The Angel Maker- A Novel by Alex North
"Deeply complex and carefully crafted, this novel is a thrilling question mark all the way to the end, and it puts North's storytelling skills on full display. The Angel Maker, his best so far, is a superb addition to his already impressive oeuvre." -npr 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.
- Suggested age range- Adult
- Format- Hardcover
- Dimension- 6.2" W x 9.3" H x 1.4" D
- Genre- Mystery and Thriller
- Publisher- Celadon Books, Publication date- 02-28-2023
- Page count- 336
- ISBN- 9781250757869
Web ID: 16849889
This story drove me nuts... in a good way.
This book drove me nuts... in a good way. At first the story focuses on the Shaw family and a terrible incident that happened to Christopher, the youngest Shaw child. An incident which older sister Katie has always blamed herself for. Cut to present day 20 years later Katie is married and has a daughter. Christopher has been in trouble with the law mainly for drugs since the incident so the police know him well. The story seemed a little slow at first as details were given and characters introduced. I actually stopped reading because I was getting confused and thought excuse me author Alex North but what do all of these people have to do with the story of The Angel Maker. I was curious though so I continued reading. I'm so glad that I did because after a few more chapters the pieces of the jigsaw puzzle started falling into place. By the end Mr. North has tied up everything and the whole truth of who everyone was gets summed up. I was literally thinking wow as I closed the book.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
An Enjoyable Read
I am a huge fan of Alex North and will read anything they write. I was incredibly intrigued by the premise of this book and was very excited to read it. While this did not end up being my favorite Alex North book, it is still very much worth a read. Katie Shaw grew up living a very charmed life until a violent attack on her younger brother changed the course of her life and her family forever. She has put the pieces of her life back together and now has a child of her own. He life seems to be going well until she gets a call that her brother is missing and needs her again. At the same time, there is a violent murder of a professor that seems to tie to the attack on her brother all those years ago. I love how North is able to tie together the past and the present to create a beautifully woven story. North is a master at creating a cohesive and emotional story over multiple timelines and does not disappoint with The Angel Maker. Where this story differs for me from North’s previous books it in the connection to the characters. In North’s previous books I have been deeply attached to the characters which has created stories I cannot forget. I found with the Angel Maker, I was not particularly attached to the characters. While the was enjoyable while I was reading it, it was ultimately forgettable.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Loved it!
Brother and sister Chris and Katie Shaw, Michael Hyde, Edward Leland, baby Nathaniel Leland, and Alan Hobbes - how are they all connected. Lots of twists and turns and throw in the police - Laurence and his partner Pettifer - and you have a edge-of-your-seat thriller. I really enjoyed this book, as I have all his other books. The many twists kept me guessing until the very end when everything came together. The many characters were a little confusing at first, as was the back and forth telling of the story, but it was a very enjoyable took - highly recommended!
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great book!
This was my first book on my nook and I this book was great! The plot was great and the twist were superb! Highly recommend
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Creepy, multi-generational thriller
Multiple timelines and characters converge in this well-built thriller. Many reviews characterize it as a horror novel, but I see it as a thriller a little on the far-end of the creepy spectrum. Some readers have said they found it confusing. I didn't, though I was careful to pay attention because I had read reviews ahead of time. Sometimes the citizen detective trope is tired and hard to believe, but in this one I found it plausible because there was a history of estrangement, and the MC thought her brother could be in danger and wanted to protect him, rather than just stalking a killer for the fun of it. I liked the mystery elements and the generational aspect of it. At the end, I had a couple unanswered questions, but nothing that was so crucial to the plot that it was unforgivable. I liked that there is a lot that is left open to the interpretation of the reader. Some readers see almost a supernatural element in this book that I did not. It's cool when two people can enjoy something and also perceive it very differently. I will be looking for other books by this author.
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Surprised me, very good
I received this book from Macmillan Publishers in exchange for an honest review. Ok, I have to go in saying that I never ever read suspense, mystery, crime, or anything related to serial killers. It’s usually just not my jam. But I loved this book! There was this question of paranormal abilities and whether there was a person who could see the future. It gave an edge of creepiness to the whole thing as you try to piece together the whodunnit. I was wrapped up in the suspense and felt totally captured by the story. I thought that the writing had a lot of momentum and was gripping without being overly pandering. The only thing that didn’t work for me was that there are multiple perspectives and characters that are woven together in alternating chapters and I felt like it took me a bit longer to get into that kind of pacing. But that being said, I really liked reading this and was surprised to enjoy my first thriller! The story follows Kate, who had something traumatic happen in her family when she was a teenager (trying to be spoiler free!). Years later, her brother goes missing and her life is turned upside down. She begins trying to unravel the events of her past and find how they relate to what’s happening now. I have younger brothers that I’ve always wanted to protect so I really related to the sibling dynamic and baggage. Also I absolutely loved the edge of paranormal creepiness!
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Great Read
Thank you to NetGalley and Celadon Books as well as the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. #NetGalley #CeladonBooks #AlexNorth #TheAngelMaker This was a treat to read as is typical for Alex North. He always delivers compelling plots and relatable characters. This thriller begins with Katie Shaw choosing to go home with her boyfriend instead of seeing her younger brother home. She will never forgive herself when she finds out that, on his way home alone, Chris has been attacked and stabbed several times. Although he survives these injuries, their lives are never the same. Years later, Chris has become a recovering drug addict and he and Katie have become estranged. Katie is now a teacher and living with her boyfriend now husband and their three year old daughter, Siena. One day, she gets a call from her mother saying that her brother is missing. Meanwhile, the detective who handled Chris’ stabbing has another grisly crime to solve. Could they be related? Alex North is firmly in the thriller genre if you ask me. He has always ridden the line between thriller and horror really well. In this book, there are even some flavors of true crime. There are no overt paranormal happenings but there are whispers of them. His original plot line and familiar prose is both comforting and terrifying. I have always felt that “The Whisper Man” was his best work. I believe this one has taken its place for me now. The ending was predictable and I still loved it. It was the only way to end it. There were a few small plot holes that didn’t get the attention that I would have liked. Even so, the story was addictive and compelling. Alex North has hooked me again!
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Solid Thriller
Synopsis: They call him The Angel Maker, a serial killer who is rumored to see the future. It all started with Jack Lock, but sickness can spread…sometimes to their children. After Katie’s brother was brutally attacked as a child, Katie has lived her life in fear. Fear of something bad happening but also fear of not being able to protect the people she loves. So when her brother goes missing and she starts to sense that someone is watching her, she has to put that fear aside and find her brother before he is hurt beyond repair. Review:This was a good thriller. It had an impressive story and genuinely creeped me out more than once. My biggest complaint would be that they made the characters a little more confusing than they needed to be. Multiple characters (some that had a couple different names) and multiple timelines made it really hard to follow sometimes as well as the ending being a tad predictable. I still really enjoyed it though and would recommend to anyone that loves a good serial killer story.
Recommends this product
Customer review from barnesandnoble.com