Thank you Celadon Books, #partner, for the advanced copy of The Angel Maker in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Celadon Books
Published: February 28, 2023
Summary:
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.
My thoughts:
I have been a fan of Alex North since reading The Whisper Man, which is still one of my favorite books, and this one, while a bit different, is just as good if not better. Alex North is definitely a must-read author and I was thrilled to be able to read this one so early!
I read this one while on vacation, so was unable to read it cover to cover in one sitting, but was quite eager to get back to it each I time I had to put it down, and often found myself thinking about it when I wasn’t reading it. This is definitely a book where you need to pay close attention while reading. The change in timelines is often subtle and quick, but I loved how it helped fill in a lot of the blanks on the characters and also help build suspense and tension.
This story is one big puzzle that needs to be put together and I loved how the pieces were constantly moved around. The surprises and twists really keep you on your toes. This is a very dark story that is hard to pinpoint exactly what genre it falls into – it’s got elements of a thriller, but it also has elements of horror, crime fiction, and even some philosophy and paranormal. I think it’s best to go into this one as blind as possible because the less you know going into it, the better. There are definitely some creepy parts and then there are parts that are thought-provoking and I loved every single second of it. This book proves that Alex North is a master at what he does and I cannot wait to see what he crafts for us next!
