Thank you to @celdaonbooks for my #gifted copy and thank you to @macmillianaudio for my gifted ALC. This book publishes February 28.

This was my first book of 2023! I really wanted to like this one. I enjoyed Alex North's previous two books but this one just wasn't a win for me. I listened to the audio book and this was a very, very slow burn. This may be the type of book where a physical copy would keep me more engaged, interested, and less confused! When it finally got interesting, I really had lost interest and wasn't very connected to the characters.

The good stuff:
This was a well crafted psychological suspense
Very atmospheric read
Great family drama that you uncover as the story progresses
Dual timelines and multiple POVs

The not so great stuff
There are too many perspectives and it's easy to lose track of everyone
The narrator honestly was tough to follow and connect with and I restarted the audio and there were a few chapters I had to back up.
Confusing plot lines that are also dark and intense

I really wanted to love this one - I loved the Whisper Man - however this one left me a bit wanting. The premise is built over multiple perspectives. I truly wanted more of the serial killer viewpoint - but that was not to be. Instead I got the slow building impression that I was trying to be deceived. There were red herrings all around that were unnecessary - and in my opinion they detracted from the book. It left me feeling uninterested and uninspired, and I just wanted resolution. I may try this one again at a later date - hoping it was just my mood. Thanks to NetGalley for the early read.

This book was exactly what I expected from Alex North; another well-crafted mystery with a very creepy bent.

I really enjoy North's ability to put together a dynamic case with an unsettling villain. I very much appreciate the ability to investigate the case without being an overbearing police procedural without having the story bogged down by the nitty gritty of the investigation. Still, it's not the fastest moving book, so if you're dead set on a page turner this probably isn't your thing. That being said, if you've read North before you know that the slow burn is well worth it and what it lacks in speed it makes up for in creep. Highly recommended!

“Red car, Mommy! red car.” This sentence had me cringing throughout the entire book.
🚗
When Katie was younger she made the decision to not walk her younger brother home from school. She wanted to spend time with her boyfriend. Something happens to her little brother Christopher. Michael Hyde drove a red car and attacked Christopher. Their lives changed forever.
🚗
As an adult Katie’s young daughter sees a red car and the way she says this frightens her. Turns out Christopher is now missing. Is her daughter next?
🚗
An edge of your seat novel. Many lives are changed forever!

Thank you @celadon, @netgalley, @macmillianaudio, for this advanced audio which comes out Feb 28, 2023.

Kate Shaw grew up in a beautiful home in England. She seemed to have everything going for her, until right before high school graduation, her title brother was brutally attacked. Years later, and now with her own child to protect, Kate struggles with the guilt of what happened to her brother. One day, her brother goes missing right around the time a distinguished professor is brutally murdered. All leads point back to Christopher’s case and a serial killer who supposedly could see the future.

I really wanted to love this one, as I read so many positive reviews, but it was just too much of a slow burn for me. Perhaps if it picked up a bit, I would have enjoyed it because it really was a unique idea for a story. I listened to it on audio.

Thank you to MacMillan Audio, Netgalley and Alex North for the ALC! This book releases February 28th.

Alex North is one of the most phenomenal thriller writers. He has a way of absolutely creeping his readers out! However, this one was not my favorite. (The Whisper Man is still superior!) This book had a lot going on and at times I was confused. It didn't feel like it flowed. Also, it gets a little paranormal which was not my favorite aspect. However, I did not figure out the big twist and that's always a huge win for me. I liked the multiple timelines. I'd definitely recommend it to other readers.

The Angel Maker is the new one by Alex North and I loved it! I listened to this one via audio, which was narrated by Rosalie Craig and it was very well done. Very suspenseful and eerie, it is best if you go into this one blind, but I thought North did a great job creating a dark and twisty story that kept me interested the entire time. This one is more on the crime thriller side, which I enjoy and thought it was done very well. There are two cases that connect in a really brilliant way and again that is all I am going to say, but I hope that you add this one to your list in late February when it comes out, I really enjoyed this one so much!

Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books for the ALC and ARC to review.

Years ago Katie was supposed to be watching her little brother and instead she went over to her boyfriend’s house. Her brother Christopher was brutally attacked that day. Now many years later Christopher has gone missing and Katie is determined to find him. The story also includes Katie’s now husband and their daughter along with two police detectives investigating the gruesome murder of a professor and a serial killer who can see the future.

Atmospheric and creepy. I loved The Whisper Man and The Shadows, and this one is great too. Alex North is such a brilliant storyteller. I truly enjoyed how unique The Angel Maker is and highly recommend it to thriller and horror fans. The narration on the audio is terrific. I did really have to pay attention because there were quite a few characters and timeline switches, but everything came together. If you are multitasking while listening, you may miss some things and a printed version will be the better choice here. I’m not easily scared, but this one got me!

Thank you to @macmillan.audio and @netgalley and @writernorth for an early copy in exchange for my honest review.
Pub Date: February 28, 2023
Audiobook Time: 8 hours
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

The Angel Maker by Alex North was a highly anticipated 2023 book for me and I was eager to dig into it. I loved his first two books, The Whisper Man and The Shadows, and he’s an auto-read author for me. He tried something different with this third novel and it worked for me, but I could see it reaching a narrower base than his other books.

In this book we meet Katie and her brother, Chris. When Katie was a teenager, Chris was violently attacked by a stranger when she should have been with him. She carries the guilt and Chris carries the trauma, both resurfacing in the present time when a murder investigation coincides with Chris going missing.

There are multiple sub-plots in both timelines to keep track of in this book and the connections across it all are very slow to link up. It dips a toe into the supernatural and has quite a bit of religious ideology, along with the classic gruesome crime style writing the author is known for. It’s not flashy twists or big gotchas, it’s slow suspense. If you enjoy a mystery with non-procedural crime mysteries and methodical micro-reveals, this could be a great fit.

Content warnings: Murder, Death

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for providing an advanced listening copy of this book, I was so excited to be chosen!

The Angel Maker is so different than your ordinary mystery thriller book. It has several other types of genres mixed in which I enjoyed. I really enjoyed the siblings story but when it switched to other POVs and all of the characters it lost me for a bit.
Eventually I figured it out but it took away from the story for me.
The narrator, Rosalie Craig did a wonderful job portraying all of the characters but for this particular story I would have preferred a cast of narrators to help keep them right in my brain. The siblings and the mystery surrounding the book kept me intrigued.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

Publishes Feb 27, 2023

I really wanted to like this one. I've read his previous books and had high hopes for The Angel Maker, but it missed the mark with me. Perhaps it was because it was an audiobook, so at some future date I'll try again with a paper copy. For me the issue was the very....slow.....burn. Too slow. It started out great, but then I found my mind wandering and that's why I'm thinking a paper copy would allow me to set the pace and that might have kept me interested.

I threw in the towel at 49.1% of the way in. Having said that, I may give it another go with a paper or kindle copy, rather than the audio version provided by Netgalley. The reader is wonderful and I enjoyed her narration. And I've always enjoyed Alex North prior to this. But, this. Utterly confusing (and from a couple other reviews, it doesn't seem to be just me.) The author can throw in all the determinism he wants. Saying all things are as they were destined to be does not change the fact that the entire story hinges on a coincidence that is just too big for me to swallow. Maybe it is eventually explained satisfactorily, but at 72, I'm too old to spend this much time with a whole cast of characters I pretty much dislike.

I have loved every single one of Alec North's books, and I couldn’t wait for this one. To say I was excited when I got approved for this by MacMillan Audio is an understatement.

Katie has lived a charmed life. On the cusp of graduation, she had big dreams, a devoted boyfriend, and a brother who she loves dearly. Everything is perfect, until one day a violent stranger changes the fate of her family forever. Years later, Katie is still full of guilt but one day she gets a call her brother has gone missing. Detective Laurence Page is facing a gruesome crime. Everything points to two cold cases.

Alex North has done it again - This book was awesome and intricately written! It was an amazing psychological suspense book that I couldn’t stop listening to. It was wonderfully atmospheric and full of chills. The mystery and family drama added to the thriller aspect, and it worked well together. I did find the book wonderful, except the ending could have been flushed out a little better as it seemed very abrupt. I will say that while I loved this one, it wasn’t my favorite.

If you’re looking for a book that you won’t want to put down, then check this one out on Feb 28th of next year. Huge thanks to MacMillan Audio, @macmillanaudio, and @netgalley, for providing me this audio arc in exchange for an honest review.

Alex North has written another fantastic serial killer crime thriller! The Angel Maker is dark, suspenseful, and full of twists. There are dual timelines and POVs, as well as strong character development. The narration on the audiobook was well done. Overall, I highly recommend reading or listening to this book, along with North’s other books (The Whisper Man & The Shadows).

Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for allowing me to listen to this audiobook ahead of publication in exchange for my honest review.

This was a great thriller! I wasn’t sure what to expect because it was intense but it was so good. The narration was good too. I would recommend this one.

3 Stars

Unfortunately I'm having to DNF this 30% in. The story itself seems really interesting and I'm going to pick it up as a physical read after release.

There is just too many perspectives and story lines to easily keep track of as an audiobook. I kept getting very lost and couldn't keep track of what was going on,

The narrator picked for this audiobook was a great choice and I will be looking for more books narrated by them.

Overall I would recommend this book as something to check out as a physical read. It has great potential.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this advance audio. My review is voluntarily my own.

This was my third book by Alex North. Although his writing has always been unique and that's what I've come to expect, this writing was a little more difficult for me to follow than usual.

I was fortunate enough to receive the audio version thanks to Macmillan Audio and that drastically helped me stay with the story; I'm not sure I would have been able to finish had I been reading a physical copy. There were so many timelines and plotlines and it was not an easy follow for me sadly.

I think the mystery itself could have been very good if it weren't for the confusing plotlines. Some of the topics were very intense and dark, so I'd recommend looking up some content warnings.

The narrator did an excellent job and I could listen to her talk all day long! This book will be available on Feb 28th.

2.5 Rounded Up

Thank you to #Netgalley for the ARC audio copy of this book.

I moderately liked Alex North's previous novel "The Whisper Man" (3/5 stars,) so I didn't go into this one with high expectations. I think that the audiobook actually took away from reading this one. There are so many characters to keep track of and the plot switches between multiple timelines, so it was very difficult to follow as an audiobook. The narrator did a nice job with the different voices though. I also found the ending and the 'twist' quite predictable. .