The Angel Maker

By: Alex North

Narrator: Rosalie Craig

Macmillan Audio

ISBN: 978-1250757869

Publisher: Celadon Books

Publication Date: 02/28/2023

Format: Audiobook

My Rating: 3 Stars (ARC)

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 serial killer who, legend had it, could see the future.

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Praise

The Angel Maker weaves "an intriguing cast of characters across multiple time periods into a story rich with layers and plot twists and perfectly suspenseful pacing. A delightfully bone-chilling tale." –Kirkus Reviews

"At [The Angel Maker's] center is a present-day murder, but embedded in its core are the paranormal, elements of cringeworthy horror, and a riveting study of the bonds and boundaries of sibling devotion, as well as a master study on determinism... Everything in this story is connected in ways the reader can’t begin to imagine until a series of stunning parallels and revelations are disclosed. Wait for it!" ―Booklist, starred review

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My Review

Alex North's latest, THE ANGEL MAKER, is a slow-burning complex, dark, chilling, and twisty psychological thriller with multiple storylines and characters.

It will take significant concentration to keep up, especially listening to the audible version.

Set in the UK, meet Kate Shaw, age seventeen. She had a boyfriend and a younger brother. Her life is quite pleasant in the English countryside with big dreams.

Until that when an impulsive decision changed her life and those around her. She was supposed to care for her younger brother, Chris; instead, she spent the afternoon with her boyfriend.

Chris was attacked by a stranger, Michael, who attempted to cut off his face.

Now in her 30s, Kate still feels guilt. Her mother informs her that Chris has gone missing. He has been troubled and has become an addict and a criminal. He needs her.

Kate now has a child of her own. She is pulled in all directions, struggling to separate the real threats from the imagined. Chris continues to be involved in criminal activity or caught in and around it.

We then meet Detective Laurence Page handling a gruesome crime of a distinguished professor, Alan Hobbes, of fate and free will, who has been murdered after firing his staff. Did he expect to die?

This connects with the old case and attack of teen Chris and a notorious serial killer known as The Angle Maker, who is known to see the future. How are these cases connected?

They are indeed connected in mysterious ways.

Totally creepy and a bit confusing, serial killer, a brother, and a professor. A whodunit and motive. I had to rewind multiple times to see if I had missed something. There are a lot of evil characters, and you may need a scorecard to keep up.

I am not a fan of the paranormal, horror, and creepy; however, I did enjoy the narrator, Rosalie Craig, who delivered an engaging performance.

Thank you to #MacmillanAudio and #NetGalley for a gifted ALC.

@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks

My Rating: 3 🌟Stars

Pub Date: Feb 28, 2023

About the Author

Photo Credit: CAG Photography

Alex North is the internationally bestselling author of The Whisper Man and The Shadows. He lives in Leeds, England, with his wife and son, and is a British crime writer who has previously published under another name. READ MORE